Universities in Europe are engaged in large-scale transformation in an attempt to address social, cultural and technological changes as well as the shifting expectations of students and society at large. At the same time, higher education institutions continue to be confronted with increasing competition and heavy financial constraints. Disruptive technologies are of central importance in these change processes. They play a decisive role in re-conceptualising the university eco-system by opening up new opportunities for coordinating and linking universities’ various missions, activities and processes in new and manifold ways.

Whether digitalisation is seen as a new paradigm and a game changer or simply a new modus operandi, it is having a major impact on the ways universities conduct research, provide teaching and relate to their community. Digitalisation also requires universities to consider new strategies and to review their modes of operation in order to be successful. A particularly important aspect of such strategies is how best to facilitate and support both virtual and physical interaction and collaboration between staff, students and the wider community, a capacity which may well constitute a key added value of universities in the future.

The EUA 2016 Annual Conference will explore how Europe’s universities are developing comprehensive “bricks and clicks” strategies and how they are tackling the challenges involved in becoming more interactive and interconnected. University leaders and practitioners will share their experiences of major change processes, such as the introduction of open access, open innovation and research and the incorporation of new technologies in university teaching. The conference will also seek to explore how these transformations are affecting institutional development, in particular in terms of HR and campus management as well as community relations. 

The conference is mainly aimed at university leadership, rectors and vice-rectors who wish to engage in a Europe-wide discussion, share good practices and learn from each other.