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Based on article originally published on the .

The second UNITE! dialogue launched virtually on 30 September with more than 250 participants from all seven partner universities taking part in general and parallel working sessions. The virtual format required adaptations but also opened new possibilities. The event provided a unique platform for co-creation, as parallel working sessions offered attendants a space for active participation in different focus areas of the alliance.

This dialogue concentrated on interconnections of Task Forces and joining the different perspectives on topics such as: Services and Virtual Campus, Innovation in Education and Student Mobilities among others. The diversity of the audience ensured exhaustive feedback from the main agents of the Alliance, in order to advance together towards the higher-education landscape of the future. A well-received, new aspect of the dialogue was strong student participation throughout the event.

In parallel, the two day site visit of  took place – also virtually. The evaluation of UNITE! was part of the EUniQ project, which develops a framework for quality assurance for European universities. UNITE! is one of four European university alliances to participate in the EUniQ pilot evaluation. For two days, the experts discussed with members and external partners of UNITE! how the University Alliance defines, implements and reviews its quality goals. The first feedback of the EUniQ panel confirmed that UNITE! has a good, sustainable basis for further elaboration of its quality assurance approach. The panel was particularly impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm of the participants for UNITE!

The UNITE! Alliance

The UNITE! (University Network for Innovation, Technology and Engineering) Alliance was selected in 2019 as one of the first of seventeen Alliances of the European Universities Initiative of the European Commission of 2019–2022. The UNITE! Alliance gathers seven universities from Finland to Portugal, connecting European regions of economic prospect, entrepreneurship and innovation.