EUTOPIA Week @ Ca'Foscari, Venice
From 1 to 5 December 2025,Università Ca' Foscari Venezia hosted the final EUTOPIA Week of the year, an inspiring platform to align strategies, deepen collaboration, and collectively imagine the next generation of European universities. The conversations initiated in Venice will continue to guide the alliance's journey toward a more connected, innovative, and inclusive academic community, reaffirming that within EUTOPIA, bold futures are built together.
Bringing together more than 230 participants from our 10 member universities and Global Partners, including university leaders, academic and administrative staff, students, research communities, and external stakeholders, the programme, themed‘ Together into the Future’, explored the medium- and long-term evolution of European university alliances and the increasingly strategic role they play within the European Universities Initiative.
This collective momentum was powerfully illustrated during the Opening Ceremony, which gathered representatives from the European Commission (Vanessa Debiais-Sainton), the Italian Ministry of University and Research (Anna Maria Bernini), and FOREU4ALL(Chair Univ.-Prof. Dr. Beatrix Busse).
The week unfolded with governance meetings, interactive workshops, student-led activities, cultural events, and informal exchanges. High-level discussions within the Board of Presidents, Advisory Council, Alliance Management Board, and Faculty and Staff Council were complemented by active participation from the Student Council and Global Partners spanning Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas.
A standout feature was the Young Leaders Academy, which brought together 56 early-career researchers and professionals for intensive training and a public symposium, underscoring EUTOPIA’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of academic leaders.
Another major highlight was the Global Institute Steering Committee’s work to advance the alliance’s long-term research agenda, with this year’s focus on water, a theme deeply resonant in Venice. Campus tours, networking receptions, and interdisciplinary exchanges added depth and vibrancy to a week devoted to dialogue, coordination, and shaping a shared vision for the future.
Dr Bryan Brazeau, Academic Director of the Warwick Venice Centre (pictured here with Vice Chancellor Professor Stuart Croft and Rettrice Tiziana Lippiello (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice))
emphasized the cultural and intellectual significance of the event: “Hosting these conversations in Venice underscored the value of place and encounter in academic exchange. The city’s unique history as a crossroads of connectivity mirrors our mission at the WVC: to build bridges between institutions, disciplines, and communities for the next generation of European universities.”
EUTOPIA acts as an international gateway for the exchange of knowledge and culture and is associated with six universities beyond Europe: Universidad de Los Andes | Arizona State University | Monash University | Université Internationale de Rabat | Stellenbosch University | Kyungpook National University