EUNIWELL TOP LEADERS MEET VIRTUALLY AT THE RECTORS’ ASSEMBLY
The participants underlined the importance of the European University Initiative in the further development and implementation of the European Research Area, the European Education Area, the Digital Education Action Plan, and the European Skills Agenda. The Rectors and the Chief Student Officer also stressed the relevance and urgency of well-being-related topics in the light of the pandemic.
In the past years, the university sector has found itself at a transformation tipping point, driven by multiple factors, such as globalisation, rapidly evolving digitalisation, different labour market expectations, economic and societal pressures. This has now been further accelerated by the recent pandemic, resulting in high expectations for the European University Alliances. Therefore, the upcoming European Union policy initiatives for education, research, and innovation emphasize the importance of the role the European Universities will play in further shaping the European Higher Education Area, which will ultimately influence national higher education systems.
Addressing the above endeavours, it was agreed at the Assembly that the European University Alliances form an excellent basis for using the EU’s research and innovation capacity and for realising the European Commission’s plans to achieve a competitive European Education Area and European Research Area. In light of the current pandemic, the Alliance aims to create a common platform to address public health issues, to find solutions for educational challenges and to use digital technologies in order to improve well-being. To embrace a global perspective, EUniWell partner universities should build a diverse and inclusive university focusing on radically new and alternative areas to become the employer of the future.
Referring to the success of the first and the second seed funding call, all universities expressed their commitment to support a third seed funding call. It is a unique and highly welcome intention to involve the member universities to contribute to the financial sustainability of EUniWell’s multinational and multidisciplinary projects through the Seed Funding Initiative. In this framework, exciting joint research and education projects are dedicated to diverse well-being topics.
The current Rectors’ Assembly was chaired by University of Cologne. The next Rectors’ Assembly will be chaired by University of Florence in October 2021.
Participants:
Student Board Amel Anane (current Chief Student Officer), Judith Barth (former Chief Student Officer), Paul Koch (Student Officer), Rebecca Esselgren (Student Officer)
University of Birmingham Sir David Eastwood (Vice-Chancellor), Robin Mason (Pro-Vice Chancellor International), Erica Arthur (Project Manager)
University of Cologne Axel Freimuth (Rector), Beatrix Busse (Vice-Rector for Teaching and Studies), Heinz-Peter Mansel (former Vice-Rector for International Affairs), Stephanie Bölts (Project Manager), Rena Hohenstein (Financial Manager)
University of Florence Luigi Dei (Rector), Giorgia Giovannetti (Vice-Rector for International Relations), Camilla Cosi (Project Manager)
Leiden University Hester Bijl (Rector Magnificus), Joanne van der Leun (Dean of the Law School), Melissa Koops (Senior Policy Adviser Internationalisation), Yuliya Mysyuk (Project Manager)
Linnaeus University Peter Aronsson (Vice-Chancellor), Ann-Charlotte Larsson (Deputy Vice-Chancellor Internationalisation and Innovation), Camilla Lundqvist (Project Manager)
Universitè de Nantes Carine Bernault (Rector), Isabelle Richard (Vice-Rector Europe and International), Olivier Grasset (Vice-rector Research and Open Science), Elise Lindner, EUniWell project manager (Project Manager)
Semmelweis University Béla Merkely (Rector), Miklos Kellermayer (Dean of the Faculty of Medicine), Marcel Pop (Director of International Relations)
Siris Academic: Sebastian Stride
