“The Arqus Annual Conference is an extraordinary opportunity to share our main challenges and find solutions together”, said Dorothy Kelly, Arqus Coordinator, “this major event is crucial in fostering dialogue and trust among our communities, and in strengthening our collaboration to promote increasingly innovative and impactful education and research. As this year’s main theme suggests, the Annual Conference is about coming together to address the big issues facing not only alliances and higher education, but our society as a whole. At Braga we will be joined by partners and colleagues from other alliances, giving the important message that the sustainability of the European Universities initiative largely depends on our unity”.
The conference is integrated as part of the University of Minho’s 50th-anniversary celebrations and aims to advance the Alliance’s education, research and societal engagement initiatives while strengthening the bonds between its member universities and fostering a fruitful dialogue with other European universities and higher education institutions. In addition, this major event will provide a platform for identifying synergies and innovative approaches to common challenges, supporting shared goals within the Arqus community.
“I am delighted to host this conference at the University of Minho, particularly as we celebrate our 50th anniversary. There’s no better way to commemorate this special occasion than by holding the most significant annual event of our Alliance”, said Rui Vieira de Castro, rector of the University of Minho.
The Conference will officially kick off on Tuesday, 2 July, with the Opening Session “Connecting universities, addressing challenges” at 09:00 GMT+1 in the auditorium A1 of the Gualtar campus. The opening will feature Fernando Alexandre, Portuguese Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Dorothy Kelly, Arqus Coordinator, and Rui Vieira de Castro, Rector of the University of Minho.
Before the Conference, a Rectors’ Retreat in Guimarães will see the formal signing of the Arqus Governing Principles and Provisions, which came into force at the beginning of March 2024 following approval by all partner universities. Rectors or their representatives will gather for a day and a half to discuss major issues related to the strategic direction of the Alliance in the mid and long term.
The 2024 Arqus Annual Conference will include a mix of plenary sessions, parallel meetings and networking opportunities, fostering meaningful discussions and collaborations among participants, including university leadership, students and staff from all partner universities, as well as the Arqus International Advisory Board (IAB) members, colleagues from other Alliances and experts in different fields.
The conference programme can be found here.