Looking Back: Aurora Research and Innovation Conference

The Aurora Research and Innovation (RI) Conference occurred on Friday, 20 September, at the Muntpunt Library in Brussels. The event brought together 40 experts from the Aurora RI community and external stakeholders across Europe. It highlighted Aurora RI’s achievements and explored future opportunities for European University Alliances within the broader European Research and Innovation agenda.

The conference followed an Aurora RI working meeting held on Thursday, September 19, at the Czech Liaison Office in Brussels. As a result, this meeting set the stage for the discussions during the conference.

Morning Highlights: Celebrating Aurora RI Achievements

The day began with introductory speeches by Ramon Puras, Aurora Secretary-General, and Freyja Oddsdottir, Aurora RI Project Manager. Next, Svandís Halldorsdottir, Head of the Grants Office at the University of Iceland, followed with a presentation on the “Roadmap for Convergence of Research Support Schemes,” which highlighted Aurora’s long-term vision and support for the Aurora RI Project’s outcomes.

One of the morning’s key sessions was titled “Highlights – Aurora Research and Innovation.” It focused on Aurora’s achievements in three key areas:

• Sharing Infrastructure and Resources with Dejan Lukovic, Aurora RI Coordinator at the University of Innsbruck
• Implementing Open Science Practices with Sander Bosch, Chief Open Science Officer at VU Amsterdam
• Engaging Citizens and Society with Sem Barendse, a researcher in Dialogue and Science Communication at VU Amsterdam

Afternoon Highlights: Looking to the Future

In the afternoon, the focus gradually shifted to future prospects, beginning with a master class from Doris Alexander, Executive Board Member at Charm-EU, which notably outlined strategic funding avenues for European universities. In addition, Doris stated: “Alliances could serve as ‘testbeds’ for future EU policy, which would consequently require a more proactive approach, for example, through networks like ForEU4all.” Therefore, this presentation effectively set the tone for the afternoon’s exploration of new opportunities.

Next, these insights were followed by a panel discussion on the prospects for research and innovation within European Universities. The session covered several key topics:

• The need to build and maintain research infrastructures across alliances.
• Better integration of research and education, advocating for integrated funding schemes and long-term commitment.

Moderated by Helena Acheson, Europe Director at University Innovations Global (UI Global), the panel included expert insights from Olga Wessels (Head of the ECIU Brussels office and Coordinator FOR-EU and FOR-EU4ALL), Ludovic Thilly (Coordinator General of EC2U, Coordinator FOR-EU2), and Jorge Molina Martinez (Project Adviser at European Commission, Research Executive Agency (REA). The speakers provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Closing and Networking

The conference ended with insightful remarks from Aurora Secretary-General Ramon Puras and Halldor Jonsson, Director of Science & Innovation at the University of Iceland. They acknowledged the strong performance of the R&I project, emphasised the importance of maintaining and expanding the research infrastructures established, and stressed Aurora’s proactive role, along with its sister alliances, in advocating for better integration of research and education. The conference concluded with a networking reception, fostering ongoing dialogue and building new connections.

This successful event reinforced the importance of collaboration within the Aurora network and the broader European Research and Innovation community, laying the groundwork for future endeavours in university alliances.