Universities Play a Crucial Role in Increasingly Uncertain Times

“The defining task today is to make sure that we are able to provide security to Europeans by being prepared for all risks, and that scale of risk is huge,” states former President of Finland Sauli Niinistö, the special adviser to the President of the European Commission, in an EU report he prepared on strengthening Europe’s civil and military preparedness. On 21 October, Niinistö delivered the keynote address at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) in Lithuania during  Strategic Policy Conference “Universities Shaping the Future: Building Resilient Societies through Innovation and Global Impact”, which was devoted to the importance of resilience in the modern world and marked the conclusion of VMU’s presidency of the Transform4Europe Alliance.

The conference focused on resilience and its importance today amid growing uncertainty and global crises. It brought together not only academic leaders, experts, and students from the T4EU and other European University alliances, but also high-level European and Lithuanian political figures, global partners, and key stakeholders. Together, they engaged in discussions on resilience from multiple perspectives, including the global and European transformation of democracies, societies, and technologies. Based on the expertise and insights generated during the conference, a Policy Paper on Resilience Competency will be finalized and shared.

The conference addressed the role of universities in democracies and in conflict-affected societies, individual resilience in an unpredictable world, the importance of innovation and talent for Europe’s strategic future, and higher education’s contribution to society.

“Never before has critical thinking, built on a solid foundation of knowledge, been as important as it is today. And this means that modern education, especially our universities, plays a crucial role in preparing young adults to live in an increasingly uncertain and complex reality. The great struggle for our minds and hearts, and for the future of democracy, has only just begun. Yet standing here, in the Great Hall of Vytautas Magnus University, I have no doubt that truth grounded in moral values will always find its way, thanks to our educators, innovators, and all those who care”, the President of Lithuania said.

“We have to prepare, to be ready, not because we are afraid of the future but because we have responsibility for the future. Security and peace is the foundation of everything: for individuals, families in their life, communities. You can‘t plan the future without security, you have difficulties maintain your values without security. That‘s why this kind of mindset is needed”, the former president of Finland said in his keynote, also discussing hybrid threats and the role of academic community in contributing to national security.

The European Universities initiative, which brings together 65 alliances, was created to strengthen Europe’s higher education institutions and their role in fostering European identity, competitiveness, technological progress, and overall societal resilience.