BUT Rector led key meetings of EULiST Alliance representatives in Vienna

The latest meeting of rectors and presidents of universities associated with the European University Alliance EULiST took place on January 29 and 30 in Vienna. The host was the partner university Technische Universität Wien. The main topic of the meeting was the preparation of an agreement on further development of mutual cooperation. Brno University of Technology, which currently presides over the Alliance, took the lead in the meeting.

The goal of the meeting of the Alliance's top representatives was to agree on adjustments in the organization and system of its management, particularly to clarify roles and decision-making mechanisms. "We agreed on the process and organization of selecting the General Secretary, a position for which an incredible 47 candidates showed interest. The General Secretary will then take on the role of executive manager of the Alliance and, together with its president, will ensure its functioning as a European university. We also discussed a report from the EULiST Central Coordination Office, based at Leibniz Universität Hannover, regarding the status of the implementation of a joint project and its financing. We also prepared the agenda for the EULiST General Assembly, which will take place in spring 2025 at the partner university in L'Aquila, Italy," explained the main points of the program, BUT Rector Ladislav Janíček.

As the presiding university, BUT approached the preparation of the meeting with great responsibility. "Thanks to careful preparation, the meeting was constructive and effective, with agreement on all the proposed agenda points. Key conclusions were adopted for the further direction of the Alliance as a European university, considering the reports by Mario Draghi, Manuel Heitor, and Enrico Letta published by the European Commission. We also discussed the expected role of European universities in the European educational and research space. This primarily involves strengthening the competitiveness of the EU economy—especially through increasing interest in studying technical and natural sciences fields and producing high-quality graduates," said the BUT Rector.

The result of the meeting was also the unanimous adoption of conclusions aiming at institutionalizing the Alliance as a legal entity. The main motivation is to obtain European institutional accreditation for EULiST, which is a necessary condition to obtain the authorization to grant the European Diploma and its supplement (European Label) for joint study and educational programs implemented in cooperation with EULiST partner universities.

"In connection with the expected call from the European Commission, we will apply for the relevant project to obtain this authorization. At the same time, we have clearly agreed on the development of joint study and educational programs, based on the best expert competences within the Alliance. We also agreed to support and promote STEM education (in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, note by editor) as a key thematic idea," said the VUT Rector, who, in connection with this, invited the Alliance partners to the upcoming international conference on STEM education. The event is organized by VUT and will be part of the General Assembly of the European network of technical and research universities CESAER, which will take place in October 2025 in Brno. Up to 50 leading European technical universities are expected to participate.

The EULiST Alliance connects ten European, mostly technical universities. It brings together 20,000 employees and includes 200,000 students. The Alliance, whose credo is "Linking Society and Technology," provides, among other things, a space for sharing expertise, best practices, and for developing inter-university cooperation.

More than a year ago, the EULiST Alliance succeeded in the European Commission's call and officially joined the European Universities. Last year, VUT hosted European partners at the General Assembly of the Alliance's member universities in Brno.

The next EULiST General Assembly will take place from March 31, 2025, in L'Aquila, Italy. The main goal of the meeting will be to share information on the progress of the EULiST project. In addition to meetings of the Alliance's governing bodies, the leaders of the Task Forces will also meet, presenting a summary report in cooperation with the central project manager of EULiST. An integral part of the Alliance is also the Student Board, which plans a separate meeting and discussions with Alliance coordinators during the General Assembly.