Since the launch of the European Universities initiative in 2019, alliances such as CIVIS have moved well beyond experimentation and are already transforming higher education. That was the clear message from the keynote panel held on 28 April, 2026 in Brussels as part of the CIVIS Units Summit, which brought together representatives from EU institutions, researchers and alliance leaders to take stock of achievements and challenges ahead and discuss with over 70 CIVIS Staff members about the future of alliances.
Moderated by François Heinderyckx, Professor at Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Advisor to the Rector on CIVIS, the discussion gathered four speakers with complementary perspectives: Yann‑Maël Bideau (European Commission), Ieva Grumbinaitė (PPMI), Sophia Karner (Secretary‑General of Una Europa and FOREU4ALL Policy Lead) and Mattia Bellotti (Secretary‑General of the EUTOPIA Alliance).
The panel took place in the context of the CIVIS Units Summit is an annual gathering of all CIVIS professional staff working on the Education, Mobility, Digital Campus, Research and Communication Units, as well as the officers for Quality, Global Partnerships and Innovative Pedagogies. Over 70 members of staff from our 11 European Universities comme together to exchange, coordinate and work on transversal actions. The first Units Summit took place in Bucharest, in 2025 and this time it was Brussel’s turn.
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Co-funded the by Brussels-Wallonia Federation.
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European Universities alliances: Impact, Insights, and the Road Ahead (April 2026)
Since the launch of the European Universities initiative in 2019, alliances such as CIVIS have moved well beyond experimentation and are already transforming higher education. That was the clear message from the keynote panel held on 28 April, 2026 in Brussels as part of the CIVIS Units Summit, which brought together representatives from EU institutions, researchers and alliance leaders to take stock of achievements and challenges ahead and discuss with over 70 CIVIS Staff members about the future of alliances.- European Degree
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