EULiST General Assembly 2024 at BUT
The annual 2024 EULiST General Assembly was successfully hosted by Brno University of Technology (BUT) from May 22nd to 24th, 2024, in the vibrant city of Brno.
On the first day, Wednesday May 22nd, a Staff Day for the Coordination Office was held, discussing on the local organization and project implementation, as well as successes and challenges. Additionally, WP2 and WP3 workshops at TUW and BUT were also organized to align actions and next steps. In the afternoon, the official Opening Ceremony took place at BUT, where Rector Ladislav Janíček, welcomed participants from the 10 EULiST member universities.
During the second day, Thursday May 23rd, several parallel sessions took place by all EULiST bodies, including the Governing Board (GB), the Advisory Council (AC), the Management Board (MB), the Project Steering Committee (PSC), the Coordination Office (CO), and the Student Board (SB) met to strategize the next steps to achieve the alliance’s main objectives.
The Greek delegation from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) made a significant contribution, including:
- Prof. Manos Varvarigos, Vice-Rector of Research, Innovation and Outreach
- Katerina Adam, Professor Emeritus and Scientific Coordinator of EULiST-NTUA
- Sotiris Karellas, Professor at the School of Mechanical Engineering and Scientific Coordinator of EULiST-NTUA, WP4 Research and Innovation lead
- Andreas Boudouvis, former Rector at NTUA and EULiST co-chair, Professor at the School of Chemical Engineering, EULiST Advisory Council member (hybrid attendance)
- Antonia Lampropoulou, Head of the International Relations Department and EULiST Local coordinator
- Efi Dimopoulou, Professor at the School of Rural, Surveying and Geoinformatics Engineering, Task 2.1 Digital Campus lead
- Ioanna Roussaki, Associate Professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Department Director, Task 3.3. AI tools lead
- Maria Menegaki, Professor at the School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering and Coordinator of the Center of Teaching and Learning
- Ioannis Tzigkounakis, Technical Laboratory Staff, EULiST website administrator
- Konstantina-Maria Giannakopoulou, PhD candidate at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, EULiST Student Board member
Discussions focused on defining the roles and responsibilities of WP and Task leaders and co-leaders, as well as members of the various EULiST bodies. The Annual Progress Report and the EULiST Operational Plan were reviewed, with the latter being approved by the Governing Board. The Management Board also agreed on a framework for future EULiST events, General Assemblies, and Staff Weeks. Moreover, the PR Concept Paper “Actions to be taken” was introduced by the Coordination Office. The Student Board reported on the final preparations for the First EULiST Student Conference.
Furthermore, two EULiST bodies elected their chair and co-chair. The Governing Board elected Prof. Ladislav Janíček, Rector of BUT, as chair and Prof. Juha-Matti Saksa as co-chair. The Management Board elected Pablo Tomás Salvadores Alonso, Director of Internationalization at URJC, as chair and Prof. Thanasis Zisis, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Lifelong Learning at NTUA, as co-chair. The Advisory Council met for the first time, was officially constituted and is going to elect their chair and co-chair next year.
In addition, two Panel Discussions held on “Students Involvement in European Universities Alliances (EUA)” and on “Unveiling the Potential: European Universities Alliances in Europe and beyond.”, as well as two Workshops on “Well-being and healthy (morning) routines” and on “Cross-Cultural Communication Differences”. During the official Gala Dinner, commemorative medals were handed to the Rectors, as well as to LUH Prof. Christina von Haaren, who has served as the Project Coordinator since the beginning of the Alliance.
On the last day, Friday May 24th, the General Assembly met, where key points from the previous discussions, along with decisions made and main results, were outlined. A discussion on “Setting course for the Future of Europe” followed, divided into two parts. The first part concerned “Vision – Designing a picture of EULiST at the end of 2027” and the second part concerned “Mission – Designing the pathway of the implementation of the EU project and the further development of the alliance”. Both topics were explored from the perspectives of various EULiST stakeholders and target groups (MB, CO, PSC, SB).
