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2024 Annual Conference & General Assembly: a resounding sucess!

10 June 2024

A record-breaking number of around 300 delegates from Coimbra Group (CG) Universities descended upon the ancient city of Turku for the 2024 Coimbra Group Annual Conference & General Assembly, from 4 to 7 June. The event, titled ‘Research and Education – Most Impactful Together’, was a resounding success, providing a mix of  insightful – and at times thought-provoking – discussions with enjoyable networking opportunities. We encourage you to read this vibrant account of the event published by our hosts!

Community-building

The first day started with the meeting of the Executive Board, CG Representatives and Working Group Chairs and Vice-Chairs. This was the occasion to exchange on their perspectives for the future of the Coimbra Group organisation, underlining the growing importance of AI and Open Science in their respective projects. The meeting was continued at the end of the day, after all the Working Groups had met, with ideas for continuous improvement. The posters of all 12 CG Working Groups were exhibited throughout the event in the common areas. They presented the objectives and achievements of each group, as well as their future events and initiatives.

Three Working Groups were holding Chair elections. Warm congratulations to:

Two parallel inter-WGs meetings were held in the afternoon open to all the Coimbra Group community, on the following topics:

  •  “Decolonizing the University”: sparked a vibrant discussion on the multifaceted approach to decolonization of academic institutions, with keynote speeches from Professors Silvia Bagni (University of Bologna) and Parvati Nair (Queen Mary University of London). The event highlighted the ongoing struggle of decolonisation, the impact of movements like #RhodesMustFall, and the importance of incorporating indigenous knowledge and perspectives, ultimately aiming to end oppression and reshape higher education institutions.
  • “Good Practices in Science Communication”: Prof. Andreas Müller (University of Geneva) presented the future compendium of best practice examples of initiatives and programmes for attracting and retaining young people in STEM fields, resulting from the compilation of data collected by the STEM WG. Prof. Laura Orian (University of Padova) presented the Italian national project, the Scientific Degree Plan (PLS).

Closed Rectors’ Meeting

During this session, CG Rectors exchanged on the move towards Open Research Information and how to take commitments into practice. Rector Margareth Hagen was reconducted on the Coimbra Group Rectors Advisory Group for a second two-year term.

Erasmus Student Network Meeting with Coimbra Group Universities

On 6 June afternoon took place the second meeting of the local ESN sections, ESN International Office and Coimbra Group Universities. We discussed international mobility, focusing on factors influencing the selection of host universities, such as language accessibility, affordability, and academic reputation. The Erasmus Eurail ticket was introduced to promote green mobility. The meeting also touched on the challenges of housing for international students and the need for more support from home universities. Lastly, the Erasmus+ co-funded EUniverse project was discussed. It aims to improve student mobility and integration by implementing European values and civic engagement initiatives.

Video

You can now watch the public part of the Annual Conference, which was broadcasted live, on the Coimbra Group YouTube channel: Public Conference on Research and Education Synergies, 3MT Competition Live Final, and Open Session on European University Alliances.

A gallery of photos and the speakers’ presentations will be made available shortly.