Arqus Secretary General participated in the Symposium “European Universities Initiative 5 years on”
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04 Jun 2025|
04 Jun 2025Fernando M. Galán represented the Arqus Alliance at the “European Universities Initiative 5 years on: a research and practice symposium” on 2 and 3 June in Switzerland.
The European Universities Initiative (EUI), involving 570 higher education institutions in 65 alliances by 2025, marks a significant transformation in the European Higher Education landscape.
This symposium, which coincides with the fifth anniversary of the first alliances, including Arqus, offered a crucial opportunity for gathering evidence to be able to critically evaluate the EUI’s impact, exploring its achievements and challenges, and shaping its future direction. It took place at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), in Lugano (Switzerland). The symposium brought together researchers, practitioners and policymakers to exchange knowledge and ideas and create new networking opportunities.
On Tuesday, 3 June, Arqus Secretary General, Fernando M. Galán, participated as a speaker at the panel “Key panel discussion: future directions” addressing how to manage change in the European Universities Initiative and the impact of alliances in transforming Higher Education through cross-border collaboration.
Fernando M. Galán (Arqus) and Melinda Szabo (EUTOPIA) explored best practices in fostering effective cooperation, sustaining long-term partnerships and overcoming barriers to integration. They assessed the mechanisms that alliances employ to balance top-down policy directives with bottom-up institutional autonomy, and the strategies for overcoming cultural, administrative and structural challenges. This panel highlighted the alliances’ contribution to the European Education Area by promoting seamless mobility, joint research initiatives and institutional learning.
The symposium “European Universities Initiative 5 years on” discussed key research questions such as:
More information and full programme here.