26.07.2024 One academic year closes – looking forward to the next!

Since the launch of its activities as part of its EU-funded project in November 2023, EUPeace has made significant strides. After several months dedicated primarily to setting up structures and recruiting staff, the Alliance has entered an intensive work phase. Significant milestones and first deliverables have been reached by the different work packages. Our flagships projects have seen intensive progress as well: The European Track, a joint curriculum that provides students with academic and theoretical understanding of peace, justice, and inclusion, is set to be established by October 2026. Discussions on European Degrees have advanced, with plans to launch five European degrees by October 2027. The Internationalisation of Teacher Education has completed its first deliverable by developping the "School for All" concept (details here), organised its first workshop for teacher training in June 2024 (details here), compiled the first EUPeace Common Course Catalogue for Teacher Education (details here), and is preparing the first EUPeace Winter School for student teachers in January 2025 (details here). The EUPeace Student Association is being prepared for launch by October 2024, with ongoing plans for major student-led events. There have been several meetings to define strategies and preparation of the Living Peace Lab with guidelines and a manual for the Societal Dialogue Groups being prepared (details here). The first EUPeace Research Hubs have met several times and the Governing Board of EUPeace decided to establish two additional Research Hubs to showcase the research strength of the Alliance.

 Within the universities, EUPeace has facilitated extensive discussions and collaboration, leading to the onboarding of new staff and the establishment of new bodies such as the Monitoring Committee,  or Digitisation Office. Communication efforts have picked up pace, with active promotion of EUPeace in various forums and social media. External representation remains strong, with active participation in international and national events.

 We have faced challenges, such as the need for a more effective collaborative platform, which is currently being worked on. Strategies to further engage faculties and departments are being developed to enhance involvement.  As we move forward, the foundation we have built will support continued growth and the development of impactful educational, research, and societal initiatives. We look forward to the upcoming academic year with even more EUPeace activities!