New 4EU+ Secretary General takes office

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13 May 2025

The 4EU+ Alliance is pleased to announce that Dr. Elena Del Giorgio has officially assumed the role of Secretary General as of April 2025. With a strong background in European policy, Elena Del Giorgio brings to the position over 15 years of experience in international relations, institutional partnerships and scientific cooperation, along with a long-standing commitment to the Alliance and its mission.

As Secretary General, Elena Del Giorgio will support the strategic leadership of the Alliance and lead the 4EU+ Secretariat in Brussels, strengthening cooperation among member universities, enhancing dialogue with the 4EU+ Associated Partners, European institutions and fellow European Universities, and advancing the 4EU+ mission to build One Comprehensive Research-Intensive University across institutional, national and disciplinary boarders.

Elena Del Giorgio

4EU+ Secretary General

“The final appointment of the new 4EU+ Secretary General followed a rigorous multi-step recruitment process that attracted dozens of highly qualified candidates. This thorough process gave us full confidence that we chose the best person for the role. Elena will provide outstanding guidance at this pivotal moment for our Alliance,” said Prof. Alojzy Nowak, Rector of the University of Warsaw and Chair of the 4EU+ Governing Board. “Her experience, insight, and vision will be instrumental in providing strategic guidance and addressing the complex challenges ahead.”

Prior to this appointment, Elena Del Giorgio has served as 4EU+ Policy Officer and as Policy Officer at the University of Milan supporting the university’s European and international institutional partnerships such as LERU and U7+. With the University of Milan becoming a member of the 4EU+ Alliance in November 2018, she was involved in 4EU+ almost since its creation. In her role as seconded 4EU+ Policy Officer, she worked on the development of the new 4EU+ strategy 2025-2035. She has most recently served as Interim Secretary General, playing a key role in overseeing the establishment of the 4EU+ Secretariat in Brussels and relocating the Alliance's legal entity to Belgium. She holds a PhD in Political and Social Sciences from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. Early in her career, she served as a research fellow in the framework of several EU-funded projects

In accepting the appointment during the opening of the 4EU+ Rectors Seminar at the University of Warsaw, Elena Del Giorgio thanked the 4EU+ Governing Board for the trust and said: "I am deeply honoured by this appointment. I have witnessed 4EU+ starting, growing and I see a bright future for our Alliance. 4EU+ is thriving and I am confident that we will continue on this succesful path thanks to the commitment and engagement of our ever-growing and increasingly connected community."

Asked about what is ahead of the Alliance, Elena Del Giorgio emphasised the need for ensuring 4EU+ long-term sustainability: "4EU+ has recently launched its new strategy and we are now focused on developing of the action plan. It's inspiring to see our working groups and task forces already using it as a compass. The new strategy builds on our past achievements, as well as on the outcomes of our previous and ongoing projects like the EUP, TRAIN4EU+, 1CORE, ETERNITY and MICI. (...) Looking ahead, 4EU+ will remain engaged in fostering deepened collaboration at the European level along with and together with other alliances. The European University initiative holds tremendous potential. In order to truly unlock this potential, it needs to be further funded, supported, and sustained. A holistic and integrated approach is essential to enable us to fully contribute to the European Education Area, European Research Area, and European Innovation Area."