To stimulate and support the bottom-up cooperation between the ENLIGHT university communities, ENLIGHT launched a first set of calls for joint initiatives in April 2024 . A second set of calls is launched in April 2025. 

Each call targets joint proposals for specific types of actions involving at least three ENLIGHT instutions. 

1. Call for ENLIGHT Incubator Grants: to support joint programmes, joint future-proof education projects and stepping-stones for international learning across the six ENLIGHT focus areas. A 3rd call will be launched in Spring 2026.
2. Call for ENLIGHT Thematic Networks: to support interdisciplinary academic networks for developing joint challenge-based activities linking education, research and outreach across the six ENLIGHT focus areas. The current call is the last one, no further calls will be launched before November 2027.
3. (ongoing) ENLIGHT+ call: to foster new emerging joint (small-scale, inclusive and/or sustainable) initiatives across disciplines. This is a call with several deadlines per year, to be continued until November 2027.

Find out more HERE.

180 participants from 18 different countries, 55 different organizations and a total of 50 universities/ universities of applied sciences. We look back on a very inspiring ENLIGHT IMPACT Conference, hosted by the University of Groningen. We engaged with inspiring keynote speakers Marthe Walvoort, Thomas Alslev Christensen and Igor Campillo. We have had thought-provoking discussions with Maria Hägglund, Daniela Lud, Frederik Verbeke, Natalie Walsh, Iona Dewandeler and Jorge Molina Martinez. Engaging campfire sessions by Julie Bayley, Maristela do Nascimento Rocha, Nele Bracke, Jacqueline Drost, Lorenzo Squintani and Balzhan Orazbayeva and inspring workshops from Emma Siddall, Ailsa Cook, Saskia Walcott, Giovanna Lima, Anabel Sánchez Plaza. Anja Smykowski, Esther de Smet and Zuzana Lisonová. Thank you all for your input on how to bring about meaningful impact and break down the walls between science and society.

Thank you to students Manon Colombo from EC2U, Niloofar Hashemi from ENHANCE and Karami Setaye    sh from CIRCLE U for sharing your experiences with IMPACT in your respective alliances.

We warmly congratulate our new ENLIGHT IMPACT Ambassadors (and teams) with their winning projects and pitches:
Ane Eguren Ikazuriaga (University of the Basque Country), Cassandra Alighieri (Ghent University), Muriel Grenon (University of Galway), Nahia Idoiaga Mondragon (University of the Basque Country), Pádraig MacNeela (University of Galway), Sara Lambrechts (Ghent University) and Jan Trachet (Ghent University).

And lastly, a very special thank you to the ENLIGHT IMPACT Conference Committee and to the University of Groningen team for hosting this event.

We hope to see you all again at Comenius University Bratislava for the next ENLIGHT IMPACT Conference in March 2027.

The ENLIGHT Knowledge Exchange Session, State Aid Considerations in Research and Innovation at our Universities will take place online on Thursday 3^rd April 13.30 CET 

The session is aimed at staff of ENLIGHT universities who are working in the Research Offices, Technology Transfer and Innovation Offices, Compliance Offices, Research Legal, Research Finance also others who support externally funded research.  

Registration is now open at this link https://forms.office.com/e/xrDgVLCLYB  

The event will be hosted by Louise Hannon – Head of Research, Post Award, University of Galway. 

The experts presenting are: 

• Karen Curé, Business development Advisor Technology Transfer, Department of Research Affairs, University of Ghent 

• Declan McGrath, Director Research Accounting Office, University of Galway 

• Zuzana Lisoňová, Head of Research Project Office, Rectorate, Comenius University, Bratislava  

Pelin Koyuncu, psychology student at the University of Bern, attended the ENLIGHT summer school Game Design in Health Care and Education. She developed an app that motivates people to exercise and stay physically active. In this interview, she discusses how she combines her passion for gaming with her psychology studies at the University of Bern, and explains why an ENLIGHT hybrid course offers a unique experience. Read the full interview here