We are happy to welcome Leah Vandeveer as interim Executive Secretary for ENLIGHT! Leah will take up her new role from January until July 2025. During this time, the Directors Board and Governing Board will develop a strategy to review our current governance model. They will also prepare an open call for potential new roles resulting from this reform, which is set to launch by summer 2025.

Leah comes from within the ENLIGHT Family, having been the Project Manager for RISE, the R&I dimension of our alliance, with the University of Bordeaux in 2024.  

We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to Gijs Coucke for his pioneering work with ENLIGHT over the past five years. We wish him the best of luck in his new endeavor!

At the General Meeting in Bern, 140 members of the ENLIGHT discussed our long-term vision for the alliance and how to embed it in each member university. 

The ENLIGHT Green Network is excited to introduce the Sustainable Travel Policy, a significant step in promoting environmentally conscious travel across ENLIGHT partner universities. Committed to fostering sustainable practices, ENLIGHT encourages its community to adopt sustainable travel habits for both business travel and student mobility.

This initiative promotes responsible travel choices within the ENLIGHT community, aligning with the European Union's dedication to the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By supporting these goals and advancing the green transition, the policy aims to reduce carbon emissions and encourage more environmentally friendly mobility practices across the ENLIGHT community.

ENLIGHT is pleased to announce the next Face of ENLIGHT: Yushi Liu

Yishu Liu, a PhD student at the University of Galway, is pioneering soft robotics for insulin delivery. Originally from Changsha, China, Yishu chose Galway as the first step in her international academic journey. Earlier this year, she participated in the ENLIGHT Bio Design course in Uppsala, Sweden, where she gained valuable experience in medical device development and interdisciplinary teamwork. Outside the lab, Yishu enjoys running, traveling, and drawing inspiration from books like The Wisdom of Life by Arthur Schopenhauer.

Read the full interview on the Faces of ENLIGHT page and stay tuned for more interviews to come!

Save the date! The second ENLIGHT Impact Conference is happening at the University of Groningen on 27 & 28 March 2025! Join us at this two-day event where academics, management staff and impact experts and practitioners , will come together to discuss impact in the university context..

There will be a series of roundtables, workshops, pitches and networking opportunities where participants will be able to exchange and discuss approaches for embedding impact within Universities, being in education, in research, in innovation or in service to society activities..

Additionally, the ENLIGHT Impact Awards will be presented to recognise and give visibility to endeavors at ENLIGHT universities that are exemplars in planning for and achieving impact. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in and promote impact while learning from and networking with your peers!

Please check our 2025 Impact Conference webpage for more information.

As part of the Regional Academy initiative, a lecture by David Králik—a renowned teacher, mentor, and co-founder of the Felix School—was held on December 3, 2024, at Comenius University. During his session with students enrolled in Introduction to Pedagogy, he shared practical teaching methods that can enhance their future classroom practices. The discussion focused on creating a positive classroom atmosphere, structuring lessons effectively, and incorporating reflective practices post-lesson.

Students specializing in pedagogy and teaching, with combinations of English, Slovak, and history, had the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities that highlighted the importance of enjoyable learning experiences.

David Králik, the author of several successful books for children and parents, is currently mentoring and supervising educators through the Individual Teacher Development Programme (IRPU). His lecture was organized by Gabriela Pleschová from the Centre for Educational Support at the Faculty of Arts, Comenius University.

The ENLIGHT RISE project, the R&I component of ENLIGHT which started in 2021, officially closed on 31 August 2024. This October, the RISE partners met one last time in Bordeaux to put the finishing touches on their final report and prepare for their Final Review with the European Commission. With the RISE report submitted at the end of October, the RISE team came together to participate in their successful Final Review with in November, with the European Commission commending the team for its deliverables and the management of the project.

Strengthen Your Thesis Writing Skills: Join Our Virtual Workshop!

