Rector's Logic – May 2024

On 13 May, the first EUTOPIA Day will be celebrated (…) and NOVA will once again be present with a special programme on practically all its sites, so I invite all members of our community to get to know the work of this innovative member of the EUTOPIA Alliance and to take advantage of this celebration to explore collaboration opportunities in this important network.

The EUTOPIA European University is an alliance of 10 European universities* that share common values and a common sustainable development agenda, and is one of the 17 alliances supported by the European Commission in 2019 as part of the European Universities Initiative 

This alliance was born with the ambition to create a European meta-university, multicultural, inclusive, transformative and with global impact, contributing to a new model of higher education in Europe, where excellent academic knowledge, based on fundamental European values, is essential to empower new generations. 

 Guided by its strategic vision of being an increasingly global and civic university, NOVA University Lisbon joined the EUTOPIA European University in September 2021 and since then has participated in, and in some cases led, several initiatives within the EUTOPIA MORE project. 

I would like to highlight, for example, the participation of NOVA students in initiatives such as the BeEUTOPIAn Conference, EUTOPIA Week and the EUTOPIA Student Think Tank; the participation with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice in the Erasmus+ ULEAD4ALL project to promote more inclusive leadership in higher education institutions; the organisation of the EUTOPIA Doctoral School; Participation in Connected Communities, i.e. inter-institutional platforms aimed at creating the best possible academic environment, such as Environmental Humanities, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Global Health and Ocean Challenges, leading the latter; participation of 22 PhD students under joint supervision; coordination of the Student Career Ambassadors programme aimed at promoting international career opportunities, among many other initiatives.  

On May 13th, the first EUTOPIA DAY will be celebrated, whose thematic focus will be Sustainability and Climate Change, reflecting the Alliance’s commitment to facing what is one of the most urgent challenges of our time. It will therefore be an opportunity to foster dialogue, share experiences and promote synergies. 

On that day, each Alliance university will organize debates, workshops, lectures and also interinstitutional initiatives that highlight EUTOPIA’s role in this thematic area. NOVA, once again, will be present with dedicated programming on practically all of its campuses, so I challenge all members of our community to learn about the innovative work of the EUTOPIA alliance and to take advantage of this celebration to explore collaborative opportunities in this important network. 

  

* University of Babeș-Bolyai in Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Pompeu Fabra University-Barcelona (Spain), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium), CY Cergy Paris University (France), Technische Universität Dresden (Germany), University of Gothenburg (Sweden ), University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), Ca’Foscari University of Venice (Italy), University of Warwick (United Kingdom) and NOVA University Lisbon (Portugal).