From 21 to 23 October 2025, members of the EMERGE European University Alliance gathered at the Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH) for a three-day series of workshops held across Alexandroupolis, Komotini, and Kavala. The meetings focused on strengthening cooperation, fostering innovation, and promoting a shared European identity through the development of the EMERGE Hubs and the preparation of collaborative initiatives connecting partner universities and local communities.
Representatives from all nine EMERGE partner universities worked together to shape a common vision for a connected and sustainable higher education environment. Discussions centered on defining the operational framework of the EMERGE Hubs, developing their visual identity, and preparing the first joint call for collaborative projects. These actions reflect EMERGE’s shared commitment to inclusion, sustainability, resilience, multilingualism, cultural diversity, and solidarity, values that lie at the heart of the Alliance’s mission to empower Europe’s margins.
The initiative formed part of Work Package 8, dedicated to establishing and operating the EMERGE Hubs across member institutions. These hubs will serve as physical spaces that embody the concept of a shared European campus, centers for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and community engagement within and beyond academia.
The successful workshops at DUTH mark another important step in EMERGE’s journey toward building a united and dynamic European Higher Education Area. By connecting universities and communities from Europe’s peripheries, EMERGE continues to strengthen the role of regional universities in shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future for European education.