Abdelhakim Artiba appointed President of AISBL EUNICE

The existence of the AISBL (international non-profit association) EUNICE was formalized in November 2022, with the aim of providing the EUNICE alliance of European universities with a stable legal entity. Originally created as part of the EUNICE4U project, co-funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ program until 2027, the AISBL EUNICE aims to strengthen the alliance's structure and guarantee it sustainable financial autonomy. At the time of its foundation, Philippe Dubois, Rector of the University of Mons, was appointed President, while Abdelhakim Artiba assumed the role of Vice-President.

During this first two-year term, key milestones were reached, including the adoption of the AISBL statutes, the recruitment of General Secretary Magdalena Sikorska and her assistant, and the holding of the first general assemblies. Decision-making, previously managed by the EUNICE Project Steering Committee, is now the responsibility of the AISBL Board of Directors, marking EUNICE's evolution from project to institution. Finally, AISBL opened up to new partners, including three EUNICE members: the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (IPV, Portugal), the University of the Peloponnese (UoP, Greece) and Karlstad University (KAU, Sweden) - the first two having officially become AISBL members. AISBL has also opened up outside Europe, with the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding with Université Mohammed VI Polytechnique (UM6P, Morocco).

Today, the AISBL Board of Directors, under the leadership of President Abdelhakim Artiba and AISBL Vice-President Minna Martikainen (Rector of the University of Vaasa, Finland), defined the alliance's strategy and established a list of priorities for the coming years:

• Continue to enrich the transnational training and research offer, with ambitious course modules and programs integrating humanities and exact sciences, in the same dynamic as the polytechnic modules at UPHF, using advanced technological platforms and digital tools, and integrating new partners such as UM6P.
• Continue work to develop micro-credit, with the establishment of a certification coordination committee;
• Build a "university of well-being", where students appropriate European values and culture, a university that values academic, artistic and sporting talent - like the L3P-SHN license at UPHF dedicated to high-level athletes.
• Strengthen EUNICE's commitment to quality research and increasingly close links with the regions, by integrating local and international partners into project thinking and development.
• Increase training in pedagogical innovation for university staff.
• Increase the involvement of associated partners by developing thecontinuing education (lifelong learning) offering.

To accompany these priorities, work has begun on defining EUNICE policies. Ten policies will thus serve as a common thread for EUNICE activities: cultural awareness and dissemination of European values, inclusion, scientific integrity, environment and sustainable development, access to knowledge, expansion of individual local partnerships to all EUNICE universities, internationalization, financial sustainability, mobility, and academic recognition.