On 22 November 2023 a unique event entitled Lighting the Spark: How can R&I ignite a University of the Future? was held in the Scotland House Brussels. The main focus of the meeting was the Una.Resin project, funded within the framework of Horizon 2020 programme, shedding new light on innovative opportunities for European higher education institutions.

At the Brussels meeting, the Jagiellonian University was represented by Prof. Stanisław Kistryn, JU Rector's Proxy for Cooperation within the Framework of Una Europa and a delegation of people involved in Una.Resin activities at the oldest Polish university. The ‘Lighting the Spark’ event was aimed at lighting up the way for innovative research and innovation in Europe and stimulating further development of Una Europa research potential.

The event was officially opened by Professor James Smith, Vice Principal International at the University of Edinburgh and the coordinator of the Una.Resin, project. His address was followed by ‘Lightning Talks’, during which Alberto Credi from the University of Bologna, Isidora Stankovic from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne university, and Jan D'hooge from the KU Leuven shared their insights on building the Una Europa common research environment.

The central part of the meeting was the discussion featuring academic leaders, European Commission staff, and stakeholders from the field of research and innovation. Manuel Aleixo from the European Commission, Christina Boswell from the University of Edinburgh, Ludovic Thilly from the University of Poitiers, and Olli Peltoniemi from the University of Helsinki talked about the development of Una Europa research and innovation ecosystem.

The event was an opportunity to exchange views on R&I (research & innovation) between European visionaries and discuss the successful outcomes of the Una.Resin project, whose key achievement consists in the development of strategies in three areas: research and innovation; sharing or research infrastructure and resources; and the development of Una Europa human capital. The strategies will be taken into account and continued within the framework of the Una.Futura project, and hence the event cannot be considered the conclusion of the project, but rather a new beginning, fitting into the long-term vision of Una Europa research and education area.

For more information about Una.Resin and its achievements, visit the Una Europa website.