Aurora Marked Active Presence at EAIE 2025
Aurora joined more than 35 European Universities Alliances to exhibit at the EAIE 2025, the 35th annual conference and exhibition organised by the European Association for International Education (EAIE). Held in Gothenburg, Sweden, from 9 to 12 September, representatives from Aurora universities took part in the conference sessions, and welcomed more than 50 visitors at the Aurora booth.
Representatives from Aurora universities gathered at the Aurora booth at the EAIE 2025
European Universities Unite for Collaboration and Innovation
Under the theme “Go-Create”, the EAIE 2025 showcased how collaboration and innovation between higher education institutions are redefining the landscape of higher education across Europe.
This was especially evident during the World Café session entitled “European Universities Alliances & FOREU4ALL: Creating Value for the Wider Higher Education Sector”. Organised by FOREU4ALL and the European Commission, the session facilitated exchanges about sharing knowledge, expertise and tools developed by the Alliances. Participants also talked about emerging developments like new models of partnerships, joint degrees and micro-credentials, among others.
Through open dialogue between higher education institutions and their stakeholders, this session offered practical pathways for universities, policy makers and quality assurance bodies to tap into a broader ecosystem of cross-institutional innovation and collaboration.
Representatives from European Universities Alliances in the FOREU4ALL World Café session at EAIE 2025
Leadership and Governance in European Universities
One of the key highlight sessions included a roundtable discussion featuring speakers from three European Universities Alliances: Anna Stina Sinisalo from Una Europa, Sabine Sainte-Rose from ENGAGE-EU, and Martin Schwell from Aurora.
Entitled “Who is Driving Your EUI Alliance? Perspectives on Co-creating Shared Leadership”, the discussion explored the complexities of shared governance and leadership structures within European universities. Speakers emphasised the need for co-creation and sustainable collaboration to mitigate the risk of dependency on single individuals or institutions.
Robust shared governance models must have built-in clarity on the roles and responsibilities of each alliance member university, to ensure that decision-making is well-distributed, transparent and inclusive. Such governance models also consider sustainable processes and practices that can sustain the test of time and turnover in personnel or institutional priorities.
Leadership in European Universities Alliances is an evolving ecosystem, in which member universities play a critical part in steering the vision, navigating through challenges, and adjusting the course whenever necessary.
From left to right: Anna Stina Sinisalo (Una Europa), Martin Schwell (Aurora), and Sabine Sainte-Rose (ENGAGE-EU)
Digital Mobility and the European Student Card Initiative (ESCI)
Enabling European mobility opportunities for students is one of the advantages of the European Universities Initiative (EUI) launched by the European Commission in 2019. This topic engaged an insightful panel session “Shaping the future of the European Student Card Initiative” with speakers Victor Aguilar Mendez of the DG EAC at the European Commission, Robert Willems from KU Leuven, and Aurora representative Nanna Teitsdóttir from the University of Iceland.
During the panel, speakers discussed next steps for the European Student Card Initiative (ESCI), zooming in on its digital infrastructure, complementary Erasmus Without Paper (EWP), and real-world experiences of universities – such as the University of Iceland – that have begun implementing these tools.
Continuity of infrastructure and the consolidation of processes between higher education institutions will help move the cursor toward digital transformation in student mobility and transnational collaboration.
Nanna Teitsdóttir (University of Iceland) shares the implementation of the digital infrastructure to support student mobility
Showcasing Aurora Developments
Further to the conference sessions, Aurora marked an active presence at the EAIE 2025 exhibition hall, welcoming more than 50 visitors to its booth. Visitors were able to learn more about the initiatives within Aurora, such as the use of seizmic for social entrepreneurship and innovation, implementation of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), success of the Aurora Call Incentive Research Collaboration, as well as the growth of the Aurora Student Ambassador programme.
The booth was also a space for Aurora member universities to gather and meet with their institutional partners beyond the Aurora network. Over warm cups of coffee and national sweet treats brought in by Aurora representatives, the meet-ups were valuable in-person networking moments to foster tangible relationships for future cooperation.
Reflecting on the event, global collaboration, co-created innovation, and inclusive practices are key to addressing the rising challenges in higher education. As European Universities Alliances look ahead to EAIE 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland, they reaffirmed a shared vision: building a stronger, more connected future for European and international education.