This week, I had the honour of representing the COLOURS European University Alliance during the Festival of European Knowledge and Culture, hosted by Uniwersytet Jana Długosza w Częstochowie. The festival, celebrating Poland being a member of the European Union for 20 years, is devoted to promoting European values, fostering integration between academic and local communities, and celebrating the rich diversity of European Union cultures. The event in Czestochowa brings together educational workshops, debates, concerts, and family activities for all ages.
As part of an expert panel on the initiative of #EuropeanUniversities, I had the opportunity to represent the COLOURS Alliance with its unique profile, highlighing key features like CoLabs and CoSpaces, which foster collaborative innovation, emphasizing the Alliance's strong connection to our nine regions. I was also happy to present our collaboration with 55 Associated partners from all 4 areas of the quadruple helix, showcasing our deep cooperation with academia, industry, government, and society.
In addition, I was asked to speak about the challenges and opportunities in managing not a "project" but a transformation process, which consists of nine universities located in nine very different European countries and regions. We all agreed that coordinating such a diverse organization requires navigating cultural differences, aligning strategic goals, and ensuring effective communication across borders. However, these challenges also bring tremendous potential for innovation and collaboration, driving the Alliance's mission of fostering excellence and inclusion in higher education.
It was a privilege to share the stage with distinguished experts from other EU Alliance:
Aneta Kucińska-Landwójtowicz (Vice Rector for Cooperation, Opole University of Technology, KreativeEU Alliance),
Mariusz Głąbowski (Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, Poznan University of Technology, leader of EUNICE European University)
Krzysztof Wasilewski (Vice Rector for Teaching and Student’s Affairs, Koszalin University of Technology, EU4DUAL - The European Dual Studies University Alliance)
Paweł Wielgosz (Rector’s Representative for European University, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, ChallengeEU Alliance).
The panel was opened by the Rector of Jan Dlugosz University, Janusz Kapusniak and facilitated by Marcin Sosnowski, Vice-Rector for Cooperation & Internationalisation.
The exchange in Czestochowa provided a fantastic opportunity to gain insights on the progress and future of European University Alliances and showed once more the power of cross-border cooperations in challenging times!
...and I am happy that I could also get a quick glimpse of the famous "Black Madonna" in the beautiful Jasna Gora Monastery!