The University of Hradec Králové held the hybrid EURESTRA conference on June 27-30, 2023. Among other activities, the event offered engrossing workshops, and establishing governing infrastructure.
The University of Hradec Králové has been involved in building and establishing EURESTRA – European University for Responsible Transformation, a European University Alliance since the initiative negotiations with the coordinating University of Bayreuth in 2020. African Studies is the linking subject of developing cooperation. Currently, EURESTRA is formed by 12 universities across Europe and beyond.
The event delivered a busy schedule and consisted of many workshops or individual meetings on different topics that are significant for the development of the alliance. The leaders and their representatives met to agree on the course of actions to be taken in the mid-term period.
Among others, Workshop on Campus & Erasmus+ Mobility offered an overview of the multi-modal campus concept and how to provide it to as many relevant target groups as possible. Workshop on Academic Collaboration provided a framework to explore African perspectives of all the disciplines. Summer school for PhDs was also considered. Moreover, there was a workshop dedicated to the organization of the EURESTRA Summer School held in 2024. Workshop on Communication concentrated on the aspects of internal communication and the best options to approach the specific target groups within partner institutions.
I am delighted that this next meeting of partners within our alliance took place at the University of Hradec Králové. Although we regularly meet with our partners online, face-to-face meetings add significant value and help us progress. I believe that our guests enjoyed their stay in Hradec Králové and that it enabled us to develop other common topics intensively,
comments UHK Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Statutory Deputy of Rector Leona Stašová.
Great significance was given to the inaugural meetings that took place on Thursday and Friday. Not only Governing Board and Executive Board members could sum up the governance structure and competencies, also independent Academic Council and Student Council met for the first time in the hybrid meetings to discuss their role in the alliance governing structure and opportunities how to support the alliance and its institutions.
This has been an important kick-off event for the progress of joint initiatives within the EURESTRA.
