On September 18–19, at the University of Maribor (Slovenia), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, the ATHENA Plus working group meeting and an international European Universities Conference were held. The event brought together rectors and vice-rectors from across the ATHENA Alliance.

“ATHENA is more than a project – it is a commitment by all Alliance partners to contribute together to shaping the future of higher education. Many challenges lie ahead, but also unique opportunities to empower our students, researchers, and communities,” said VILNIUS TECH Vice-Rector for Studies Živilė Sederevičiūtė-Pačiauskienė after returning from the conference.

The discussions focused on the achievements so far and future opportunities in building truly integrated education, research, and innovation among partner institutions. For the new term, the ATHENA Alliance has set ambitious goals: to develop double-degree study programs to strengthen student mobility, to establish multi-university research teams, and to initiate the “ATHENA Faculty without Borders,” uniting teaching, research, innovation, and student life.

In her keynote speech, Susanne Conze, Head of the Higher Education Unit at the European Commission, emphasized that universities play a crucial role in ensuring STEAM competences, which are essential for future competitiveness. Therefore, alliances are of great importance in strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy in education, research, and innovation.

Professor Peter Harriga Bolivar presented ATHENA’s innovative “Clusters and Sandboxes” model, highlighting its contribution to the European Research Area.

The new governance structure was also announced: the presidency of the Alliance for the coming year was assumed by the University of Orléans, led by Professor Eric Blond, which will coordinate strategic discussions among partner university leaders and organize key Alliance meetings, while Professor Ioan Todinca was appointed Secretary-General.