EUPeace at the EAIE 2025: Sharing expertise on peace-building and collaboration in higher education

EUPeace – the European University for Peace, Justice and Inclusive Societies and a proud member of FOREU4ALL – participated at the EAIE Annual Conference and Exhibition 2025 in Gothenburg, Sweden. From 9–12 September, representatives from several partner universities engaged with international stakeholders, presented EUPeace activities, and exchanged ideas on building more inclusive and peaceful academic environments.

Two contributions to the official EAIE programme highlighted the alliance’s thematic expertise. In the session “Continuing collaboration: EUI alliances and the resilience of Ukrainian universities”, Iryna Ivanets, Elisabeth Schulte (Marburg University) and Christina Friesen (DAAD) discussed how European University Initiative alliances can support academic partners in times of existential crises by fostering equitable and sustainable partnerships and identifying key collaboration areas, practical challenges and pathways for a common way forward. In a second panel, “Navigating conflict and peace through engagement,” Prof. Asli Ilgit (Çukurova University) discussed how universities can act as spaces for dialogue, mutual understanding and peacebuilding, alongside speakers from Gothenburg and Helsinki.

Collaboration and exchange at Europe’s largest international education event

Throughout the conference, EUPeace held discussions with universities and other university alliances from across Europe and beyond. Many visiting institutions expressed interest in the alliance’s unique focus on peace, justice and inclusive societies, as well as in exploring mobility and cooperation opportunities with individual partner universities. The event provided valuable visibility for the alliance and strengthened its international profile.

The EAIE remains one of the most impactful platforms for international higher education exchange. By contributing to the academic programme and engaging with global peers, EUPeace demonstrated its commitment to shaping the future of internationalisation, academic cooperation and peace-oriented education.