Rector Michael Kohajda represented UP at the meeting of Aurora Presidents in Brussels on 13–14 November, where he also met with European Commissioner for Startups, Research & Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva.
The discussion with Commissioner Zaharieva was a key moment of the event, during which Aurora Rectors voiced their strong support for her commitment to advancing women’s careers in science, as well as her efforts to create leaner, simpler, and faster EU funding processes.
Rector Kohajda welcomed the opportunity for direct exchange on the European level, stressing the value of personal dialogue: “It was very important to meet in person, both with the other Aurora rectors and with Commissioner Zaharieva. It gave us an excellent opportunity to directly discuss the future funding for European University Alliances, as well as the future of higher education in general, directly with our European stakeholders.”
The two-day programme also included the Aurora General Council meeting and a series of sessions bringing Aurora leaders together with influential figures from the European higher education landscape.
One highlight was a panel discussion featuring Olga Wessels (FOREU4ALL), Emmanuelle Gardan (Coimbra Group), and Thomas Estermann (European University Association). The speakers offered their perspectives on the future potential of European Universities, building in part on FOREU4ALL’s recently published discussion paper “European Universities Alliances:Beating Heart of Europe’s Future.”
Across the discussions, the meeting in Brussels made one thing clear: while opinions may vary on what the next phase of development should look like, all agree that European University Alliances are here to stay.