On 25 November 2021, the Commission launched a Call for Expression of Interest addressed to cities to join the European Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities.

377 cities from all over Europe have expressed their interests. With Bratislava, Bordeaux, Galway, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Ghent, Göttingen, Groningen, Tartu, and Uppsala all nine ENLIGHT cities have applied, which shows the strong commitment of ENLIGHT and their partners to tackle climate change.

MAKE NEW FRIENDS, NETWORK, AND GET TO KNOW NEW ENVIRONMENTS AND CULTURES!
Are you planning to come to Göttingen University in Germany?, or would you like to network with students from Göttingen University? Then the virtual exchange “Göttingen Intercultural Connections” is just right for you!

A new public online lecture series “Mobility analysis and planning for human-scale cities” arranged by the Mobility Lab, Department of Geography has started.

This webinar series provides an interactive platform to discuss and exchange best practices and develop initiatives that foster diversity and encourage global citizenship.The sessions are open to staff and students of all ENLIGHT partners as well as their respective local communities. 

The 6th session of the webinar series focuses on 'Diversity and Discrimation: From Recognition to Consideration'  The session is hosted by the University of Bordeaux and will take place on 14 April (16h00-18h00 CET). Register for the zoom session!

All ENLIGHT universities have set up specific actions to support academics and students affected by the war in Ukraine. This page lists the most important actions per partner. 

The University of Tartu organizes the Enlight/U4 Ancient World Winter School 2022 in collaboration with the universities of Göttingen, Groningen, Ghent and Uppsala. 

We, the 41 Alliances of European Universities, representing about 300 European Higher Education institutions, stand together and send our strongest solidarity to the Ukrainian people after the Russian Government’s attack. We also strongly condemn the bombardment of Kharkiv National University. Our Alliances have been built on a shared vision of a welcoming and peaceful Europe: we urge all stakeholders to restore peace, democracy and respect of human rights in Ukraine.

Many of our Alliances have partners located in the Ukraine region: they have started to host Ukrainian refugees, including members of the Ukrainian academic community. In solidarity, other Alliances’ partners are setting up mechanisms to support them (fundraising, supply of basic goods, scholarships, etc.).

True to the European values of human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and human rights, our Alliances will remain inclusive to all students and academics and will continue to provide support to all who are affected by this tragic situation.

Elmer Sterken, Professor of Monetary Economics and former Rector of the University of Groningen has been nominated as member of the Council of the University of Tartu for five years.

The multilateral Erasmus+ agreement will enable ENLIGHT students from all disciplines to go on student mobility to any of the ENLIGHT universities. The agreement allows both traditional semester-long mobility and as well as short-term mobility within the framework of blended intensive programmes (BIP). This short-term mobility within BIPs will very soon be used by students participating in the Global Engagement Module (GEM), and the courses of Climate-neutral city and Artificial Intelligence for non-IT students, all taking place in the spring semester 2022.

NUI Galway has welcomed government support for our participation in the ENLIGHT University Alliance, which will increase opportunities for students and staff to study, learn and work across Europe. The funding of almost €445,000 from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to progress the new pan-European teaching, learning and research initiative over the next two and half years.

NUI Galway Vice President International, Professor Becky Whay said: “The ENLIGHT alliance exemplifies NUI Galway’s commitment to openness and diversity in our University, creating opportunities for students and staff, as well as for our renowned western region.

Our partnership in a European University Network puts us at the forefront of designing models for cross European collaboration, education, research and growth.”

This funding support from the HEA is critical to our ability to optimise the advantages that membership of this alliance opens up for us - for our students who wish to travel and learn throughout Europe and for our staff who wish to partner with fellow academics and professional services.”

NUI Galway President and current chair of the ENLIGHT Alliance, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh said: “NUI Galway is delighted with this Government support to strengthen our participation in the ENLIGHT alliance.

“All nine of the universities in ENLIGHT are based outside of capital cities which gives us a particular perspective on the world and community.

Together, we are regional drivers of development, working closely to tackle societal challenges and see international ambition as a means of maximising regional impact.  At NUI Galway, we serve our region best - and respect it - by being open to the highest standards of excellence and co-operation. Securing Government support for ENLIGHT will afford us and our students and staff the opportunity to learn collectively, to excel and to address shared challenges consistent with our values as a university community.”