The University of Minho hosts the 4th Arqus Annual Conference “Connecting universities, addressing challenges” from 2 to 4 July

The 2024 Annual Conference will take place from 2 to 4 July at the University of Minho, in Braga, Portugal. This year’s theme, “Connecting universities, addressing challenges”, aims to enhance dialogue and foster collaboration within the Arqus community but also with other Alliances and European higher education stakeholders to tackle the significant challenges impacting education, research and innovation, and societal engagement. Through the exchange of collective expertise and the cultivation of stronger integration and a shared identity, we aim to strengthen our resilience, adaptability and capacity to provide innovative solutions in an ever-changing global landscape marked by major challenges.

“The Arqus Annual Conference is an extraordinary opportunity to share our main challenges and find solutions together”, said Dorothy Kelly, Arqus Coordinator, “this major event is crucial in fostering dialogue and trust among our communities, and in strengthening our collaboration to promote increasingly innovative and impactful education and research. As this year’s main theme suggests, the Annual Conference is about coming together to address the big issues facing not only alliances and higher education but our society as a whole. At Braga we will be joined by partners and colleagues from other alliances, giving the important message that the sustainability of the European Universities initiative largely depends on our unity”.

The conference is integrated as part of the University of Minho’s 50th-anniversary celebrations and aims to advance the Alliance’s education, research and societal engagement initiatives while strengthening the bonds between its member universities and fostering a fruitful dialogue with other European universities and higher education institutions. In addition, this major event will provide a platform for identifying synergies and innovative approaches to common challenges, supporting shared goals within the Arqus community.

“I am delighted to host this conference at the University of Minho, particularly as we celebrate our 50th anniversary. There’s no better way to commemorate this special occasion than by holding the most significant annual event of our Alliance”, said Rui Vieira de Castro, rector of the University of Minho.

The Conference will officially kick off on Tuesday, 2 July, with the Opening Session “Connecting universities, addressing challenges” at 09:00 GMT+1 in the auditorium A1 of the Gualtar campus. The opening will feature Fernando Alexandre, Portuguese Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Dorothy Kelly, Arqus Coordinator, and Rui Vieira de Castro, Rector of the University of Minho.

Before the Conference, a Rectors’ Retreat in Guimarães will see the formal signing of the Arqus Governing Principles and Provisions, which came into force at the beginning of March 2024 following approval by all partner universities. Rectors or their representatives will gather for a day and a half to discuss major issues related to the strategic direction of the Alliance in the mid and long term.

The 2024 Arqus Annual Conference will include a mix of plenary sessions, parallel meetings and networking opportunities, fostering meaningful discussions and collaborations among participants, including university leadership, students and staff from all partner universities, as well as the Arqus International Advisory Board (IAB) members, colleagues from other Alliances and experts in different fields.

Plenary Sessions open to the public

The 2024 Arqus Annual Conference will offer several open plenary sessions that anyone can attend online. The three first sessions taking place on Tuesday, 2 July, will explore key topics regarding the current challenges in research assessment, education and societal engagement faced by European universities, and how these issues are being addressed within the Arqus Alliance. On Wednesday, 3 July, the last session will bring and discuss inspiring examples from other university alliances.

First Plenary Session “The positive potential of research assessment reform”

The first plenary session will explore some of the key themes and trends arising from a range of assessment reform agreements and interventions, including the Coalition on Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA). It will also describe some of the challenges and tensions we will need to navigate if assessment reform is to be successful.

The talk will begin at 09:45 GMT+1 on Tuesday with a keynote by Elizabeth Gadd, Vice-President of the CoARA Steering Board. It will also include a panel discussion with Ruth Ladenheim from the Arqus International Advisory Board (IAB) and Eloy Rodrigues, Director of Library Services at the University of Minho, moderated by Peter Riedler, Rector of the University of Graz.

Second Plenary Session “The role of universities as places of sanctuary in challenging times”

The second plenary session devoted to societal engagement will start at 11:45 GMT+1 with the keynote speech “Role of universities as places of sanctuary in challenging times” by Gemma Irvine, Co-Chair of Scholars at Risk Maynooth and Vice President for Equality and Diversity at Maynooth University. Gemma Irvine will discuss the role of universities in preventing discrimination and protecting the human rights of their communities, and ensuring that equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is everyone’s responsibility, with a specific focus on “Excellence in Exile” initiatives that universities use to support refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.

The panel will include Eva Egron-Polak from the Arqus IAB and Eirini Aivaliotou from the Arqus Student Council, moderated by Eva Obergfell, Rector of Leipzig University.

Third Plenary Session “European University Alliances – An opportunity to rethink internationalization strategies in higher education”

The plenary session on education will begin at 14:30 GMT+1 with Pedro Texeira, Full Professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Porto and Director of CIPES – Higher Education Policy Research Centre, presenting the keynote “European University Alliances – An opportunity to rethink internationalization strategies in higher education”. The talk will delve into the current advances and challenges in the European Higher Education Area, with a special focus on the European Higher Education Package, recently approved by the European Commission.

The panel will feature Laura Czerniewicz from the Arqus IAB and a representative from the Arqus Student Council (TBC), moderated by Eeva Leinonen, President of Maynooth University.

Fourth Plenary Session ”Connecting alliances, addressing challenges together”

The Annual Conference will include representatives from other European University Alliances, providing a valuable opportunity to share experiences and address common challenges in education, research and innovation, and societal engagement. On Wednesday 3 July, the final plenary session, “Connecting alliances, addressing challenges together”, will start at 14:45 GMT+1, featuring speakers Irene Martín from CIVIS Alliance, Daniela Craciun from the ESEU project/ECIU Alliance, Aleksandar Šušnjar from the FOCI project/YUFE Alliance, and Roberto Zanino from the UNITE! Alliance. The session will be moderated by the Arqus Coordinator, Dorothy Kelly.

Check the detailed programme of the plenary sessions here.

You can register for plenary sessions here.

Arqus Awards’ Ceremony

The Arqus Awards’ Ceremony will feature three Alliance awards in teaching, sustainability and entrepreneurship: the Arqus Teaching Excellence Award, the Green Mobility Days Award and the International Innovators Award.

The Arqus Teaching Excellence Award will honour innovative teaching practices from the 2022-2023 academic year in two categories: enabling research-based teaching and enabling students. The inaugural Green Mobility Days Award will recognize outstanding practices in sustainable international mobility at Arqus universities. The International Innovators Award, which recognizes the best Arqus born-global start-up, will be awarded to last year’s winner, Karion Therapeutics from the University of Minho. The ceremony, moderated by Manuel Costa, Pro-Rector of the University of Minho, will take place on Wednesday 3 July, from 16:30 GMT+1 and will be live streamed on the Arqus YouTube channel.

Closing session

The closing session will include a reflection on the Conference highlights and key insights gained as well as a discussion on future directions and goals for the Arqus Alliance. The talk will feature Tore Li from the Arqus IAB, Mireille van Poppel, Chair of the Arqus Executive Council, Eva Obergfell, Rector of Leipzig University, and Dorothy Kelly, Arqus Coordinator, and it will be moderated by Rui Vieira de Castro, Rector of the University of Minho. It will take place on Wednesday, 3 July, from 17:15 to 18:00 GMT+1.

Click here to see the full agenda of internal meetings and plenary sessions as well as to read practical information about Braga.