Leipzig University hosts the 2025 Arqus Annual Conference “European Universities at the crossroads” from 2 to 4 April
Arqus
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25 Mar 2025
The 2025 Arqus Annual Conference will take place mainly on 2 and 3 April at Leipzig University, Germany, with internal meetings scheduled for 4 April. This year’s theme, “European Universities at the crossroads,” aims to bring together leaders, academics and students from Arqus to reflect on the evolving landscape of European higher education and the European Universities Initiative.
The 5th Arqus Annual Conference theme serves as a framework to discuss the future of the Arqus Alliance and the European Universities Initiative as a whole, focusing on the future of higher education, the innovation brought by the Alliance(s), the strengthening and resilience achieved through cooperation between higher education institutions and the key role of these alliances to attain a sustainable and inclusive European Higher Education Area.
This Arqus Annual Conference seeks to share best practices and innovative solutions across institutions, identify strategies and pathways to strengthen collaboration within alliances, discuss challenges and possible solutions affecting the European Universities Initiative, and make recommendations for policy adjustments to enhance the role of alliances.
The conference officially opens on Wednesday, 2 April, at 10 am CEST with keynote addresses from Dorothy Kelly, Arqus Coordinator, and Eva Inés Obergfell, Rector of Leipzig University. As has become customary with the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Durham University members have also been invited to join the conference as a new associate university partner.
The Conference will be broadcast live on the Arqus YouTube channel.
Together with Arqus members, experts and colleagues from CIVIS, UNITA, INGENIUM, EUTOPIA, CHARM-EU, Circle-U and Open-EU Alliances will participate in the different plenary sessions:
2 April, 10:30-12:00: Legal Entity: The future for European University Alliances
- Moderators: Eva Inés Obergfell, Rector of Leipzig University, and Eeva Leinonen, President of Maynooth University (Arqus).
- Speakers: Stefan Lang (CIVIS), Barbara Gagliardi (UNITA), Daniel Santos (INGENIUM).
2 April, 13:30-15:00: Research strategies and collaborative research projects within European University Alliances
- Moderator: Patrycja Matusz, Vice-Rector from the University of Wrocław (Arqus) and Plenipotentiary of the Minister of Science for European Affairs and the Presidency of the Republic of Poland in the Council of the European Union.
- Speakers: Bálint Markó (EUTOPIA), Sergio Villanueva (CHARM-EU), Lucas Zinner (Circle-U), Cedric Jürgensen (Arqus).
3 April, 09:00-10:30: Common digital infrastructures as tools and resources for European University Alliances
- Moderator: Mireille van Poppel, Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Equal Opportunities at the University of Graz (Arqus).
- Speakers: Sebastian Schöttler (EUTOPIA), Alex Hinojo (Open-EU), Colin Tück (expert), Lucas de Uña (Arqus Student Council).
3 April, 11:30-13:00: Arqus Teaching Excellence Award Ceremony and Closing
- The winners of the third edition of the Arqus Teaching Excellence Award will present their innovative projects before the closing of the conference.
- Closing by: Uršulė Barkauskaitė, Arqus Student Council, and Dorothy Kelly, Arqus Coordinator.
- Announcement of the next Arqus Annual Conference by Maynooth University.
In-person satellite events will be held on 1 and 4 April:
On 1 April, 16:00-18:00, the Arqus Inclusion and Diversity Hub will organise an Open Collaborative Room ‘Collaborating for Change – Advancing the Arqus I&D Action Plan’. This event will focus on discussing, streamlining, and enriching the Arqus Inclusion & Diversity Action Plan.
A workshop on equity in AI will be held on 4 April, 9:30-11:30. This activity is organised by Arqus Aware, an initiative of the Arqus Student Agora and funded by the Innovation Fund. Facilitated by Arqus Alumni, the workshop is aimed at student ambassadors who will be attending the Annual Conference but also open to anyone interested in the ethical considerations in AI development.
If you are participating in the conference in person and would like to register for any of these workshops, contact comms-office@arqus-alliance.eu and the registration forms will be provided.
Also the Community of Practice Research Support Officers (RSO) will meet on 3 April, 9:00-12:00. The CoP Research Support Officers gathers individuals supporting the creation of grant applications, with at least one representative from each Arqus university.
More information and the programme are available on the event webpage.
Everyone is welcome to follow the Annual Conference online. Do not hesitate to share the invitation with your university partners and interested participants.
