With a two-day gathering at the heart of Europe, the Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN) celebrated its 10th anniversary. Since its first steps in 2015 and a decade of policy advocacy activities in Brussels, YERUN continues to bring together excellence and value-driven young research universities, shaping their future and promoting their role in European societies.
In addition to representatives of all 24 member universities, the conference brought together numerous guests, collaborators, and friends who have been following the work of YERUN since its beginnings – representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Research Council (ERC), and representatives of many other European networks, alliances, and organizations dedicated to higher education, science, and research, e.g., Coimbra Group, EUA, ESU, ERRIN, EASSH, GILD, LERU, and many others.
To kick off the conference, YERUN welcomed Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, who addressed the audience with her keynote speech. Although Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, couldn’t join the conference in person, she addressed the participants with a video message.
One of the main goals of YERUN is to promote talent and (young) researchers, and the conference was an excellent opportunity to celebrate researchers and their groundbreaking projects, which often receive the well-deserved attention of the ERC. Following the well-known TED Talk format, five scientists – Adam Izdebski (NCU), Gideon Koekoek (Maastricht), Tina Kold Jensen (SDU), Gabriele Spilker (Konstanz), and Cyprien Verseux (Bremen) – took turns on stage, bringing their everyday world of research and discovery closer to the audience. From theoretical physics and waves, the quality of (in)equality and world epidemics throughout history, to the “eternal” chemicals in human beings and life on Mars, all participants had the opportunity to learn more about the extraordinary in our ordinary life.
To mark the final days of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, YERUN invited the Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education, Andrzej Szeptycki, to participate in the plenary session on the topic “Financing the Future of Europe: What do we need for a Competitive Europe?”.
The presidency of the Council rotates among the EU member states every six months, with member states holding the presidency working together closely in groups of three, called ‘trios’. As the current trio is made up of the presidencies of Poland, Denmark, and Cyprus, the conference was an ideal opportunity to welcome the Danish Minister of Higher Education and Science, Christina Egelund, who announced Denmark’s priorities and objectives during the six-month presidency, starting on July 1.
In addition to keynote speeches and plenary sessions, the conference hosted 6 parallel sessions, welcoming researchers and experts from YERUN universities and invited speakers from the European higher education sector. Biographies of all speakers are available here. The University of Rijeka is proud to have been represented by members of its community, namely Lana Par, an alumna of our Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development and the current Vice President of the European Students’ Union (ESU), and Prof. Dr. Saša Zelenika from the Faculty of Engineering.
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, YERUN engaged in answering probably the most asked question when it comes to the network: What is a young research university? To do this, YERUN turned to those who live it every day: its members. Through their voices, reflections, and stories, we uncover the essence of being a young research university through the challenges faced, the ambitions pursued, and the impact made. YERUN’s publication brings together a shared reflection and 24 stories that illustrate what it means to be young, research-focused, and committed to a meaningful change. Access the publication here.
For those of you who couldn’t attend the conference, take a glimpse into our celebration by watching the video.
Photos: Jérôme Hubert, Nina Premuš