A look back at the EUNICE General Meeting and a year of committed presidency

On his return from the General Assembly, Abdelhakim Artiba, President of UPHF and for the past year of the EUNICE alliance, looked back on his first year in office, the challenges of this European cooperation and the future prospects of a rapidly expanding alliance.

After a year at the helm of the EUNICE alliance, what notable advances are you most satisfied with?

Pr. Abdelhakim ARTIBA: This first year of presidency has marked an important stage in the consolidation of the EUNICE alliance. Under the impetus of UPHF, the alliance has strengthened its cohesion and structuring, both academically and scientifically.
The General Assembly held in Kalamata in October 2025 illustrated this collective dynamic: it brought together rectors, vice-rectors, members of the Board of Directors, the EUNICE Student Advisory Board (ESAB) and several working groups dedicated to project management, academic offerings, research and the development of international activities.
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A major outcome of the meeting was the approval of the Joint Open Lab (JOL) Memorandum of Understanding, designed to facilitate the sharing of research equipment and infrastructure between member universities. This arrangement now places EUNICE among the most scientifically integrated European alliances. The year was also marked by the expansion of the alliance with the arrival of two new associate partners: the Université Catholique de Lille and the Universidade Federal de Viçosa (Brazil). These integrations reflect EUNICE's determination to open up its network to new academic players and strengthen its international presence.

Have you encountered any challenges during this first year of your presidency?

Pr. Abdelhakim ARTIBA : The main challenges have concerned coordination between universities that are very diverse in terms of size, organization and institutional culture. We had to combine a common European ambition with a variety of local contexts.
. I also felt it was essential to maintain balanced and participative governance, fully integrating the contributions of each partner.
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Lastly, the sustainability of actions beyond European funding remains a major challenge: the aim is to guarantee the continuity and sustainability of the projects undertaken, while ensuring the alliance's evolution towards a more autonomous and integrated model.

How does the EUNICE alliance manage to promote international student mobility and professional exchanges?

Pr. Abdelhakim ARTIBA : The EUNICE alliance offers a shared learning platform that enables students to take courses and obtain micro-certifications recognized in all member universities.
It also supports professional mobility through collaborative projects and international internships carried out in partnership with local companies and socio-economic players.
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It also promotes diversified mobility - physical, virtual and hybrid - to make it more accessible to all. UPHF is actively involved in these initiatives, notably through its role on steering committees dedicated to mobility and the recognition of skills acquired within a European framework.

What are your future initiatives to strengthen the internationalization of member universities?

Pr. Abdelhakim ARTIBA: The next workstreams will focus on strengthening the link between training, research and innovation, as well as digitizing pathways to offer flexible, inclusive and sustainable learning experiences.
The alliance also intends to consolidate its strategy of international openness, which began with the integration of the Université Catholique de Lille and the Universidade Federal de Viçosa, by developing targeted cooperation with other regions of the world.
Finally, under the presidency of l'Alliance de l'Université de Lille, the alliance will continue to develop its international activities, with the aim of strengthening the links between research, education and innovation, as well as digitizing learning paths to offer flexible, inclusive and sustainable learning experiences. Finally, under the presidency of UPHF, the EUNICE alliance continues to promote participative governance and a co-construction-based approach between partner universities.

Can you tell us about upcoming events planned within the alliance?

Pr. Abdelhakim ARTIBA : One of the major upcoming events will be the EUNICE Synergy Congress, scheduled for November 2026. This event will bring together member universities, new associate partners, economic and institutional players, and regional ecosystems. The aim of the congress is to strengthen the links between the academic, scientific and socio-economic worlds, and to highlight the initiatives carried out within each partner university.
For UPHF, the aim is to bring together all the key players in the world of science and technology. For UPHF, it will also be an opportunity to showcase local dynamics of innovation and territorial cooperation, in line with the alliance's strategy of European and international openness.

What research projects are currently being structured within the EUNICE alliance?

Pr. Abdelhakim ARTIBA: A major event will be held in 2026, the EUNICE Knowledge Sharing Day. It is designed to showcase the patents and technology platforms of EUNICE universities and foster links between external partners, particularly companies, and researchers.

The alliance has already taken a further step forward in its scientific strategy with the creation of a Research Support Task Force, made up of one representative from each member university and chaired by Professor Cristina Satriano (University of Catania).
The Task Force's mission is to identify the most promising areas of research for EUNICE. The Task Force's mission is to identify common areas of research, develop strategic synergies and support the setting up of European collaborative projects, in particular within the framework of the Horizon Europe program.
Several tools are available to support collaboration in the field of research. Several tools to support research collaboration have also been put in place, including a survey addressed to all researchers and a file developed by Prof. Éric Markiewicz to map the most represented EUNICE research fields.
These advances demonstrate the determination of the EUNICE alliance - and of UPHF through its presidency - to build an integrated European research ecosystem, open to international cooperation and shared innovation.