The University of Padua will host the second Arqus Annual Conference in April 2022

The University of Padua, Italy, will host the 2022 Annual Conference of the Arqus European University Alliance from 4th to 6th April 2022.

The conference will be an opportunity for discussion and exchange of experiences between representatives of all Arqus universities, and a meeting place for those who work together, and at a distance, on the action lines of Arqus. Each university will be represented by rectors and their delegates, academic and non-academic staff, members of the student bodies and stakeholders, including those from the non-academic world.

This year’s Annual Conference goes under the title “Free to Choose. Fostering Access to Higher Education in European Universities”, echoing the theme of freedom, a cornerstone value that is celebrated in the 800th anniversary of the host university, Padua, and which becomes a keyword for the construction of the academic model of the future, in which the right to study and research is unconditionally guaranteed.

The aims of the conference are: to strengthen the ties between the partners of the Alliance, which this year welcome the universities of Minho (Portugal) and Wroclaw (Poland); to ensure active participation in Arqus initiatives; and to renew a joint commitment towards the achievement of its long-term vision based on the ideals of inclusion, multilingualism, innovative education, quality of research, entrepreneurship and active involvement at a European and international level.

During the conference, the Arqus Teaching Excellence Award ceremony will also take place, honouring outstanding and innovative examples in the field of teaching.

The Arqus Annual Conference will be held in hybrid mode, both in person and online. It will consist of three type of events: several internal discussions, two open sessions that will be held on Tuesday and two side events that will be held on Wednesday and Thursday. Besides, prior to the official start of the Conference, a Student-led forum will be organised by the students participating in the Arqus Collaboratory Programme 2022.

The event is being held as part of the University of Padua’s 800th-anniversary celebrations.

More information will be available soon.