34th UNICA General Assembly & Rectors’ Seminar | Stockholm University, 26-28 June 2024
The 34th UNICA General Assembly & Rectors’ Seminar was hosted by Stockholm University, on 26 to 28 June 2024. The event started with an informal reception on the afternoon of the 26th, which gave way to the administrative General Assembly during the following day.
Highlights of the General Assembly
- Election of two members of the UNICA Steering Committee. The General Assembly validated the application of Anne Weyembergh, Vice-Rector for External Relations and Development Cooperation at Université libre de Bruxelles, and elected Edith Buser, Deputy Vice President for Research at Paris Sciences et Lettres University (PSL). These supplementary elections allowed to complete the composition of the Steering Committee, which now counts 5 members.
- Membership applications. The General Assembly approved the UNICA membership applications of the University of Montenegro and Baku State University, increasing the total number of members to 55 universities. This addition places two new capital cities, Podgorica in Montenegro and Baku in Azerbaijan, on the UNICA map.
- Announcement of the second edition of the UNICA Days in Brussels, Brussels, 26 – 28 February 2025 as well as of the 35th UNICA General Assembly and Rectors’ Seminar, which will be hosted by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. 2025 will be a celebratory for UNICA as it marks the 35th anniversary since its foundation.
The Rectors’ Seminar
The UNICA Rectors Seminar took place on 28 June under the theme “Strengthening the Africa – Europe cooperation: the Role of University Networking“. The event brought together representatives from the landscape of European and African Higher Education who explored the theme over the course of three sessions: 1) Africa-Europe cooperation: opportunities, challenges, and the role of universities; 2) Africa-Europe Cooperation in Research; and 3) Approaches to university cooperation between Europe and Africa.
Video message from Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, Director-General, Directorate-General for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport at the opening of the Rectors’ Seminar
PRESENTATIONS
- The Role of Universities in advancing the AU-EU Partnership: The case of the Youth Mobility for Africa initiative, by Domenico ROSA, Head of Unit Strategic Partnerships with Africa and with the ACP, Directorate-General for International Partnerships, European Commission
- Presentation by Michael GAEBEL, Director of the Higher Education Policy Unit, European University Association
- Africa-Europe Clusters of Research Excellence, by Ole PETTER OTTERSEN, Acting Secretary-General, Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities
- From Centres of Excellence to Clusters of Research Excellence: An African Experience, by Ernest ERYEETEY, Secretary General, The African Research Universities Alliance – ARUA
- Developing fruitful African-European university partnerships, by Mahomed MOOLLA, Head of the Strategic Partnerships Office, University of the Witwatersrand
Check some of the highlights of the 34th UNICA General Assembly and Rectors Seminar in the gallery below:
DOCUMENTS
- Final programme of the event and of the Rectors’ Seminar
- Biographies of the speakers and chairs
- Lists of participants General Assembly
- List of participants Rectors’ Seminar
- List of participants Informal Contact Persons & IRO meeting
26-28 June 2024
Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm University
Contact
UNICA Secretariat: office@unica-network.eu
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.