The central strategic, decision-making, and expert teams of the EUPeace Alliance gathered in Pilsen, Czechia, from 22–24 September 2025, alongside the EUPeace Conference “Advancing Justice, Peace and Inclusiveness in Times of AI”, hosted at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen.
Shaping Strategy and the Future EUPeace Campus
The Governing Board (GB) organised a dedicated workshop to reflect on the strategic dimensions of the Alliance’s initiatives. Leadership from all nine partner universities focused particularly on the KPIs defined for the Alliance, evaluating progress within the context of our EU-funded project. Discussions explored the role of EUPeace in strengthening research cooperation, both in connection with the educational offers being developed through the project and in the broader context of guiding the newly established Research Council (RC), which brings together Vice-Presidents and Vice-Rectors responsible for research, along with the administrative units supporting researchers. Another key topic addressed the vision for our Joint EUPeace Campus, which will continue to be refined in the coming months.
EDIB and EB Drive Inclusive Joint Programmes
The meetings also provided a platform for the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Board (EDIB) to engage directly with other boards, sharing recent activities and best practices. Special attention was given to integrating inclusion perspectives into the Alliance’s joint educational offers, particularly in collaboration with the Education Board (EB).
The Education Board (EB) focused among others on the pilot phase of the European Track and the continued development of Joint Programmes. The team behind the EUPeace Fund project “Preparing a Joint Degree in Peace and Conflict Studies (PREPACS)” used the Autumn Meetings to organise a dedicated session, advancing the accreditation process for the joint programme, refining semester profiles, and reviewing entry requirements.
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Driving Progress: From Digital Concepts to Quality Culture
Meanwhile, the Steering Committee (SC) concentrated on the daily progress of the various work packages, working closely with the Digitisation Office. Priority areas were refined, and next steps agreed upon, leveraging all relevant expertise for the Alliance’s Digitisation Concept Paper. Another key focus was the discussion of the current draft of the Alliance-wide Quality Culture Framework, scheduled for finalisation in the coming months.
In parallel, the leaders of the EU-funded project work packages met within the Monitoring Committee to exchange methodologies and review ongoing steps toward the mid-term report, due at the end of the year—a critical checkpoint for evaluating progress and impact.
Looking Ahead: EUPeace Spring Meetings 2026 in Calabria
The next Spring Meetings of the Alliance will take place at the University of Calabria, Italy, on 14–15 April 2026, continuing the strategic reflection and collaborative planning that define the EUPeace Alliance’s journey toward deeper European integration in research, education, and innovation.
