EUGLOH Members Engage in Key European University Alliance Conferences in Dublin and Berlin
© Céline Mermier
Dublin, 27 May:
A six-person delegation from EUGLOH member universities in France (Université Paris-Saclay) and Germany (University of Hamburg and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) as well as from EUGLOH’s external partner in Ireland (RCSI Dublin) attended a conference titled “Towards a Stronger Europe: Franco-German-Irish Perspectives on the Future of European University Alliances”. It featured keynote speeches, panel discussions, and roundtables exploring key topics such as research collaboration, innovation, student mobility, and the long-term vision for European higher education. Fourteen European University Alliances – with Irish member universities or associated partners – were invited to the conference, which was held in Dublin on the 27th of May, following a networking reception on the previous evening. Through engaging dialogue with European stakeholders, EUGLOH contributed its experience on connecting universities with regional actors, promoting innovative mobility schemes, and ensuring students are central to shaping inclusive, accessible mobility opportunities.
EUGLOH members were active contributors to the event’s program: EUGLOH’s Coordinator Representative, Delphine Placidi-Frot, took part in a panel discussion that explored how European University Alliances can contribute to the challenges of research, competitiveness and sovereignty, particularly how such alliances can boost European sovereignty and strengthen common approaches, and shared some ways in which EUGLOH works towards shared goals. “EUGLOH envisions the emergence of a European health area, and so we are thinking globally, forming partnerships within and beyond Europe,” she emphasized.
The event also highlighted active engagement with students. Anna Wagner, a student from the University of Hamburg, participated in a panel discussion on how alliances improve the inclusiveness of student mobility and engagement. She highlighted the need to have direct dialogue with students in order to identify and remove barriers to student mobility and further emphasized the importance of making the student voice heard in alliances’ governing bodies, by giving them a voting right for example, as EUGLOH does.
EUGLOH’s participation in the conference highlights its active role in shaping the future of European University Alliances by engaging in high-level discussions alongside key European stakeholders and colleagues from fellow European University Alliances, thus demonstrating its commitment to strengthening transnational cooperation in global health and higher education.
Berlin, 16 and 17 June:
Less than a month later, EUGLOH had the opportunity to continue the dialogue on French-German cooperation within European University Alliances at the “French-German conference on European Universities Alliances” held in Berlin on 16 and 17 June. Organized in collaboration with the French Embassy in Germany and the Franco-German University, the conference provided another opportunity for stakeholders and practitioners to get together to network, share further best practices, and continue working towards solutions for improving collaboration among French-German and European institutions. In total, 51 alliances were represented at the conference.
Anouk Deana, EUGLOH policy officer who was a member of the delegation, emphasized the importance of the collaborative conference experience: “These events offer a rare and valuable opportunity to reconnect with key partners, reaffirm our shared goals, and reflect on the structural constraints of the current European Universities Alliances model — its short-term scope, fragmented focus, and administrative complexity. Sustaining this type of exchange is essential, not only for building trust and long-term strategy, but also for identifying concrete levers to address these challenges collectively.”
