During the event, the “European University of the Seas” Alliance (SEA-EU) had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion titled “European Universities and Service to Society: Conceptualizing the Third Mission of Alliances.” This panel brought together representatives from four European university alliances who shared their perspectives on how these alliances and society at large interact and mutually influence each other.
In particular, they focused on concrete examples of collaboration with local and regional partners, highlighting the lessons learned from working with stakeholders from society, industry, and government. The speakers presented the activities and experiences of their respective alliances, as well as analyzed the obstacles and best practices for identifying and actively engaging relevant stakeholders.
In addition to reflecting on the potential of European universities to promote collaboration between academia, industry, and society, the session also showcased concrete examples of how the “Third Mission” of universities can be applied within the context of European University Alliances.
Participants in this panel discussion included Dr. Fidel Echevarría, Professor at UCA and General Coordinator of SEA-EU. Also taking part were Ludovic Thilly, Vice Rector of the University of Poitiers and General Coordinator of the EC2U Alliance; Balázs Vince Nagy, Head of the Executive Committee of the EELISA Alliance; and Marjanneke Vijge, Professor at the University of Utrecht and Academic Director of the CHARM-EU Alliance. The session was moderated by Gilles Subra, Professor at the University of Montpellier and Academic Director of CHARMEU at the same university.
It’s worth noting that this panel discussion was part of the annual event of the CHARMEU Alliance, which took place under the title “Alliances for Society.” The opening featured Dr. Pauli, Rector of Julius Maximilians University in Wurzburg, and Christian Schuchardt, the Mayor of Wurzburg. Additionally, Vanessa Debiais-Sainton, representative of the European Commission for Higher Education, delivered a lecture titled “The European Commission’s Perspective on the Social Effects of European University Alliances.”
The CHARMEU Alliance, coordinated by the University of Barcelona, includes institutions such as Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), the Universities of Utrecht (Netherlands), Budapest (Hungary), Montpellier (France), Wurzburg (Germany), Ruhr West (Germany), Bergen (Norway), and Abo Academy (Finland).
It is worth mentioning that there is a growing demand for universities to contribute to society by applying their knowledge and output. This so-called “Third Mission” complements the traditional roles of academic institutions, which are research and teaching. The closing of the event was conducted by Meritxell Chaves, General Coordinator of the CHARMEU Alliance and representative of Spanish universities in European alliances.
