From 8–11 September 2026, the European Association for International Education (EAIE) will bring together the international higher education community for its annual conference in Glasgow. Dr. Annette Klinkert will represent city2science at this conference with a session on leadership and transformation in European University Alliances.
European University Alliances have become an increasingly visible part of the EAIE community. This year, 36 Alliances representing more than 300 higher education institutions will be involved in over 40 sessions and networking activities. The programme reflects how the discussion around Alliances is developing: alongside mobility and international collaboration, topics such as governance, sustainable funding, institutional embedding, strategy and leadership are receiving increasing attention.
For city2science CEO Annette Klinkert, the conference also comes with a change of perspective. From 2024 to 2025, she served as Managing Director of the COLOURS European University Alliance. This year, she is continuing her work with European University Alliances in a new role – connecting people and ideas across different Alliances, supporting strategy development for upcoming application rounds and contributing to a growing discussion about how Alliance activities can become more deeply connected with institutional transformation.
At EAIE, this question will be explored in the session “From Navigation to Revolution: Redefining Leadership in European University Alliances and International Collaborations”, together with Agata Mannino and Bruna Vives.
The session looks at leadership challenges from three perspectives: the changing European higher education landscape, the systems and governance structures in which Alliances operate, and the personal experience of people leading transformation within these structures.
Rather than focusing primarily on examples of good practice, the session will also address some of the tensions that accompany Alliance development. Where can change be achieved through better coordination and navigation? Where do institutional structures themselves need to change? And who has the agency to initiate and sustain these processes?
Participants will be invited to contribute their own experiences and perspectives in an interactive World Café.
From Navigation to Revolution
Wednesday, 9 September 2026, 09:00–10:00
EAIE Conference, Glasgow | Session S2.07
