The European Association for International Education (EAIE) Conference is the most important event dedicated to higher education in Europe and the second largest in the world. Its recent venues have been Rotterdam (2023), and Toulouse (2024). This year, the event took place on Gothernburg, Sweden, where CHARM-EU joined more than 35 European University Alliances surrounding the European Commission booth  and 300+ higher education institutions. The European Universities led more than 35 session, four of them organised by CHARM-EU together with other higher education institutions.

A booth as a meeting and melting pot of ideas

From booth P76 to dedicated sessions, CHARM-EU alliance shared its experience in creating innovativ education, enabling mobility and exchange, empowering students and staff, shaping European policy anf fostering global and regional partnerships.
CHARM-EU booth was visited by people from academia, universities, university alliances, and companies, turning into not only a meeting point but also a melting pot for new networking opportunities and ideas.

_{CHARM-EU booth at EAIE 2025 and the exhibition Hall.}

Global opportunities for underserved students: Examples from a transatlantic success story

Staude Susanne President at Hochschule Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences and CHARM-EU member, spoke during the session “Global opportunities for underserved students: Examples from a transatlantic success story”. Together with Peter Kerrigan from DAAD German Academic Exchange Service and Ahmad Ezzeddine from University of Michigan, panelists reflected on how international partnerships can promote global learning.

_{Professor Susanne Staude speaks at EAIE 2025.}

Closing the inclusion gap in Erasmus+

Inclusion and diversity are cornerstones of Erasmus+, but access to mobility programmes is still hindered by various ntersectional factors at the individual, institutional and systemic levels. This session explored how understanding such factors and characterising the mobile and non-mobile student populations can advance evidence-based policy changes to ensure targeted support measures are fit for purpose.

The fishbowl session took place with the lead and participation of speakers Luca Alexa Erdei, PhD from Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary), Katrina Sproge European University Foundation (Luxembourg) and Johannes Gehringer European Commission (Belgium).

_{Luca Erdei, from Eötvös Loránd University opens the fishbowl session on inclusion.}

Transnational online learning in the CHARM-EU alliance: A gateway to international education

The CHARM-EU alliance offers transnational online courses that provide students with international learning experiences without physical mobility. Pre-participation surveys show motivations including career advancement, skill development and flexibility. During a poster session within EAIE 2025, prepared by Silvia Gallagher, from Trinity College Dublin, (Ireland) and Peter Tordai from Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary), experts showed how CHARM-EU supports academic growth and professional development through transnational collaboration, preparing students for future global opportunities.

_{Poster session and CHARM-EU poster on translational online learning.}

From barriers to bridges: Enhancing mobility opportunities in EUI alliances

The “From barriers to bridges” session at EAIE2025 explored strategies for enhancing student and staff mobility within European Universities Initiative (EUI) alliances, using tools like the Erasmus GAP self-assessment toolkit to identify challenges and solutions. Led by CHARM-EUinstitutions the session featured discussions on best practices, Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs), and the potential of digitalization to create a more inclusive and accessible framework for
international cooperation in higher education. Speakers were Harriet Klåvus from Abo Akademi University (Finland),
Ana Cosic from the University of Split (Croatia) and Luca Alexa Erdei Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary).

_{Harriet Klåvus from Abo Akademi University (Finland), Ana Cosic from the University of Split (Croatia) and Luca Alexa Erdei Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary) during their session organised by CHARM-EU at EAIE 2025.}

“The European Universities Initiative is taking more protagonism in this event. This year, the number of alliances with a booth and the sessions organised by one or more of them almost double the participation in EAIE2024.”

Meritxell Chaves, Secretary General of CHARM-EU.

European Universities Alliances & FOREU4ALL: Creating Value for the Wider Higher Education Sector

As part of the programme, FOREU4ALL – the Community of Practice bringing together all European Universities alliances – hosted a special joint session with the European Commission on Wednesday, 10 September. This session, presented by the Executive Director of EAIE, was aimed at intitutions not currently involved in the initiative, explored how the community’s collective knowledge and tools can benefit the broader higher education sector.

European Universities alliances

Launched in 2019, the European Universities alliances are a flagship initiative of the European strategy for universities. It encompasses 65 European Universities alliances with more than 570 higher education institutions of all types, from all across Europe.

FOREU4ALL

FOREU4ALL provides a collaborative and supportive platform where more than 65 alliances came together to share good practices, exchange experiences, and strengthen cooperation. The community fosters a deeper collaboration by facilitating learning, joint initiatives, and the dissemination of results – enhancing knowledge, skills, and effectiveness of the entire higher education sector. CHARM-EU members chair several topicals groups in FOREU4ALL such as European Universities Governance and legal frameworks, Communication & Dissemination and R&I.