ENLIGHT is pleased to announce that three of its member universities – Ghent University, the University of Tartu, and the University of Groningen – have renewed their collaboration with the Taiwan Ministry of Education, ensuring the continuation of the Taiwan Studies Programme for another three years (2025–2028).

Originally launched in 2016 with the support of four ENLIGHT universities (Ghent, Groningen, Göttingen, and Tartu), the programme has become a successful platform for academic exchange and dialogue between Europe and Taiwan. The renewed agreement allows ENLIGHT partners to carry forward this tradition, focusing on teaching, research, and mobility opportunities in the fields of politics, history, culture, and international relations.

Taiwan Studies Programme (‘Taiwan Chair’)

Each year, two Taiwan Chairholders are appointed for a four-month professorial fellowship at one of the participating ENLIGHT universities. During their stay, they deliver lectures on EU–East Asia relations with particular attention to Taiwan’s role in global affairs.

For the second semester of the 2025–2026 academic year, ENLIGHT is inviting applications for two new Taiwan Chairholders, who will be hosted at the University of Groningen and the University of Tartu.

Eligible candidates are scholars from universities or higher education institutions in Taiwan, working in social and political sciences, history, law, economics, geopolitics, or contemporary history. The application deadline is Friday 24 October 2025.

PhD Fieldwork Scholarships in Taiwan

The Taiwan Studies Programme also supports early-career researchers through a PhD scholarship scheme. Doctoral students from the participating ENLIGHT universities (Ghent, Groningen, Tartu) can apply for funding to conduct fieldwork in Taiwan as part of their research.

More information

For details on both opportunities, please contact:
Mrs. Inge Mangelschots
Coordinator, East Asia Platform, Ghent University
✉️ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This year’s EAIE Annual Conference and Exhibition takes place on 9–12 September in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The 2025 theme, “GO-create,” invites us to explore collaboration, cooperation and co-creation.

ENLIGHT meet & greet

All ENLIGHT attendees are warmly invited to an informal meet & greet on 11 September at 17:00 CEST at Eva's Paley (about a 15-minute walk from the conference venue). Please note that expenses will be borne by participants.

Several ENLIGHT colleagues will be featured in the programme – see the overview below and mark your calendars:

ENLIGHT at EAIE 2025 – Sessions to Catch

Wednesday, 10 September

• Campfire: Becoming a reflective professional: Moving from practice to theory and back (S2.17)
  09:00–10:00 | Campfire 01 | Campfire session
  Speakers include Franka van den Hende (University of Groningen)
• Strengthening online international learning opportunities: Experiences from the ENLIGHT alliance (213)
  14:30–16:00 | Poster Area | Poster session
  Speaker: Judith Goris (Ghent University)
• Fail to succeed: Engagement stories and practices from EUI alliances (S4.10)
  15:30–16:30 | Room F5 | Roundtable session
  Speakers include Joanne Pageze (University of Bordeaux)

Thursday, 11 September

• From mystery to mastery: Lump-sum management in Erasmus+ cooperation projects (S6.03)
  11:30–12:30 | Room K (Congress Hall) | World Café session
  Speakers: Klaas Portier & Lotte Laenen (Ghent University)
• From 'GO' to 'co-': Developing transformational internationalisation together (S7.06)
  14:00–15:00 | Room G3 | World Café session
  Speakers include Franka van den Hende (University of Groningen)

Friday, 12 September

• Can we close the gap? Ensuring responsible practices in international education (S10.08)
  10:30–11:30 | Room F5 | Roundtable session
  Speakers include Joanne Pageze (University of Bordeaux)

Check out the full EAIE 2025 programme here!

Don’t forget to pick up your ENLIGHT pin: from Wednesday, 10 September, all colleagues coming from our partner universities can collect one at the University of Bordeaux booth (U21) and wear it proudly throughout the conference! A small sign of connection as ENLIGHT colleagues come together in Gothenburg. :-)

Dr. Enda Howley, Head of the School of Computer Science at the University of Galway, shares his journey from Galway to leading European collaborations through the ENLIGHT alliance. In this interview, he reflects on his path into computer science, the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence in his career, and the unique opportunities ENLIGHT creates for meaningful partnerships across institutions.

Discover his insights on international collaboration, academic networking, and the future of education and research within ENLIGHT - link.

As part of our joint effort Greening ENLIGHT Universities, we are launching The Carbon Countdown: How do we Budget for a Sustainable Future?

This and many other aspects will be discussed at the first ENLIGHT Webinar on "Carbon Budgeting and Pricing Systems", taking place on 17 September 2025, 14:00 - 16:00 CET. Three experts will share their insights:

It’s a bright Monday morning. Outside summer is still clinging on, but for some students, vacation is over. One by one, they show up at the fourth iteration of the ENLIGHT course Innovation Game at Uppsala University. Two weeks of developing games to address global health challenges are waiting. Uppsala University ENLIGHT coordinator Jonathan Schalk tags along for part of the course.

Dr. Oleksandra Khalaim, ENLIGHT Blended Intensive Programme coordinator and researcher at Uppsala University, is reimagining higher education. By bringing serious games, theatre methods, and international collaboration into the classroom, she shows how innovative teaching can spark the mindset shifts needed to tackle today’s biggest global challenges. Click here and read more!

In the latest edition of Faces of ENLIGHT, we meet Anna Pilková, Professor and Head of the Department of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Comenius University Bratislava.

After a successful career in top-level banking, Professor Pilková returned to academia with fresh insights into entrepreneurship and regulation. Through ENLIGHT, she contributes to international collaboration, bridges research with practice, and inspires colleagues to engage in cross-border cooperation.

“ENLIGHT is an association of very interesting and highly professional European higher education institutions,” she says. “It provides a great opportunity for students and teachers to take advantage of the European knowledge potential.”

Read the full interview to discover more about her journey, her passion for teaching, and her take on ENLIGHT's value to both research and education.

Are you passionate about human rights and curious about how authoritarianism is reshaping Europe? Don’t miss the second edition of the Online School on Human Rights, running from 26 August to 2 October 2025.

Meet Clara Potié, a neuropsychology student from Bordeaux, who shares her inspiring journey through the ENLIGHT European University alliance. From participating in a unique ENLIVE virtual exchange to embracing multidisciplinary and student-led learning, Clara highlights how ENLIGHT broadened her academic horizons and international experience. Read the full interview to discover her reflections and advice for future participants!

🎓 Final winners to be revealed at the Teaching & Learning Conference in Uppsala!

As we approach the 5th ENLIGHT Teaching & Learning Conference in Uppsala (8–10 October 2025), we are proud to present the student-led initiatives nominated for this year’s Diversity & Inclusion Award and Sustainability Award.

These inspiring projects reflect ENLIGHT’s mission to foster inclusive, sustainable, and impactful learning communities across Europe. Each initiative tackles urgent societal challenges with creativity, empathy, and hands-on engagement — from climate action and food security to physical accessibility and social equity.

While the jury has already selected one winner and two runners-up per category, we’ll keep the final rankings under wraps until the official award ceremony in Uppsala. Join us there to find out who takes home the 2025 awards!

In Spring 2024 our alliance launched three calls for educational and research cooperation among academics, staff and students across the alliance. It proved a great participation success, with no less than 1,000 academics taking part in one of the applying consortia. In 2025, the calls closed 30 June and, while the proposals are being classified and forwarded to the appointed evaluators, the participation rate is even more outstanding (1,178 participants in the ETN call alone).

On May 14 2025 Ghent University hosted the ENLIGHT workshop "Women in East European and Baltic Literature and Culture: Subversive Reading and Identity Challenges" at the well-equipped Library Lab Magnel. The event brought together academics, writers, and students from across Europe for a day of vibrant exchange, critical inquiry, and collaborative discussion around women’s voices and cultural identity in Eastern Europe and the Baltic region.

Organised by Dr. Miglena Dikova-Milanova (Ghent University) in collaboration with Dr. Ksenia Kuzminykh (University of Göttingen) and Dr. Eret Talviste (University of Tartu), the workshop built on earlier initiatives by expanding its geographical and thematic scope. It explored how female-identifying figures have contributed to cultural and literary discourses while challenging established norms.