More than 260 participants gather to share best practices and analyse different aspects of the European Universities Initiative and Arqus

Cover photo: © Universität Leipzig / Christian Hüller

The 5th Arqus Annual Conference was held last week from 2 to 4 April 2025 at Leipzig University, Germany. This year’s theme, “European Universities at the crossroads”, brought together over 260 participants to reflect on the evolving landscape of European higher education and the European Universities Initiative.

This major event was the annual gathering for the Arqus community, featuring university leadership, students, academics and staff from partner universities, members of the Arqus International Advisory Board (IAB), and experts and colleagues from CHARM-EU, Circle-U, CIVIS, EUTOPIA, INGENIUM, Open-EU and UNITA Alliances.

The theme served as a framework to discuss the future of the Arqus Alliance and of 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 in achieving a sustainable and inclusive European Higher Education Area.

The conference officially commenced on Wednesday, 2 April, with keynote addresses from Eva Inés Obergfell, Rector of Leipzig University and Dorothy Kelly, Arqus Coordinator.

The first plenary session: “Legal Entity: The future for European University Alliances”, was moderated by Eva Inés Obergfell, Rector of Leipzig University, and Eeva Leinonen, President of Maynooth University. The participating speakers were Stefan Lang (CIVIS), Barbara Gagliardi (UNITA) and Daniel Santos (INGENIUM).

The second plenary session on “Research strategies and collaborative research projects within European University Alliances” took place that afternoon. Members of different alliances discussed how research networks across institutions can build sustainable, cross-border research initiatives. The panel was moderated by Patrycja Matusz, Vice-Rector from the University of Wrocław 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. The speakers were Bálint Markó (EUTOPIA), Sergio Villanueva (CHARM-EU), Lucas Zinner (Circle-U) and Cedric Jürgensen (Arqus).

On Thursday 3 April, the third and final plenary session “Common digital infrastructures as tools and resources for European University Alliances” was moderated by Mireille van Poppel, Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Equal Opportunities at the University of Graz. Sebastian Schöttler (EUTOPIA), Alex Hinojo (Open-EU), Colin Tück (expert) and Lucas de Uña (Arqus Student Council) participated.

The winners of the third edition of the Arqus Teaching Excellence Award were announced by Uršulė Barkauskaitė, Vice-President of the Arqus Student Council and member of the awards selection committee. The winners presented their innovative projects. This year, the honorees were Silvia Kober (University of Graz), for her course “Applied neuropsychology in human-computer interaction”, and Claudia Padovani (University of Padua), for her course “Communication practices diversity and inclusion”. The Arqus Teaching Excellence Award recognizes educators within the Alliance who demonstrate innovation and excellence in their teaching practices.

The first Arqus Open Science Award was announced by Ilona Lipp, from the Arqus Open Science Ambassador Network. This award will recognize early-career researchers (PhD candidates and Postdocs) who champion open science, advancing accessibility, reusability, and reproducibility in research, setting an example for the scientific community. Applications will open in autumn 2025. 

The Closing of the Conference was addressed by Uršulė Barkauskaitė, Dorothy Kelly, Arqus Coordinator, and Eva Inés Obergfell, Rector of Leipzig University. Eeva Leinonen, President of Maynooth University, announced the next Arqus Annual Conference, to be held in July 2026.

All plenary sessions were broadcast live and remain available to watch on the Arqus YouTube channel.

In addition, on 3 April, the 15th Arqus Rectors Council took place at Leipzig University. The Arqus highest representatives shared updates of both internal and external issues of importance to the Alliance, with particular reference to the European policy level. The meeting counted with the participation of the Rector of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, and the Pro Vice-Chancellor of Durham University (both Arqus associate partner universities), as well as the members of the International Advisory Board (IAB). 

During the 2025 Arqus Annual Conference, parallel meetings were held among the members of all Arqus Working Groups and the three Arqus Boards (Education, Research and Innovation, and Social Engagement) to present updates, reflect on synergies between them, and plan next steps.

This major event also served as a social and networking gathering for the Arqus community, where members of every university and working group enjoyed breaks and meals together. On Friday, 4 April, participants had the chance to enjoy cultural programme options around Leipzig University and the city.

Two in-person satellite events were held in the framework of the Annual Conference:

On the afternoon of 1 April, the Arqus Inclusion and Diversity Hub organised a Collaborative Open Room dedicated to advancing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) within and across the Arqus Alliance. The event welcomed over thirty participants, including students, academic and non-academic staff, and leadership representatives from various Arqus institutions, Working Groups, Boards, and the Student Council. This hands-on, interactive session focused on translating the Arqus EDI Action Plan into meaningful, practical strategies. 

On the morning of 4 April, a workshop on equity in AI was held. This activity was organised by Arqus Aware, an initiative of the Arqus Student Agora and funded by the Innovation Fund. Facilitated by Arqus Alumni, the workshop was aimed at student ambassadors who attended the Annual Conference, but was also open to anyone interested in the ethical considerations in AI development.

The 2025 Arqus Annual Conference in Leipzig concluded with a resounding success, underlining the considerable achievements, best practices, strengthening collaborations and the future of the European Universities Initiative.

Watch the summary video: