On 8 October, EURASHE co-hosted a workshop on European University Alliances as part of the European Week of Regions and Cities 2024.
The session, titled “University Alliances Harnessing Talent and Skills in Europe’s Regions,” was organised in collaboration with Hanze University of Applied Sciences, the Universities of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, and STARS EU.
The event opened with keynote interventions by three distinguished speakers: Tine Delva, Deputy Head of the Higher Education Unit at the European Commission; Karel Haegeman, Team Leader for S3 at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre; and Bledar Kurti, Professor of International Relations and Diplomacy at Albanian University Tirana. Additionally, video testimonials from local government representatives, SME representatives, and students from the STARS EU Alliance were showcased.
The session progressed with a dynamic panel discussion, featuring Anka Mulder, President of the Executive Board at Saxion University of Applied Sciences (NL); Christian Schütt, Policy Officer at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ports, and Transformation (DE); Joana Gouveia Loureiro, Head of Institutional and International Relations at the Municipality of Coimbra (PT); and Dick Pouwels, President of the Executive Board at Hanze University of Applied Sciences (NL).
Key insights from the session included:
- New alliances should prioritise dedicating time to building strong relationships;
- Focus on achieving 50% student mobility as a core goal;
- Strengthen interactions between regional ecosystems to foster collaboration;
- Advocate for formal recognition of universities’ regional role in legislation.