Annual Summit 2025: Building Lasting Impact from a Common Vision

Bright orange and blue signs announcing the 2025 EUGLOH Annual Summit adorned the University of Porto’s elegant Rectory and Abel Salazar buildings, standing out against the overcast October sky and drawing the eyes of the many visitors to the city’s famous historic centre. From 22–24 October, over 400 attendees of the EUGLOH Annual Summit were among those admiring Porto’s picturesque architecture and enjoying its welcoming hospitality.

Following an internal working day for EUGLOH’s governing bodies, its International Student Board and operational working groups on 22 October, the Annual Summit officially began on 23 October. The formal opening ceremony featured leaders from the University of Porto and Porto City Hall as well as EUGLOH students and representatives. In their speeches, they all emphasised the importance of collaboration and explored different aspects of the theme “From Vision to Impact,” highlighting in particular how academic institutions can move beyond vision statements to measurable impact in education, research and society at large.

António de Sousa Pereira, Rector of the University of Porto, emphasized EUGLOH’s important role in fostering collaboration and mutual understanding: “Our Alliance is also a powerful way to promote cooperation, to share essential knowledge and a way to create a common ground where our teachers, our researchers, our technical staff and our students can work together and achieve tangible results.”

In her speech, Margarida Moreira, board member of the Academic Federation of Porto and member of the EUGLOH Student Board at the University of Porto, summed up the importance of the involvement of students in this endeavour: “[…] If we truly want to move from vision to impact, we must recognise something fundamental: students are not only the audience of innovation – we are its co-authors. Every discovery in a lab, every social project, every exchange programme becomes meaningful only when students bring it to life. We are the generation that studies in Lund, researches in Szeged, spends a semester in Paris, and builds a start-up in Porto. We are the European generation – mobile, multilingual, connected.”

A panel discussion entitled “Science, Innovation and Society: How European Universities can Shape EU’s Innovation and Competitiveness” featured speakers from industry, academia and student networks and rounded off the opening ceremony.

The afternoon programme offered a vibrant mix of discussions, presentations, and networking opportunities. Sessions such as “Pedagogical Innovation: Best Practices Showcase” highlighted creative approaches to teaching and learning across EUGLOH universities, while “Knowledge Transfer in EUGLOH and Unlocking its Potential” examined how academic research can be translated into real-world impact. In “Shaping Global Health through Student Involvement in Research & Innovation,” participants explored how students are driving change in global health challenges. A round-table titled “Future Today: Union of Skills for Employability and Career Networks” sparked debate on how universities can prepare graduates for the demands of the digital and green transitions. The day wrapped up with a gala dinner, where attendees connected over informal networking and cultural exchange.

On the morning of 24 October, the focus shifted to the future of higher education in the AI era with a plenary session “Future-Proofing Higher Education: Adapting Skills and Knowledge to the AI Era.” This was followed by a student poster session featuring research from EUGLOH’s Annual Student Research Conference, which was held in parallel to the Annual Summit. The closing ceremony featured contributions from a European Commission policy officer, a senior UN representative as well as musical performances to underline the cultural setting.

Across almost 38 hours of fruitful discussions, the EUGLOH Annual Summit 2025 at the University of Porto brought together 100 speakers, moderators and facilitators who contributed across 9 plenary sessions and roundtables, 31 operational meetings and workshops, 6 parallel events, 9 artistic performances and networking events and 1 poster exhibition, highlighting the strength and vibrancy of the EUGLOH community. Participants shared strategies for turning vision into tangible impact — from advancing pedagogical innovation to fostering skills for the future.

The wide range of events, contributions and participants during this year’s Annual Summit was further evidence of the shared, co-created progress made by the Alliance and its nine universities. As Delphine Placidi-Frot, Vice-President of International and European Relations at Université Paris-Saclay and coordinator of EUGLOH, emphasized in her speech during the Summit’s opening ceremony: “We are already sharing so much together.”

The EUGLOH Annual Summit is held every year at a different member university. Since its first edition in 2021, it has become a flagship event for the Alliance, providing a platform for universities, researchers, students and partners to explore common challenges and opportunities while strengthening cooperation across borders.

In 2026, the Annual Summit will be held at the University of Hamburg, Germany, from 15-16 September.

You can now relive the highlights of the EUGLOH Annual Summit 2025 by watching the official wrap-up video here, capturing the key moments, insights and shared spirit that made this year’s edition truly remarkable: