The event was opened by the Rector of the Warsaw University of Technology, Prof. Krzysztof Zaremba. In his opening speech, he emphasised that the Warsaw University of Technology is hosting the second high-level meeting with the participation of the authorities and key stakeholder groups of the ENHANCE Alliance. Each of these meetings took place at breakthrough moments for the Alliance. The first one, held just after the pandemic, was an opportunity to summarise joint activities and define strategic directions of development. It was also the first meeting attended by the authorities of Gdańsk University of Technology, ETH Zurich and TU Delft – universities that joined the expanded ENHANCE Alliance in 2023.

ENHANCE Conversations. Photo: Maciej Stępnik.

An important part of the event was the interdisciplinary panel discussion  ENHANCE Conversations . Its theme was building the future of Europe based on alliances of technical universities. The participants discussed how alliances of European technical universities within the European Commission’s “European Universities” initiative can play a key role in strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and technological sovereignty. The discussion brought together distinguished representatives of the worlds of science, politics, and industry: Vanessa Debiais-Sainton (member of the cabinet of European Commission Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu), Dr Łukasz Gołota (Deputy Director of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange), Dr Rafał Bugyi (President of TRUMPF Hüttinger Poland), and Dr Sandra Andraszewicz (Chair of Cognitive Science, ETH Zurich), with active engagement from the audience. The debate was moderated by journalist Damian Kwiek.

Work Package Leads meeting. Photo: Piotr Szczepański.

During the ENHANCE Summit, the most important activities jointly carried out by the partner universities were discussed, and proposals for actions to be continued in the next cooperation period were presented. The innovative format of specialised and joint sessions enabled in-depth substantive debate. The requirements of the European Commission for the future project proposal and the organisation of work on its preparation were also addressed.

ENHANCE Steering Commity meeting. Photo: Maciej Stępnik.

The ENHANCE Summit gathered 120 participants from all 10 partner universities of the ENHANCE Alliance . The ENHANCE Steering Committee held its meeting with the participation of the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Prof. Jan Słyk, and representatives of seven key stakeholder groups (Core Officers, Work Package Leads, Education Officers, Academic Teachers, Language and Professional Tandems Coordinators, doctoral candidates, and students).

Academic teachers workshop. Photo: Piotr Szczepański.

Three-day workshops for four stakeholder groups were coordinated by staff of the Warsaw University of Technology. Academic teachers from all ENHANCE universities prepared, in six thematic groups, a joint offer of new short learning formats (summer schools, winter schools), which will be implemented at the Warsaw University of Technology and other ENHANCE universities in 2026–2027. The workshops for academic teachers were initiated and coordinated by the Centre for International Cooperation.

ENHANCE Summit closing session. Photo: Piotr Szczepański.

The ENHANCE Summit was co-funded by the NAWA programme under the project “ENHANCER+ – support for short forms of education of students and employees of the Warsaw University of Technology in the international environment of the ENHANCE Alliance”.