ENLIGHT Alliance Marks Its Fifth Anniversary in Bratislava
The ENLIGHT Alliance held its annual meeting in Bratislava from 2 to 4 December 2025. It was the first time the event took place in the Slovak capital. The main theme was ENLIGHT@5 – the alliance’s fifth anniversary. Comenius University Bratislava (CU) welcomed partners from nine universities to jointly review five years of cooperation and to define the alliance’s priorities for the coming period.
The formal opening was held on 2 December in CU’s historic Auditorium. “ENLIGHT was born out of a simple yet bold idea: that universities across Europe can work together not only by exchanging students, but also by sharing ideas, courage, and curiosity. Five years later, we are creating joint study programmes and micro-credentials, and supporting genuine mobility – both physical and virtual. Our researchers are working closely together, and students can propose solutions to real societal challenges alongside peers from ten countries,” said CU Rector Marek Števček.
Over the following days, more than 150 participants met in working groups to discuss topics such as the digital campus, lifelong learning, and the role of university alliances in the European Education Area. They assessed the successes achieved during five years of cooperation and the activities planned for the future. One of the plenary lectures was delivered by the Slovak Public Defender of Rights, Róbert Dobrovodský, whose office is a partner of the ENLIGHT Regional Academy.
New President of the Alliance
In Bratislava, Professor Anders Hagfeldt, Rector of Uppsala University, was elected President of the ENLIGHT Alliance. In his new role, he will provide high-level strategic leadership, set and safeguard the alliance’s long-term vision, and ensure that its decisions reflect the concrete work of university teams. He will also represent the alliance in European and political discussions, advocate for its interests beyond the member institutions, and serve as its principal representative. As ENLIGHT President, he chairs the Board of Rectors of the ten member universities and leads the alliance into the next stage of its shared development.
The annual meeting in Bratislava reaffirmed the strong and shared commitment of the ten universities to continue strengthening their cooperation. “The meeting outlined a clear path for the next phase – consolidating joint processes, deepening links between the universities, developing high-quality educational and research initiatives, and increasing ENLIGHT’s impact both within academia and in wider society. The alliance is entering a new period with the ambition of becoming more visible, more efficient, and sustainable in the long term,” said Jozef Tancer, ENLIGHT Coordinator at Comenius University and Vice-Rector for International Relations.
Ordinary Things Theatre Performance and Folk Dancing
Alongside the working agenda, Comenius University arranged social and cultural events for guests from partner universities. Participants enjoyed an experimental, multi-genre performance named Ordinary Things, created and staged specifically for the occasion by the theatre collective Med a prach (Honey and Dust). After the gala dinner in the Moyzes Hall of the Faculty of Arts, the Gymnik folklore ensemble, based at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, performed for the foreign guests and offered a short workshop of Slovak folk dances, which encountered great enthusiasm.
“It was an exceptionally inspiring, meaningful, and excellently organised meeting that brought new inspiration and energy to the entire ENLIGHT family,” said Leah Vandeveer of Ghent University, Executive Director of ENLIGHT.
The alliance’s presidency passed from Comenius University to the University of Galway. The next annual meeting will take place on its campus in summer 2026.