‘European Universities as the Basis of Innovative Europe’ – was the theme of the 1st Conference of European Universities that took place on 15 May 2023 in Warsaw. It is a brand new initiative organised bearing in mind alliances bringing together universities within the Erasmus+ programme, and the Transform4Europe Alliance is a part of this group. The event was a chance to exchange experiences and strengthen collaboration in terms of education, research and innovation across the entire Europe.

Participants engaged in discussion panels on, e.g. challenges faced currently by European universities. The event also featured workshops in, e.g. micro-credentials and possibilities of financing activities from the Horizon Europe programme and Erasmus+. Additionally, the results of the ‘European Universities – Alliances of the Future’ contest were announced; the contest was addressed to Polish universities in European Universities consortia. The winners were announced in five categories: personality, innovations, cooperation with the socio-economic environment, Erasmus+ excellence, and support for Ukraine.

The event was organised by the Erasmus+ National Agency and the European Solidarity Corps. Education, Training, Youth. More on the Erasmus programme website.

How to ensure that cities support the residents’ well-being and remain resilient to various challenges? How to effectively adapt business models for the digital sphere – following the example of Apple, Google and other successful companies? These questions will be discussed in two lectures organised by the international Transform4Europe Alliance. The lectures will be held on the 4^th and 25^th of May in Kaunas and will be streamed online.

The lectures are organised in the Open Dual Lectures format: this is an already traditional format of the alliance’s lectures, where insights on the same topic are shared by a scientist and a practician: one of them is from Lithuania, the other one is from the alliance’s partner country. This is a great opportunity to not only look at the topic from the perspectives of science and business and receive useful insights, but also to put one’s finger on the pulse of the world.

Resilient Cities: Connecting Wellbeing, Infrastructure & Cities

The lecture will be held on Thursday 4 May, 5 p.m. (Lithuania time, EEST) at the Vytautas Magnus University Leonidas Donskis Library (23 V. Putvinskio g.) and online. It will be held by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jurga Bučaitė-Vilkė from the VMU Dept. of Sociology and researcher, artist, writer from Dublin Ed Carroll (BD, MA, PhD). Moderator: Mykolė Lukošienė.

How are human well-being and access to city public infrastructure integrated into cities that need to become resilient to social-demographic and economic challenges? Local authorities, communities and businesses need knowledge, tools, and indicators to develop “livable” urban spaces to promote well-being for the urban dweller effectively. What does it mean to live in “livable” cities for diverse urban groups, such as local communities, working parents, elders, youth, and minorities? What type of public services can they receive, and what are the needs of urban dwellers? How to connect the pragmatism of urban development and public infrastructure with well-being indicators? The discussion invites urban scholars and practitioners to share their experiences.

Partners of the event: Kaunas 2022 and Kaunas TIC.

Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@transform4europe646

Of digital business models, networks, and gatekeepers – from analogous to digital business models

The lecture will be held on Thursday 25 May, 5 p.m. (Lithuania time, EEST) at the Tourism Information Centre (36 Laisvės al., Kaunas) and online. Its lecturers will be Benedikt Schnellbächer, junior professor at the Faculty of Human and Business Sciences at Saarland University, and Tadas Žiemys, VMU graduate and co-founder of Dogo App company. Moderator: VMU Prof. Dr. Daiva Vitkutė-Adžgauskienė.

Whether it’s Google, Amazon or Apple, the business models of successful companies are more and more characterized by their digital nature. The talk introduces the concepts of business models, networks, and gatekeeping with examples from the field and how they apply in the digital realm.

Livestream: https://www.youtube.com/@transform4europe646