#BuildingBridges. Becoming One European University: the 4EU+ Alliance Annual Meeting

From 7 to 9 November, the University of Milan is hosting the Annual Meeting of the 4EU+ European University Alliance.

The three-day event will start off on 7 November with 10 parallel meetings (9.30 am-3.40 pm) and a guided tour to explore the historical and artistic treasures of the Ca’ Granda, the main campus of the University of Milan (2-5.30 pm). An official welcome reception is scheduled for the evening, with speakers including Elio Franzini (Rector of the University of Milan), Anna Scavuzzo (Deputy Mayor of Milan), Attilio Fontana (President of the Lombardy Region, whose attendance is still to be confirmed), Verónica Crego Porley (Consul General of Uruguay in Milan), and Claudia Colla (Head of the European Commission representation in Milan).

8 November will be the day of the open session, which will start at 9 am in the Great Hall of the via Festa del Perdono campus and will be live-streamed on the YouTube channel of the 4EU+ European University Alliance. Rector Elio Franzini will make the opening remarks, followed by Elena Buscemi (President of the Municipal Council of Milan), Henrik C. Wegener (Rector of the University of Copenhagen), Tiziana Lippiello (Rector of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and Delegate for International Affairs and Cooperation of CRUI – Conference of Italian University Rectors), and Michele Mazzola (Director of Office III - Internationalisation of Research of the Directorate General for Internationalisation and Communication of the Italian Ministry of University and Research). 

 The first session of the day, entitled 4EU+ European Alliance and the European University Initiative, will start at 9.30: speakers will include Isabelle Kratz (4EU+ Secretary General), Elia Montani (4EU+ Academic Council Student Representative), Marta Lis (Chair of the 4EU+ Student Committee) and Vanessa Debiais-Sainton (Head of the Higher Education Unit of the European Commission). At 10, Maurizio Ferrera, Professor of Political Science at the University of Milan, will deliver a keynote speech entitled Re-envisioning our common future. The key role of European universities. At 11, Antonella Baldi, Deputy Rector for Internationalisation at the University of Milan, will chair a second session entitled "#BuildingBridges - Becoming One European University" which will be divided into two dialogues: the first one will explore interactions between the various academic communities within 4EU+, while the second will focus on synergies between education, research and third mission activities.

The afternoon of 8 November will be dedicated to 12 parallel meetings, followed by the 4EU+ General Assembly (5 pm in the Great Hall) and a musical interlude by the Orchestra of the University of Milan (6 pm, also in the Great Hall).

On 9 November, seven parallel meetings will be held from 9 am, followed by a speech by Massimo Gaudina, Coordinator of the NEIA, the New European Innovation Agenda of the European Commission (11 am in the Great Hall). After a short Q&A session, the closing remarks will wrap up the Annual Meeting by 12 noon.

Further details are available on the website of the 4EU+ Annual Meeting.


Facts and figures of the 4EU+ European University Alliance

The 4EU+ Alliance was founded in 2019 as a partnership of six European universities sharing a common goal, that of creating a comprehensive university system based on advanced cooperation in the fields of teaching, research and service to society . The founding members were the University of Milan, Charles University in Prague, the Sorbonne University in Paris, and the Universities of Copenhagen, Heidelberg and Warsaw. In 2021, the Alliance was registered as a non-profit association and officially became a legal entity. In 2022, the University of Geneva joined the Alliance, followed by Paris-Panthéon-Assas University in 2023.

The 4EU+ academic community is made up of over 327 thousand students, 28 thousand PhD candidates, 26 thousand professors and 27 thousand technical, administrative and library staff members. 

In a span of four years, the Alliance has launched a total of 248 joint initiatives, including 61 innovative education projects co-managed by the 4EU+ universities, two joint master's degree programmes (Migration Studies and New Societies and Global Environment and Development), plus 889 shared courses held remotely and followed by 1,470 students of the eight member universities over five semesters.

In 2023, 17 projects were chosen for funding in the framework of the SEED4EU+ call, which had been launched to further integrate the missions of the 4EU+ member universities, and nine professors were selected as a result of the 4EU+ Visiting Professorships call.