Arqus Participates in EAIE 2024 for the First Time with More than 20 European Universities Alliances

Over 20 Alliances, representing more than 200 higher education institutions, will come together in Toulouse for the first time at the EAIE Conference from 17-20 September 2024. They will contribute with a total of 18 sessions, along with a dedicated side event, providing a comprehensive opportunity to delve into the reality of this pioneering initiative.

The EAIE Conference is the most important event dedicated to higher education in Europe and the second largest in the world. Its recent venues have been Barcelona (2022) and Rotterdam (2023), where the number of exhibitors and visitors exceeded 5000 participants.

How is Higher Education shaping the future of Europe and charting new pathways for global collaboration? The European Association of International Education’s Conference in Toulouse, France (17-20 September 2024) will provide a unique opportunity to explore answers to this question and many more, with real-life examples, testimonials, and facts.

“The EAIE Conference is one of the most important events of higher education in Europe. The presence of more than 20 Alliances shows the ever-increasing role of European Universities in the future of higher education. We are very happy to have an Arqus booth (and an area for alliances) surrounding the European Commission stand. We are sure this will suppose an increase in visibility and awareness of the immense work alliances are doing to adapt to the current challenges worldwide”, says Dorothy Kelly, Arqus Coordinator.

Indeed, this is the very first time that the European Universities Alliances, a flagship initiative of the European Commission and its European Education Area since 2019, will come together and present themselves in a united way at a major international conference, giving the opportunity to the international HE community to better understand the dimension of the European Universities Initiative, which is co-funding today a total of 64 Alliances.

By showcasing their collaborative efforts and dynamizing a series of joint activities European Universities Alliances will take the stand as pioneers of a new paradigm of cooperation in Higher Education, paving their way to a leading role in shaping the global landscape of academia and research. They will also provide insight into their contributions as key actors in a transformative approach aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), viewing Higher Education as the catalyst for building a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable society.

Inspired by the EAIE Conference’s theme En Route!, the Alliances will disseminate their objectives and actions, share the impact created, and communicate information regarding the results achieved by them on topics such as mobility or new joint programs. They will also present the steps taken toward the innovative and unprecedented European Degree, a new type of degree awarded jointly by a group of universities across Europe and automatically recognized in the EU. All these efforts will underline an inspiring model for transnational collaboration even amidst challenging times of global conflict.

The Alliances are also offering, as part of the EAIE conference’s programme of activities, a series of sessions covering a wide range of subjects, demonstrating their commitment to innovation in higher education and research.

Dorothy Kelly, as Arqus Coordinator, will participate in two sessions:

• Wednesday 18 September at 15:30 CEST, panel session “Connecting education research: How European Universities Initiative alliances are contributing to bridging the gap” together with Eva Martín García (Pompeu Fabra University-Barcelona, Spain) and Jo Angouri (University of Warwick, United Kingdom).
• Friday 20 September at 9:00 CEST, panel session “Blueprint for a European degree”, together with Rita Dias (Erasmus Student Network, Portugal) and Tine Delva (European Commission, Belgium).

The full programme of the conference may be found here.

Highlight on the globalization potential of Alliances

Prior to the initiation of the EAIE Conference, there will be an opportunity to witness the Alliances in joint dialogue at a special side event hosted by the Université de Toulouse and la Région Occitanie on 17 September 2024. Titled “Internationalisation of European Universities Alliances: the new frontiers”, the event will explore why and how European Universities Alliances build strategic partnerships with institutions and stakeholders beyond the European Union. Dorothy Kelly will participate as moderator in the main plenary session. Fernando Galán, Arqus Secretary General, will be the rapporteur on the final panel session. To attend it online, the session will be available on the FOR-EU4ALL YouTube channel.