Are you a Bachelor’s or Master’s student working on your thesis? Join our virtual workshop to boost your writing skills and navigate the process with confidence! Learn strategies for planning, drafting, revising, and managing your time, while using your multilingual abilities as a resource.

In this workshop, you will:

• Master the academic writing process and develop a clear plan
• Engage in a supportive, inclusive environment designed for your needs
• Discover the power of peer feedback to stay motivated.

After the workshop, you will have the opportunity to join writing groups for ongoing support and inspiration. Sign up now to enhance your thesis writing journey!

Please find more information here: Download Flyer_VirtualExchange_WritingYourThesis

ENLIGHT is pleased to announce the next Face of ENLIGHT: Hans Orru

Meet Hans Orru, Professor of Environmental Health in the University of Tartu. Within his research, Hans has focused on air quality and climate change, but more recently also on the industrially contaminated areas, indoor air pollution, the health impact of noise, biomonitoring and health risk perception. Over the past 15 years of investigations, he has been involved in more than 30 research and applied science projects which have had a significant effect in raising public awareness about the health effects of the environment. 

Read the full interview on the Faces of ENLIGHT page and stay tuned for more interviews to come!

Uppsala University is pleased to announce that the next Teaching and Learning Conference will take place in Uppsala on 8-10 October, 2025. 

The ENLIGHT Teaching and Learning Conference engages participants in open, international and interdisciplinary discussions. Academics, students, alumni, educational developers, and administrative and support staff from within the ENLIGHT universities can share their experiences and ideas on how it is possible to connect the ENLIGHT educational goals and concepts with teaching and learning practice. 

Stay tuned for more!

In the meantime, visit the playlist of the conference and check out the aftermovie of the Teaching and Learning Conference 2024 held in the University of Tartu: 

Uppsala University contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Social Media official hashtag: #TL25ENLIGHT

Over 1000 academics submitted 80 proposals in response to the ENLIGHT calls! Their innovative ideas from across our alliance show the commitment and creativity of our community.

We sincerely appreciate the effort and hard work behind each submission. More than 40 evaluators reviewed and scored all proposals. In the final selection both quality rank and balanced participation of the partner universities played a role. After careful consideration, we are excited to announce the 10 winning ENLIGHT Thematic Networks and 7 education projects selected for the Incubator Grants!

On November 6-7, 2024, Comenius University Bratislava hosted "Cities in Motion," an  ENLIGHT Regional Academy event, aimed at fostering innovative urban solutions through collaboration between academic and urban stakeholders. This dynamic event brought together experts, policymakers, academics, and students to explore sustainable urban mobility and address challenges facing cities today.

The event showcased approaches to urban challenges with notable contributions from the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava. Dorota Šaríková, Katarína Brajerčík Kocková and Matej Ondovčík highlighted activities of the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislave and its collaboration with Comenius University, followed by Martina Benzoni Baláž and Daniel Klimovský discussing their innovative challenge-based course that won this years Teaching and Learning Award.

After a networking coffee break, the “Partners in Progress” segment launched with diverse case studies on sustainable urban mobility. Eoghan McDermott from Galway City Council spoke about active travel initiatives in Galway, while Hannah Hook from Ghent University shared insights on night cycling safety from East Flanders. This session continued after a joint lunch, with presentations from Teresa Uggla on Uppsala’s mobility planning, Lívia Orlovská on cyclist safety in public spaces, and a presentation by the workshop leader Marcel Horňák on a public space design manual developed by the Metropolitan Institute together with students contribution.

The afternoon wrapped up with a group workshop identifying collaboration gaps and generating new project ideas, followed by a communal dinner to deepen connections and informal discussions.

On November 7, attendees had the option to join a city tour of Bratislava led by Marcel Horňák.

“Cities in Motion” emphasized the importance of city-university cooperation in creating sustainable, innovative urban solutions, demonstrating how academic insights can effectively translate into real-world applications that benefit communities.