Innovation is a Shared Effort: The University of Bologna Hosts the Una Europa General Assembly

The transformative power of dialogue and international collaboration has always been central to Una Europa’s mission. This principle will guide the upcoming General Assembly, hosted by the University of Bologna from 27 to 29 November.

The three-day event will foster in-depth discussions, both within the alliance and with prominent stakeholders—academic and non-academic alike—in the field of higher education. Participants will explore the role of university alliances and their impact on internationalization strategies at the national, European, and global levels. This gathering offers a valuable opportunity to review Una Europa’s accomplishments over its first five years and address future challenges, from joint research funding and academic mobility to best practice exchange and the development of shared digital platforms.

These themes will take centre stage during the Plenary Session on Wednesday, 27 November, at 4:30 PM in the Belmeloro Complex (Via Andreatta, 8 – Bologna). Open to all, this session will showcase the impact of Una Europa’s achievements over the past five years and outline strategies to continue building the European university of the future. Representatives from major European university networks, such as The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities and the European University Association (EUA), will also participate.

Another highlight of the event will be Una Europa Talk on Thursday, 28 November, at 10:45 AM. This online dialogue, open to everyone, will bring together expert voices from Europe and Africa to discuss the future of international academic relations, focusing on the delicate balance between integration and competition.

The session will feature Raffaella Campaner, Vice Rector for International Relations at the University of Bologna, who will chair the discussion, Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, and Piero Venturi, Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. Together, they will explore how universities can strengthen their roles locally and globally while advancing sustainable development.  Participation is free, with online registration required.

Over the past five years, Una Europa has reshaped the European higher education landscape. The alliance has introduced multidisciplinary joint degree programmes in key areas such as sustainability, artificial intelligence, health, and cultural heritage. It has promoted mobility for students, PhD candidates, researchers, and academic staff through scholarships and exchange programmes. It has launched groundbreaking research initiatives addressing critical issues for Europe and the planet and has committed to creating a European virtual campus to connect students across its eleven member universities.

Una Europa is one of Europe's leading university alliances: its action contributes significantly to transforming the education sector. Today it consists of eleven partner universities: Freie Universität Berlin (Germany), Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna (Italy), University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom), Helsingin yliopisto/Helsingfors universitet (Finland), Uniwersytet Jagielloński w Krakowie (Poland), Universiteit Leiden (Netherlands), KU Leuven (Belgium), Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain), Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (France), University College Dublin (Ireland) and Universität Zürich (Switzerland).