Introduction
Collaboration for Impact: Transforming European Universities
The ENLIGHT European University Alliance is organising its Third Impact Conference bringing together academics, university leaders, management staff, students, societal stakeholders and impact experts to reflect on how collaboration can contribute to generating impact, both within ENLIGHT and across the broader European higher education and research landscape.
The conference will explore how universities can move beyond isolated initiatives towards more connected, collaborative, and impact-oriented approaches. It will provide a space to exchange practices, critically reflect on challenges, and collectively shape approaches for embedding impact across the full university mission.
The ENLIGHT Impact Conference will be the fora to:
Explore how connectivity and collaboration can strengthen impact across education, research, innovation and service to society.
Share institutional approaches, practices and tools for fostering collaborative and impact-driven university ecosystems.
Showcase inspiring examples of collaboration within and beyond universities and learn from concrete collaborative practices and experiences.
Examine the role of European University Alliances and cross-sector partnerships in driving transformation and amplifying impact across Europe.
Foster networking, matchmaking and collaboration opportunities among academics, practitioners, university leaders, students, and societal stakeholders.
Join us in Bratislava on 11-12 February 2027
and meet our future ENLIGHT Impact Ambassadors!
REGISTRATION WILL OPEN SOON
Programme
Impact Pitch Rehearsal
For ENLIGHT Impact Award Nominees
Speakers Briefing
For Moderators, Facilitators and Speakers
Speakers Dinner
Welcome Session
Speakers
Prof. Anders Hagfeldt. ENLIGHT President. Rector of Uppsala University. Sweden.
Rector of the Comenius University Bratislava. Slovakia.
Tomáš Drucker. Minister of Education. Slovakia. (tbc)
Keynote Speech
COLLABORATING FOR IMPACT
Why Collaboration Matters for the Future of European Universities?
The keynote session aims to set the broader context for the conference and explore why collaboration is as a structural condition for generating meaningful and sustainable impact. This includes collaboration within universities, across disciplinary boundaries and organizational units, between universities, societal stakeholders and innovation ecosystems, among European HEIs and European University Alliances, and across policy, practice and expertise communities.
Speakers
Robert-Jan Smits. President of the Netherlands House of Education and Research. The Netherlands.
Igor Campillo. ENLIGHT Thematic Networks Coordinator. Director of Euskampus Foundation. University of the Basque Country. Spain.
Jenny Nordqvist. Head of Department Analysis. Swedish Higher Education Authority. Sweden. (tbc)
Coffee Break
Roundtable Discussion
Collaboration Within and Beyond University Borders
The main objective of the session is to exchange perspectives on the different approaches, challenges, and experiences in collaborating within the university (across disciplines, profiles, and organizational units), as well as between universities and societal stakeholders. The session will bring different voices from across the ENLIGHT community, including academics, institutional leaders, students, support staff and societal stakeholders, to explore together how collaboration can contribute to generating impact.
Lunch Break
Interactive Workshop 1: Challenges
What prevents collaboration for impact?
Speakers
Aishling Hanrahan. ENLIGHT Engagement Manager. University of Galway. Ireland.
Franka van den Hende. Senior Policy Advisor and Researcher. University of Groningen. The Netherlands.
Cécile Agulo. International Projects Officer. Euskampus Foundation. University of the Basque Country. Spain.
Ivana Juríková. Assistant Professor. Comenius University Bratislava. Slovakia.
Raising Literacy Session 1
How to Collaborate for Impact: Orchestrating External Engagement
Speakers
Balzhan Orazbayeva. Director Research & Training. UIIN. The Netherlands.
Raising Literacy Session 2
Co-Creating a Healthy Impact Culture
Speakers
David Phipps. Assistant Vice President Research Strategy & Impact. York University. Canada.
Side-Event – Evidencing Impact
Organised by a European Impact Thematic Network
Coffee Break
Interactive Workshop: Solutions
How can we strengthen collaboration for impact?
Speakers
Aishling Hanrahan. ENLIGHT Engagement Manager. University of Galway. Ireland.
Cécile Agulo. International Projects Officer. Euskampus Foundation. University of the Basque Country. Spain.
Franka van den Hende. Senior Policy Advisor and Researcher. University of Groningen. The Netherlands.
Ivana Juríková. Assistant Professor. Comenius University Bratislava. Slovakia.
