João Amaro de Matos, Vice-Rector of NOVA University Lisbon, spoke at the panel on the role of university networks in cooperation between Europe and Africa.
“University networks can make all the difference in cooperation between Europe and Africa, and NOVA, which already has several partnerships under development, as well as a campus in Cairo (the only one of a Portuguese university outside Portuguese territory!), is at the forefront of this joint project”, affirmed João Amaro de Matos, Vice-Rector of NOVA University Lisbon, in the panel on the subject, during the General Assembly and Rectors’ Seminar of the Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe (UNICA), held at the University of Stockholm from 26 to 28 June. “But we can do more, in a wide variety of areas: promoting student housing by establishing partnerships with local authorities or to promoting cooperation between universities in Portuguese-speaking countries and their neighbours in Africa”.
The event, which discussed key issues for academic cooperation in Europe, achieved significant results, including the reactivation of a working group focused on research coordination within the UNICA network.
UNICA is a network of 46 universities in 35 European capitals, including some of the most important and prestigious universities. Its mission is to promote academic excellence, integration and cooperation among its members and to facilitate the integration of Central and Eastern European universities into the European Higher Education Area.
The next UNICA General Assembly and Rectors’ Seminar, to be held at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) from 18 to 20 June 2025, will have as its main theme “The Critical Role of the Humanities in Education and Research in Modern Universities”. The event will mark the 35th anniversary of the founding of UNICA, a significant milestone in the history of this important network, of which NOVA has been a member since its inception.