The delegation of the University of Milan
From 26 to 28 November 2025, the University of Geneva hosted the Annual Meeting of the 4EU+ European Alliance, which brings together eight public universities of excellence, including our own. The mission of the Alliance is to build a European interuniversity campus: one comprehensive research-intensive European university. Delegates from the eight member universities attended the General Assembly, plus a series of workshops and work meetings revolving around the theme "4EU+ for Global Impact – Shaping Collective Solutions".
The delegation of the University of Milan included Rector Marina Brambilla, Vice-Rector for Internationalisation Paola Catenaccio, the Rector's Delegate for the 4EU+ European Alliance Francesca Villata, the members of the Academic Council and the Student Committee, representatives of the staff involved in 4EU+ projects, and the professors in charge of the 4EU+ Flagships — the interdisciplinary thematic areas that form the basis for cooperation in research and teaching within the Alliance.
The General Assembly on 27 November was a chance to share the progress made to strengthen the 4EU+ Alliance and approach future challenges with a global mindset.
The Assembly opened with the welcome address by the Rector of the University of Geneva, Audrey Leuba. She was followed on stage by Micheline Calmy-Rey, former President of the Swiss Confederation in 2007 and 2011, whose speech focused on the role played by universities in upholding European values. The morning was devoted to illustrating the main achievements of the Alliance across the four flagships: Urban health and demographic change; Europeanness: multilingualism, pluralities, citizenship; Digitisation – Modelling – Transformation; Environmental transitions.
The afternoon featured speeches by Alojzy N. Nowak (outgoing President of the 4EU+ Alliance and Rector of the University of Warsaw), Elena del Giorgio (4EU+ Secretary General), Berni Hasenknopf (Chair of the Academic Council) and Sacha Green (Chair of the Student Committee). The Assembly concluded with the Rector of the University of Geneva officially taking the baton from the Rector of the University of Warsaw as new President of the Alliance for the academic year 2025-2026.
Rectors of the 4EU+ Alliance
"Today, more than ever, universities play a key role", said Audrey Leuba, Rector of the University of Geneva. "They help us understand the present, and they help us prepare for the future. They question the world to anticipate future transformations and to cultivate clear-minded, inventive and responsible individuals. Geneva is the right place to pursue this mission. At the heart of global diplomacy, we can connect academic expertise with the global issues that shape our world. This is both a chance and a duty".
“For us, the 4EU+ Annual Meeting is an important moment of dialogue and exchange with other partner universities within the Alliance, also to establish our next steps", commented Marina Brambilla, Rector of the University of Milan, after the event in Geneva. "We intend to keep up our efforts to build a true European University, in order to strengthen interuniversity partnerships and increase the international competitiveness of our higher education system. We firmly believe that the 4EU+ project is a step forward for the European Higher Education and Research Area. Indeed, we think that interdisciplinary cooperation among 4EU+ members — on education, research and innovation matters — is strategically vital to ensure that universities can have a greater impact and a more prominent role on the European and international arena, in terms of their contribution to tackling and overcoming the complex and ambitious challenges ahead in the technological, social and environmental domains."
This year's Annual Meeting was also the occasion to thank Antonella Baldi, former Delegate for the 4EU+ Alliance (2024-2025) and Vice-Rector for Internationalisation (2018-2024), for her tireless commitment to the Alliance, which she contributed to create and develop from the very beginning.
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