Los CIVIS Days 2026 traerán a Bucarest debates de alto nivel, un diálogo abierto y un espíritu de comunidad

CIVIS Days 2026 will take place from 10 to 12 June. Hosted by the University of Bucharest, the event brings together academic leadership from Universities alliances, policy‑makers, students and partners from across Europe and Africa.

Over three days, the programme will combine strategic debates with open, livestreamed sessions, ensuring that CIVIS discussions are widely accessible while strengthening the sense of belonging across the Alliance.  

A strong political and academic opening 

Our annual signature event will open on June 10, 2026 at the spectacular Romanian Athenaeum, where representatives from local and international institutions will set the framework for the days ahead. Addresses by the Presidency of Romania, the Ministry of Education, the European Commission and the Magna Charta Observatory will highlight the role of universities in democracy, academic freedom and social cohesion.  

The session will be hosted by Professors Romiță Iucu and Sorin Costreie, with Professor Marian Preda, Rector of the University of Bucharest, reaffirming the host institution’s commitment to European values and long‑term cooperation.  

We celebrate seven years of novelty, experimentation and learning; seven years of being and working together; seven years of academic diplomacy and academic Europeanisation

A round table entitled European University alliances as a new form of academic diplomacy will bring together representatives of European institutions, national agencies and university networks. This discussion will be complemented by the keynote lecture “CIVIS and the Double Retention Imperative” by Professor François Heinderyckx (Université libre de Bruxelles), addressing the need for European Universities alliances to develop strategies of functional and narrative retention, as they build up a very complex body of knowledge, experience, processes, and structures.  

Open debates and shared learning across the Alliance 

On 11 June, at the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest, CIVIS Days will shift towards dissemination, participation and community‑building. A series of livestreamed sessions will open CIVIS debates to the wider academic community, covering joint learning pathways, mobility impact, cross‑border collaboration and civic engagement. These sessions will showcase how CIVIS translates strategy into practice through education, research, and societal engagement. 

A highlight of the afternoon will be the CIVIS Trivia: Who wants to be a civizen?, a participatory quiz designed to strengthen a shared sense of identity across institutions. Combining knowledge, humor and interaction, the session will offer a collective moment of connection and celebration of CIVIS values. All CIVIS Days attendees are invited to join the game! 

The day will conclude with a performance by the CIVIS Orchestra in the Aula Magna, symbolising artistic collaboration and the cultural dimension of the Alliance.  

Skills, research and innovation on the final day 

The final day, June 12, will focus on skills development, research collaboration and institutional innovation. Two livestreamed dissemination sessions will explore how alliances can support joint research initiatives and EUA’s potential contribution to Europe’s skills agenda through inclusive lifelong learning. Discussions on digital learning, libraries and student participation will further highlight the structures that support long‑term cooperation within CIVIS.  

By balancing high‑level policy debate, open dissemination and moments of shared experience, CIVIS Days 2026 will demonstrate the Alliance’s ambition to act both as a strategic European actor and as a vibrant, inclusive academic community. 

The CIVIS Days 2026 organising team is already looking into the next seven years of collaboration:

The future means transformation, flexibility, new structures, and new teaching and learning arrangements, mobilising research and impact for society and within society

See you in Bucharest!

Original illustration: Jeanne Sadzot, CIVIS Communication Unit