Raising Literacy Session 3
Evidencing Engagement & Impact
Speakers
Saskia Walcott. Founder and CEO. Walcott Communications. United Kingdom.
Side-Event – Evidencing Impact
Organised by a European Impact Thematic Network
Coffee Break
Matchmaking Session
Building Collaborative Bridges
Facilitators:
Anna Savitskaya. ENLIGHT Project Coordinator. University of Göttingen. Germany.
Mária Bohumelová. Project Manager. Comenius University of Bratislava. Slovakia
Marta Barandiaran. Former ENLIGHT Director. University of the Basque Country. Spain.
Sepideh Ravazi. Collaboration Manager. Uppsala University. Sweden.
Free Time
Social Event & Dinner
Bringing Theory Into Practice
IMPACT-ELEVATOR PITCH
This session will bring theory into practice as nominees for the ENLIGHT Impact Awards pitch the impact stories of their collaborative initiatives to a panel of experts from the FOREU4ALL Impact Topical Group. Through these short pitches, participants will discover concrete examples of how collaborative initiatives generate impact and exchange insights on the pathways through which European University Alliances create change.
Chair
Saskia Walcott. Founder and CEO. Walcott Communications. United Kingdom.
Experts panel
Angela Kipf. Impact & Quality Manager. EU Green University Alliance. Germany. (tbc)
Claire Revercez. Project Manager. EUNICE University Alliance. Belgium
Hannah Worringer. Impact and Quality Officer. ENHANCE University Alliance. Germany. (tbc)
Marie Darimont. Project Manager. Transform4Europe University Alliance. Germany.
ENLIGHT Impact Awards Nominees
Coffee break
Roundtable Discussion 2
How European University Alliances are bringing about impact and transforming the European Education Area
This session will showcase how European University Alliances are generating impact and contributing to the transformation of the European Education Area through concrete collaborative initiatives. Short testimonies from students, academics, staff and societal stakeholders will illustrate the changes these initiatives are bringing about, followed by a roundtable discussion on how to further strengthen and maximise the impact of the Alliances.
Closing Plenary
Chair
Glória Nunes Rodrigues. ENLIGHT Impact Task Force. International Manager. Euskampus Foundation. University of the Basque Country. Spain.
Conference conclusions
Franka van den Hende. Senior Policy Advisor and Researcher. University of Groningen. The Netherlands.
Awards Ceremony
Chair
Leah Vandeveer. ENLIGHT Secretary General. Ghent University. Belgium.
Awards by
Rector of the Comenius University Bratislava. Slovakia.
Prof. Anders Hagfeldt. ENLIGHT President. Rector of Uppsala University. Sweden.
Closing words
Prof. Anders Hagfeldt. ENLIGHT President. Rector of Uppsala University. Sweden.
Lunch
ENLIGHT Impact Awards
The ENLIGHT Impact Awards 2026 seeks to recognize and give visibility to ENLIGHT collaborative initiatives that are exemplars in planning for, acting towards and achieving impact.
ENLIGHT will concede six Impact Awards in alignment with its focus areas: Health and Well-being, Digital Revolution and Digitization, Climate change, Energy and Circular Economy, Culture and Creativity, and Equity.
You can meet the awarded teams during the ENLIGHT Impact Conference on 12 of February.
Practical information
How to get there
Vienna Airport is located just 50 km away from Bratislava.
By Bus (Direct to Bratislava): Direct buses run directly from outside the arrivals terminal to Bratislava city center (Most SNP or Nivy Bus Station) every 15 to 30 minutes. The journey takes approximately 45 to 60 minutes.
- Operators: FlixBus, Slovak Lines operate frequent services.
- Tickets: Can be purchased online in advance via the operator apps/websites, or directly from the driver/ticket machines outside the terminal.
From Bratislava Airport (M. R. Štefánik Airport)
Bratislava Airport is located approximately 9 km northeast of the city center.
By City Bus:
- Bus Line 61 connects the airport directly to the Main Train Station (Hlavná stanica) via the city center edge in about 20–25 minutes.
- Bus Line 96 connects the airport toward Petržalka across the Danube.
- Night Bus N61 runs during late-night hours following the Line 61 route.
- Tickets: Can be purchased using contactless bank card readers inside the bus, via ticket vending machines at the bus stop, or through the IDS BK mobile app. Standard 30-minute or 60-minute network tickets are sufficient.
By taxi:
- Use Bolt or Uber
In Bratislava