Vice-Rector Professor Halil Ibrahim Okumus participated in the first Leadership Workshop on “Changing geopolitics – What pathways for Europe’s universities?” organized by EUA (European University Association) on 18 March 2021.

The workshop was the first of a series of online events for university leaders to turn EUA’s vision into a reality.

International relations are changing: The idea of a rules-based multilateral order has come under pressure, which has consequences for how universities cooperate worldwide. As the sharing of technologies and knowledge has become global competition elements between centers of power, universities' natural disposition to reach out to global partners has been put into question.

The context of this questioning is the rise of China as a more aggressively assertive power economically, politically and technologically. At the same time, the legacy of the Trump years in the US is still casting shadows on the transatlantic relationship as the new leadership starts to position itself on the international scene. Moreover, threats to academic freedom worldwide and uneven higher education capacities and research still hamper equal global partnerships. Europe needs to redefine its place and role to search for more alignment and capacity for common action towards its contribution to the international stage. As we witness rapid technological developments and further digitalization, concerns of security and foreign interference demand a policy response in line with European values and societal expectations.

The Covid-19 pandemic is accelerating developments, including the debate on European strategic autonomy and technological sovereignty, while at the same time showing the need for international collaboration in research and innovation in the race for vaccines. This also starts to translate into EU funding programmes where the slogan “as open as possible and as close as necessary” is becoming the new possible formula for third-country participation.

These developments are of great relevance to Europe’s universities, as globally connected institutions must develop their own international collaboration strategies.

Designed as a thought experiment, the online workshop will bring new ideas and practical examples to inspire universities in their strategic development. The outcomes will feed into a publication outlining scenarios and possible pathways for universities to achieve their vision, considering the diversity of profiles and local contexts across Europe.

The event was open to the leadership of EUA member universities only.