European University Alliance 4EU+ European University Alliance: Collective Solutions for Global Challenges

The topic of how the 4EU+ European University Alliance can best develop its potential for addressing social challenges is on the agenda of the Alliance’s annual meeting, being held in Switzerland at the University of Geneva. Members of the eight partner universities – comprising besides Geneva the universities of Prague, Heidelberg, Paris-Panthéon-Assas, Sorbonne/Paris, Copenhagen, Milan and Warsaw – are convening for discussions on new formats of cross-university and transnational cooperation in education and research. The annual meeting is taking place from 26 to 28 November 2025, under the heading “4EU+ for Global Impact – Shaping Collective Solutions”.

The annual gathering in Geneva is starting on 26 November with three workshops. They will deal with the social and political impact of university teaching and research, and discuss ways of involving students and staff in activities of the Alliance. Meetings of the so-called flagships will follow, along with various working groups and committees. The four 4EU+ flagships cover thematic fields forming the basis for interdisciplinary cooperation in research, teaching and innovation between the eight partner universities. They concentrate on topics that play a key role in the quest for solutions to current global challenges, such as health and demographic change, or digital transformation.

The opening lecture on 27 November, entitled “Switzerland/Europe and the Crisis of Multilateralism” will be given by Micheline Calmy-Rey, former Federal President of the Swiss Confederation. The 4EU+ general assembly during the annual meeting will hear reports on the present situation and prospects of the alliance. That will be followed by a change in the office of Chair of the Governing Board. It will rotate on from Prof. Dr Alojzy Z. Nowak, Rector of the University of Warsaw, to Prof. Dr Audrey Leuba, Rector of the University of Geneva. In her inaugural lecture on “What’s Ahead? A Swiss University Leading a European Alliance” she will give a preview of the coming year. The open session of the 4EU+ Annual Meeting on 27 November will be broadcast via livestream starting at 9.30 am. The Governing Board of the alliance will meet on 28 November. In addition, the vice-rectors and vice-presidents for research and teaching will hold their own sessions.

The 4EU+ European University Alliance brings together the eight universities of Prague, Heidelberg, Paris-Panthéon-Assas, Sorbonne/Paris, Copenhagen, Geneva, Milan and Warsaw. The group of partner universities is one of the university alliances funded in the context of the Erasmus+ European Universities call. By supporting strategic higher education partnerships and building up an integrated university system, the European Commission pursues the goal of clustering research, teaching and innovation in Europe in new structures, and thereby modernizing and strengthening the European Education Area.