The development of joint study programmes, the expansion of the group of partners and the acquisition of legal personality were the key topics that dominated the extraordinary meeting of rectors of universities affiliated with the European University of the Seas SEA-EU partnership, which took place on 29 July this year. The event was hosted by the University of Gdańsk.
The meeting was opened by prof. dr hab. Piotr Stepnowski, Rector of the University of Gdańsk, host and initiator of the event, who outlined the most important challenges currently facing the alliance of European universities. During the meeting, participants reviewed the consortium's achievements to date and set strategic directions for development in the coming months.
One of the main points of discussion was the formalisation of the alliance by granting it legal personality. This is a key element of the current stage of development of SEA-EU 2.0, which is intended to strengthen both the management and operational functioning of the partnership.
Participants also discussed the prospects for cooperation with the Maltese Representation to the European Union in the context of establishing a SEA-EU office in Brussels. The new office, located within the Representation, will serve as a coordination centre and support the acquisition of funding for joint scientific, research and educational initiatives.
Another important item on the agenda was the strategy for applying for continued funding after 2027 and preparations for the November meeting of the Governing Board, which will take place at the Parthenope University in Naples. The participants also agreed on key programme issues to be discussed at that meeting.
The initial successes of the joint study programmes were welcomed: SeaBluE (28 scholarships awarded), STORM (12 scholarship holders) and MIPMAL (14 scholarship holders). The rectors also discussed the next steps in developing the academic offer within the alliance.
The final part of the meeting was devoted to the possibility of expanding the consortium with a new institutional partner as part of the planned SEA-EU 3.0 stage. The discussion on this topic was led by prof. Casimiro Mantell, Rector of the University of Cádiz.
