On 9 February, the member of the ENHANCE Alliance NTNU organises its European Conference in Brussels. Many speakers are invited to exchange about the theme of this year: “The Future guiding the Present: The Role of R&I and Education in navigating current and incoming EU Challenges”. For this 7^th edition of a Conference that was first introduced in 2016, more than 250 people have already registered and the registration is still open. The participants can decide to attend both the conference and the opening reception of the evening prior in Brussels or to only follow the conference online, since it will be streamed.

In the current context and the multiplication of challenges the European strategic autonomy is facing, the European community as a whole is mobilised. The NTNU European Conference offers the possibility to see how the research, innovation and education communities are essential in the actions put in place to face these challenges in the future. It will “explore present-day challenges for our continent and, in dialogue with top Brussels policy-makers, attempt to chart a way into the future”, as it is explained on the conference’s webpage.

“This increased urgency has prompted a reevaluation and acceleration of existing European policies.”

(NTNU European Conference webpage)

Four thematic areas have been chosen to be the focus of this year’s conference: energy, sustainable food systems, access to raw materials, and fair and inclusive society. These areas are considered under pressure these days, especially with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. To deepen these topics, the conference’s welcome various eminent speakers. Several members of the European Commission and various Directorates-General, among those Maroš Šefčovič, the Vice-President of the European Commission for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight, will participate. The university community will also be well represented with many professors mostly from NTNU but also from other universities such as the University of Oxford or the University of Copenhagen. Among the speakers and panellists, we can find Anna Borg, NTNU’s Rector, and Ena Voûte, Professor and TU Delft’s Pro Vice-Rector for International Affairs, both involved in the ENHANCE Alliance.

Divided in three main times – the opening plenary, parallel sessions, and the closing plenary – the day of the conference will first cover all the previously mentioned topic with a present-day view to assess the current challenges. Participants will then take a look into the future of select policy areas before ending with a common discussion on the four topics. This organisation will allow the conference to conclude on a point regarding the future of Europe.

More details about the conference, the speakers and panelists, and the registration process can be found here.

The participants can decide to attend both the conference and the opening reception of the evening prior in Brussels or to only follow the plenary sessions of the conference online, since they will be streamed (registration is also mandatory in order to receive the link for the streaming).