Following the 2024 EUGLOH Annual Summit held in Szeged, members of the university alliance convened this year in the historic city of Porto, where the 2025 Annual Summit took place from October 22 to 24.
The 2025 EUGLOH Summit brought together more than 400 participants from 35 institutions in 18 countries at the University of Porto for three days of collaboration and exchange. The event was structured around the theme 'From Vision to Impact: European Universities Shaping EU Innovation and Competitiveness,' creating a shared forum for university leaders, students, academic and administrative staff, and external stakeholders. Together, they examined how European universities can promote innovation and competitiveness through cross-border cooperation in education and research.
The University of Szeged’s delegation was led by Rector Prof. Dr. László Rovó and Vice-Rector for Strategic Planning Prof. Dr. Márta Széll. Reflecting on the significance of the summit, Professor Széll offered the following insights:
“Within the EUGLOH European University Alliance, the University of Szeged is committed – through both the programs it has initiated and those launched by partner institutions – to ensuring that our students gain meaningful insight into the processes of scientific research, R&D, and innovation. Under the work package overseen by SZTE, numerous related initiatives and activities have already been implemented. The University of Szeged is among the alliance’s most active members, a fact clearly reflected in its leading mobility figures across students, academic staff, and administrative colleagues. Our students have also played an outstanding role for years in the work of the EUGLOH Student Council. Importantly, one of the alliance’s core principles is inclusivity, which firmly embraces the view that the perspectives, initiatives, and ideas of those most directly involved – the students – are essential to every aspect of the alliance’s operations.”
The EUGLOH delegation of the University of Szeged
SZTE’s EUGLOH delegation included academic and administrative staff as well as students. In addition to attending the meetings of the EUGLOH Governing Bodies, the International Student Board, and the Operational Working Groups, members of the delegation also participated in scientific roundtable discussions and plenary sessions, actively representing the interests of the University of Szeged in the summit’s high-level forums.
Working meetings and student representatives
The working meetings of EUGLOH’s Governing Bodies, the International Student Board, and the Operational Working Groups were held on October 22. Prof. Dr. Ferenc Peták, professor at the Department of Medical Physics and Informatics – jointly operated by SZTE’s Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School and the Faculty of Science and Informatics – represented the University of Szeged in Porto as the leader of EUGLOH’s third work package efforts on research-based learning.
Reflecting on the summit’s key outcomes and their implications for the work packages, Professor Peták highlighted:
“The summit helped strengthen communication among the working groups and set clear directions for future scientific and research activities. Participants agreed to advance interdisciplinary education, align the objectives of the individual working groups, and further encourage student involvement in innovation-focused events.”
At the meeting of the International Student Board, SZTE was represented by Aleksandar Pilipović, President of the EUGLOH Local Student Board, and Fruzsina Nánai, Vice-President for Communications of the LSB. Speaking about the discussions – and the strong collaboration within the EUGLOH student community – Fruzsina Nánai shared the following remarks:
“I think it’s incredibly important that student representatives from the nine partner universities can work closely together. Events like this are a great opportunity to network and share our perspectives. We had the chance to get to know each other better, build a team, and in the days that followed, explore the city of Porto together. One moment I especially enjoyed was when two physical education teachers from Porto joined our meeting and led a short 10–15-minute exercise session. I loved this part of the program – it was a fun way to connect with everyone, and afterward I felt I could focus much better.”
International Student Board team-building activities
A vision for the future of education: practices and opportunities
The annual summit officially opened on October 23, with the leadership of the University of Porto and the City of Porto joining EUGLOH students and representatives. In their addresses, speakers underscored the value of collaboration and reflected on the event’s central theme, “From Vision to Impact.”
In connection with this theme, Dr. Ágnes Sávai-Matuska, Associate Professor at SZTE’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, emphasized the importance of strengthening the visibility of the humanities and social sciences within EUGLOH. As she noted, “the humanities are essential for uncovering the cultural and social dimensions of health and of both individual and community well-being.”
Dr. Sávai-Matuska explained that the University of Szeged is actively seeking ways to integrate artificial intelligence into the humanities and social sciences across the EUGLOH alliance. In her view, in the current AI era, it is crucial for the humanities to bring their unique perspectives and values into conversations about the societal implications of AI. These efforts are now supported by further EUGLOH consultations – specifically, thanks to an invitation from a Norwegian colleague who spoke at the conference, researchers from Szeged and Porto will soon be able to visit the AI working group at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.
Dr. Sávai-Matuska also noted that they had fruitful discussions about the courses now being developed by colleagues in Porto for inclusion in the application for the planned Public Humanities Erasmus Mundus MA program.
Ágnes Sávai-Matuska (left) and Mónika Gortva-Kónya, SZTE’s EUGLOH project manager (right)
The October 23 program offered a vibrant mix of discussions, presentations, and networking opportunities. During the session Workshop on Pedagogical Innovation: Best Practices Showcase, EUGLOH partner universities shared some of their most creative teaching and learning approaches. Among the speakers was Dr. Anita Kéri, SZTE’s most recent Young Instructor of the Year awardee [link: https://u-szeged.hu/news-and-events/2025/excellence-recognized-dr ], who introduced the methodological innovations she incorporates into one of her courses.
