ChallengeEU at EAIE Gothenburg 2025
At EAIE, not all breakthroughs happen in the plenary hall. Often, it is in the informal moments – during spontaneous encounters, quick conversations, or exchanges of ideas between sessions – that the most inspiring ideas emerge. This spirit perfectly reflects the mission of ChallengeEU. As Caroline Hanras from ECAM LaSalle, who took part in the event, pointed out: “We don’t just face challenges, we turn them into opportunities for learning and improving. We don’t just promote Challenge-Based Learning, we live it — with each partner pushing the other to think bigger, bolder, and more European.” This year’s conference in Gothenburg (9-12 September) brought together more than 7,000 participants from 110 countries. Over four days, more than 250 sessions and workshops took place, all under the theme GO-create – an invitation to courage, creativity, and joint action. In this diverse setting, the ChallengeEU alliance had the opportunity to share experiences and draw inspiration from other European initiatives. Particularly valuable sessions focused on the role of university alliances as catalysts for innovative recognition and quality assurance systems, the need to go beyond international offices by involving all university staff in the development of alliances, and creative models of mobility – from virtual exchanges and blended learning to transnational online courses. These approaches expand access to education and prepare students for global opportunities. ChallengeEU representatives also actively participated in the work of the FOREU4ALL mobility group, where discussions centered on making mobility more inclusive and diverse across Europe. It was an inspiring exchange of experiences and a clear example of how cooperation between alliances can strengthen the long-term impact of the initiative. The atmosphere of EAIE 2025 was further enriched by numerous networking events, an exhibition area with more than 1,000 institutions, and community gatherings – from debates on Erasmus+ digital transformation to inspiring talks by changemakers such as Melati Wijsen. All this confirmed that the real challenge is not always a problem to be solved – sometimes, it is an invitation to innovate together. For ChallengeEU, participation in EAIE Gothenburg 2025 was not only an opportunity to promote the alliance and learn from best practices, but above all to co-create the future of European higher education in a spirit of openness, shared responsibility, and collaboration.
