Representatives from the nine universities of the SEA-EU Alliance gathered in Brest this week for the opening of the SEA-EU Governing Week, a key governance meeting bringing together decision-makers from across the European University Alliance to review progress, discuss strategic priorities and prepare the next steps of the European Coastal Campus.
Hosted by the University of Brest, the event opened with a celebration of Breton culture, including a traditional song and a short introduction to the Breton language. The cultural welcome offered participants an opportunity to discover the heritage of the host region while reinforcing the alliance’s commitment to Europe’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
A highlight of the opening session was the presentation by SEA-EU General Coordinator Marcela Iglesias, who reflected on the long-term impact of the alliance and the role of European Universities in shaping the future of higher education. “It is time to understand the long-term changes that our alliance is generating and the legacy that we are building together for the future of European higher education,” she said.
During her presentation, Iglesias provided an overview of the main developments achieved by the SEA-EU Alliance over the past six months. The update focused on how the alliance continues to create meaningful change for students, staff, researchers and institutions while strengthening cooperation between partner universities.
Particular attention was given to the institutional development of SEA-EU. Four major milestones illustrate this progress: the official registration of the SEA-EU Association, the submission of the SEA-EU Next proposal for the 2027–2029 funding period, the submission of a European Degree Pathway proposal under Erasmus+, and the Blue Talent Scholarship proposal designed to support participation in joint programmes.
Together, these initiatives demonstrate how the SEA-EU Alliance is evolving from a project-based partnership into a more integrated and sustainable European University Alliance with a long-term vision for education, research and innovation.
The opening session marked the start of three days of meetings involving SEA-EU governance bodies. Following the morning programme, members of the Executive Committee met to review ongoing activities, coordinate future actions and continue advancing the strategic objectives of the alliance.