“The goal was to exchange proven best practices in educational innovation across the alliance. These practices were selected through an internal competitive call for proposals, and I was honored to be chosen to represent SZTE. It was an amazing experience to see how easily we found common ground – even though we came from very different fields, from medicine and biology to economics. Sharing our teaching experiences connected us instantly,” Dr. Kéri recalled.
The young instructor also acts as the communications lead for SZTE’s EUGLOH team and is part of Working Group Eight (Dissemination and Sustainability). Speaking about what these roles entail, she explained: “My job is twofold: at home, I work to make EUGLOH visible and accessible to as many members of the SZTE community as possible. In Porto, our working group focused on producing creative content about the summit – photos, videos, interviews, and lots of high-quality material.”
Anita Kéri, third from the left
In the afternoon, there were several parallel sessions that explored a range of topics. The session titled Knowledge Transfer in EUGLOH and Unlocking Its Potential focused on how academic research can be translated into real-world applications, while the session Shaping Global Health through Student Involvement in Research & Innovation examined the ways in which students are driving progress in addressing global health challenges.
The day concluded with a gala dinner, where participants connected through informal networking and cultural exchange. According to Ferenc Peták, “the unique blend of wonderful people, great ideas, and fun made the event truly unforgettable. The whole experience involved intense brainstorming sessions as well as spontaneous late-night conversations about the present and future of EUGLOH.”
All eyes on artificial intelligence
On the morning of October 24, the future of higher education came into sharp focus during the plenary session Future-Proofing Higher Education: Adapting Skills and Knowledge to the AI Era.
Here, the University of Szeged was represented by Fruzsina Nánai, who offered insights on the session’s themes from a student perspective. “The plenary session provided an excellent overview of the current state of AI in education and sparked meaningful dialogue between academic experts and students through panel discussions and informal conversations. It was fantastic to explore how universities – and alliances like EUGLOH – can equip students with the digital and AI skills essential for future success,” Fruzsina shared. “To make this a reality, however, we need to place even greater emphasis on this topic going forward and carry out more in-depth research, both within the alliance and at SZTE,” she added.
Fruzsina Nánai, third from the left
The plenary session was followed by a student poster showcase presenting the outcomes of the EUGLOH Annual Student Research Conference, held in parallel with the summit. The closing ceremony then featured remarks by a policy officer from the European Commission and a senior representative of the United Nations, along with musical performances that added a cultural dimension to the program.
In summary, the EUGLOH Annual Summit 2025, hosted at the University of Porto, brought together 100 speakers, moderators, and facilitators for nearly 38 hours of productive discussion. Participants engaged in nine plenary sessions and roundtables, 31 operational meetings and workshops, six parallel events, nine artistic performances and networking activities, and one poster exhibition – all of which highlighted the strength and dynamism of the EUGLOH community.
Personal reflections from members of the SZTE delegation
The EUGLOH Annual Summit 2025 provided opportunities not only for professional development, but also for building personal connections. Reflecting on the experience, Dr. Anita Kéri highlighted why gatherings like this matter:
“Summits and similar conferences are incredibly rewarding, because after a while you find yourself greeting your international colleagues almost as friends. You can connect so much more deeply in person than over a Teams meeting, and you also get to see different sides of people as well,” she said. “The atmosphere was fantastic, and it was clear that we were also gaining insight into local cultural traditions. For me, however, it is hard to compare this summit with the one held in Szeged in 2024, as we organized that event ourselves – our hearts and souls went into it. That summit will always remain a treasured memory for me (and of course, a really challenging experience),” she added.
Ágnes Sávai-Matuska emphasized that one of the most meaningful aspects of this latest EUGLOH mobility experience was how the official program naturally extended beyond the planned agenda:
“I have been involved in the alliance for several years, and I always meet colleagues with whom I can have honest conversations about difficult topics,” she shared. “For me, taking sustainability seriously means not avoiding challenging discussions on complex issues. Talking things through is the best remedy for frustration,” she said with a smile.
Ferenc Peták also pointed out that events like this clearly show that “nothing compares to the energy and inspiration that come from meeting bright and motivated people in person.”
In response to our question about how she experienced the summit as a student, Fruzsina Nánai said:
“This was my first time attending the EUGLOH Annual Summit, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to experience it not only as a participant but also as a presenter. The EUGLOH network is truly unique,” she emphasized. “I am happy to be part of it! We met wonderful people, and we returned to Szeged with valuable knowledge, experiences, and memories from Porto that are worth cherishing – and using – throughout our lives,” she added.
The EUGLOH Annual Summit is hosted each year by a different member university. Since the first event in 2021, it has evolved into a flagship gathering of the alliance, offering a platform for universities, researchers, students, and partners to explore shared challenges and opportunities, while strengthening cross-border collaboration.
In 2026, the annual summit will take place on September 15–16 at the University of Hamburg in Germany, with the University of Szeged once again set to be represented in full force.
Don’t miss the highlights!
The official summary video showcases the summit’s most inspiring moments, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and the unmistakable energy that defined the event.
Watch it here:https://youtu.be/1aQ3_5EOrag
Original Hungarian text by Fruzsina Nánai
