The General Assembly of Circle U., the European university alliance of which University of Pisa is a member along with eight other prestigious European universities, was held at the Humboldt University in Berlin. Presidents and rectors of the nine universities, the Management Board and representatives of the Circle U. Student Union (CUSU) discussed strategic developments for the next phase of the project. Rector Riccardo Zucchi, the vice-rector for Cooperations and international relations Giovanni Federico Gronchi, and the head of the international cooperation unit Paola Cappellini were present for the University of Pisa.
Almost three years after the birth of Circle U., a general plan has been outlined for the completion of the pilot phase of the Alliance, pending the European Commissions approval of the new ‘Circle U. 2030’ proposal: among the new features for the future are the process of establishing a fourth ‘Knowledge Hub’, the continuation and expansion of the Academic Chair Programme, and the expansion of joint teaching initiatives. Credit recognition issues, as well as the possibility of increasing the involvement of students, researchers and external stakeholders, are also among the agenda.
Prior to the formal General Assembly meeting, the presidents and rectors met to share experiences and practices in a more informal setting. During the meeting, the University of Berlin presented ‘Open Humboldt’, the university’s forum for bringing together science and society through various events, collaborative projects and platforms. The exchange on science communication on a local and alliance level concluded with a joint visit to the Humboldt Lab, a space curated by HU inside the Humboldt Forum museum in the historic city centre.
