The VIce Rector for International Relations (Europe) represented ATHENA and the University of Orleans at the Forum.
The 2nd Forum of European University Alliances is taking place on the 14th and 15th of September in Barcelona, Spain. The goal of the event is to open up a space for dialogue and exchange of ideas around the most important issues currently affecting European alliances.
Margaritis Schinas, the Vice president of the European Commission inaugurated the 2nd Forum of European University Alliances and affirmed Europe’s continuing engagement for the initiative: “This is not just another European project. The European Universities Initiative is a long-term transformation process.”
Among the topics to be discussed are the legal status of alliances and the European Degree label, topics on which the Commission has recently published a call for pilot tests during 2023, as well as the external dimension of alliances and some topics proposed by student associations.
ATHENA is also represented at the 2nd Forum of European University Alliances in Barcelona by Anne Delouis (Vice-Rector for International Relations (Europe) at the University of Orléans), Maribel Del Pozo (Vice Rector for International Relations at the University of Vigo), Nuno Escudeiro (ATHENA alliance coordinator from the Polytechnic Institute of Porto) and Konstantinos Petridis (ATHENA Secretary General from the Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU). The delegation shared that there were plenty of interesting debates with government representatives and other alliances about the way forward: social relevance, joint quality management, financial sustainability, implication of regional and local stakeholders.