This year's conference was attended by over 6,000 participants representing universities from all over the world, as well as companies providing services to universities, representatives of government institutions, the European Commission, associations and foundations operating in this area. It is the largest European event of this type. The Polish delegation, including the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) and the Nicolaus Copernicus Academy, consisted of over 60 people representing 31 institutions. Numerous sessions, workshops and discussion panels address current topics regarding initiatives developed by universities in international partnerships, including: mobility of students and employees, joint study curricula, mixed intensive programmes, service for international guests.
This year, a lot of time was devoted to discussing the initiative of European Universities and the challenges associated with cooperation within these partnerships. The conference is also accompanied by education fairs and additional promotional and integration events. As every year, the University of Lodz was also present at the Polish "Ready, Study, Go! Poland" stand.
The slogan of this year's campaign, "Connecting currents", on the one hand, pays tribute to the maritime history of Rotterdam, a place where the river meets the sea, ships reach the shore and people from all over the world meet. On the other hand, the slogan reflects the reality of work in the area of internationalisation, which combines various disciplines, methods, cultures, and trends of thinking, shaping the future of universities and the societies in which they operate. During the event, there were also opportunities for individual meetings with the University of Lodz partners, as well as the opportunities to establish new contacts in order to implement joint ventures in the future.
The next conference will be held on 17-20 September 2024 in Toulouse, and "En Route!" will be its motto.
The participation in the EAIE conference was possible thanks to funds obtained by the International Relations Office as part of the project "Wzmocnienie potencjału rekrutacyjnego Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego oraz rozwój marki UŁ na wybranych rynkach edukacyjnych" [Strengthening the recruitment potential of the University of Lodz and developing the brand of the University on selected educational markets] (PPI/WTP/2022/1/00025). The project is financed by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange as part of the Welcome to Poland 2022 Programme.
Source: International Hub, University of Lodz
Edit: Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz