II Conference of European Universities in Krakow on 4-5 September
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12 Sep 2024
On 4 and 5 September the II Conference of European Universities organized by the Foundation for the Development of Education Systems, was held in Krakow.
For the second time in Krakow, the participants shared their knowledge and experience in the field of European Universities. The conference was filled with panels, discussions and presentations that touched on the issue of good practices, as well as the challenges faced by Polish higher education institutions involved in international alliances.
Five years ago, the European Commission began encouraging universities to form European academic alliances to remove barriers to the flow of students, staff and ideas.
Does the integration of universities have a chance to become a model for the next stages of building a common Europe? What will be the future of universities in European alliances after the co-funding ends? How will their legal status affect the future of European universities? These were some of the questions discussed during the conference.
The most important conclusion reached by the panellists was the recognition of European alliances as a key factor in changes in the internationalization of Polish universities. Alliances require new forms of institutional governance: legal status will strengthen cooperation within alliances and in some sense will be a test for the power of the bonds of cooperation within them. Strategic decisions are made together, autonomy and responsibility seem to be a problem for leaders. Giving alliances a separate legal personality will also be important for the future of their funding once this project is completed by the European Commission. Alliances have strong ambitions not only educational but also for research and development. Joint actions – as a single legal entity – may be targeted at obtaining additional sources of financing.
Dorothy Kelly, Coordinator of the Arqus Alliance, was the keynote speaker of the opening lecture: “Universities without borders: the transformative power of European University Alliances as a new form of internationalization”.
The topic of European Universities was further developed in Katowice by the Vice-Rector for Internationalization of the University of Wroclaw, Patrycja Matusz, also acting as Plenipotentiary of the Minister of Science for European Affairs and the Presidency of the Republic of Poland in the Council of the European Union. In Katowice, prof. Matusz spoke of the “European degree”, which is now a key document for the strategy of internationalization for universities involved in European alliances. She also talked about the priorities of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU and the planned events with the participation of the higher education sector.
– The Alliance of European Universities is – according to Dr. Prof. Patrycja Matusz – the only way for modern science. Broad, also geographically, cooperation makes the university stronger and makes the mobility of students and researchers a daily reality. More: https://www.frse.org.pl/expert-for-frse/argus-sila-in-resolution and https://erasmusplus.org.pl/conference-university-European.
