Over 300 guests, representatives from eight 4EU+ member universities, and dozens of parallel sessions, workshops, and meetings took place during the 6th Annual Meeting of the 4EU+ Alliance, hosted by the University of Warsaw from 25 to 27 September. The event's theme was "Digital 4EU+: Education – Research – Cooperation."
Held annually, the 4EU+ Annual Meeting is a large-scale gathering of the Alliance community, where participants come together to discuss and reflect on the successes and events of the past academic year, as well as to plan the strategy for the upcoming one. During the meeting, the 4EU+ Alliance Presidency was ceremoniously handed over from Prof. Elio Franzini, Rector of the University of Milan, to Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak, Rector of the University of Warsaw.
The three-day event brought together rectors, students, doctoral candidates, administrative staff, academics, and researchers, who discussed the progress of the Flagship programmes and addressed issues related to educational projects, mobility, communication, and digitalisation through a series of workshops, debates, and meetings. In line with the conference’s theme—"Digital 4EU+: Education – Research – Cooperation"—participants explored topics such as the application of digital solutions in education and science, as well as the role of artificial intelligence.
The event enjoyed perfect weather, with a sunny and warm Warsaw welcoming the delegates. The first day kicked off with 11 parallel working meetings, including gatherings of the 4EU+ Management Committee, Academic Council, CIOs of the member universities, and the 4EU+ Student Executive Committee. The official part of the day was followed by a guided tour allowing participants to explore the historical highlights of the University of Warsaw’s main campus.
The most formal part of the event took place on 26 September in the Old Library of the University of Warsaw, during the 4EU+ General Assembly and Open Sessions. It was officially opened by Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak, Rector of the University of Warsaw, and Prof. Sambor Grucza, UW Vice-Rector for Cooperation and Human Resources.
“All members of our communities: students, doctoral candidates, academics and administrative staff contribute to the development of the 4EU+ Alliance. We already have many joint achievements, particularly in the field of education. We have projects and intensive academic exchanges. Our world is changing. Therefore, the role of the university must also change, not only adapting to the evolving reality but also shaping it,” said Prof. Alojzy Z. Nowak, the UW Rector, during the opening ceremony in the Old Library on the UW campus at Krakowskie Przedmieście.
“This is an essential event for the development of science in Poland and Europe. I am grateful for your work. The strategy of the 4EU+ Alliance largely coincides with our science policy. We want to continue to support cooperation between European higher education institutions,” said Dariusz Wieczorek, the Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education, who attended the event.
The 4EU+ General Assembly convened to hear reports, insightful lectures, and presentations. The Alliance's strategy and progress reports were presented by Prof. Elio Franzini, Rector of the University of Milan; Prof. Antonella Baldi, Chair of the 4EU+ Management Committee and Vice-Rector for Internationalisation at the University of Milan; Prof. Berni Hasenknopf, Chair of the 4EU+ Academic Council; and Jan Chmielewski-Gill, Vice-Chair of the 4EU+ Student Executive Committee.
Following these addresses and reports, the most solemn moment of the event occurred: the handover of the 4EU+ Presidency from the University of Milan to the University of Warsaw.
Finally, Prof. Renata Włoch from the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Sociology and Scientific Director of the Digital Economy Lab, delivered an insightful lecture titled “Academic, Critical, Practical, and Public: The Four Roles of the University in the Age of Datafication.”
Building on the theme of the opening lecture, the main part of the Annual Meeting concluded with a session focused on digitalisation: "Digital 4EU+ in Practice." The session began with a lecture on coordinating digitalisation efforts at the University of Warsaw, presented by Robert Dąbrowski, UW CIO and head of the Student Portal’s development. The following session primarily highlighted the achievements and activities of the 4EU+ Flagships, as their representatives shared the latest updates on their work.
The third and final day of the event, 27 September, was an opportunity to sum up the work of the parallel sessions and workshops. We closed the 2024 Annual Meeting and are now looking forward to the 2025 edition, which will be hosted by the University of Geneva.
The recording of the 4EU+ Open Session that was streamed online: