Charm-EU Annual Conference: European Values at the Heart of the Discussions

[Article] - Published on November 14, 2025 at CHARM-EU European University

On November 12, a delegation fromUM to Utrecht, the Netherlands, for the annual Charm-EU conference. This was an important event for the nine European universities in the alliance and their partners. The program featured inspiring and engaging discussions on the major challenges of sustainability and competitiveness in Europe, as well as the central role of European university alliances.

Nothing beats face-to-face interaction for strengthening a sense of belonging to a shared mission, regardless of academic or cultural differences. For the nine European universities that are members of the Charm-EU alliance and their partners, the annual Charm-EU 2025 conference was a special opportunity to highlight the pivotal role of higher education in strengthening competitiveness, sustainability, and inclusion in Europe. More than a categorical statement, its theme sounded like an exploration: Boosting European Competitiveness: University Alliances as Catalysts for Innovation and Sustainability.

A Leading Role in the Green Transition

School administrators, national and European policymakers, academics, and innovation experts—a wide range of speakers took the stage during a morning bathed in Dutch sunshine. It was an opportunity to reflect on the role of university alliances in strengthening European leadership in the areas of professional skills development, talent attraction, mobility, internationalization, and regional development. Among them was Thomas Estermann, Director of Governance, Funding, and Public Policy at the European University Association (EUA), who emphasized the need for universities to“play a leading role in the ecological transition” while remaining true to their founding academic values.

Charm-EU: A Strategic Contribution

By fostering meaningful discussions, this annual conference—steeped in interculturalism and shared European values—served to reaffirm Charm-EU’s strategic contribution in addressing major global societal challenges, particularly the issue of sustainability. The discussions during the plenary sessions also highlighted the role of alliances as“laboratories for the future of Europe.” The nine university presidents took the opportunity to emphasize that“European university alliances are much more than mere academic partnerships—they are driving forces for innovation, competitiveness, and the promotion of European values.” Charm-EU is at the forefront of this transformation, steadfastly defending European values in the pursuit of a sustainable and democratic world. Through collaborative, cross-border educational programs grounded in science, research, and academic freedom, Charm-EU is working to redefine the future of higher education.”

The afternoon workshops helped translate the morning’s strategic discussions into concrete applications with measurable impact, addressing various aspects of competitiveness in European higher education: open science, research evaluation, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policy strategies, and the interoperability of IT systems… There was also a particularly interactive workshop on transdisciplinarity in innovation, internationalization, and regional development, led by members of the UM delegation.

An Investment in the Future

This event provided the University of Montpellier with an opportunity to highlight its strong involvement in numerous projects within the alliance, whether they relate to education (including the joint master’s program), student mobility, academic partnerships, or technological and pedagogical innovation… It also served to highlight the importance of interactions between the University and its local community, including its close collaboration with Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole.

The day concluded with the award for best poster at the annual conference, won by Anouk Ruijters, Bente Haukes, Galang G. Gibran, and Grace Fratello-Hakim for a transdisciplinary project they carried out during their studies in Montpellier last spring as part of the joint master’s program “Global Challenges for Sustainable Development.” Titled “A City Sinking: Jakarta, a Challenge for the Ciliwung River, ” this student project led, among other things, to the creation of a collaborative action platform and a card game designed to raise awareness among younger generations. This demonstrates that the future of European university alliances also depends on the engagement of their student communities.

Keywords: Charm-eu, International