'What's up, EU?' Talk Series
‘What’s up, EU?’ is the name of Maastricht University (UM) Campus Brussels’ new short talk series dedicated to learning and discussing about issues that are high on the European Union (EU) agenda.
The launch of this initiative is not coincidental. It comes at a time of UM’s reinforced commitment to its role as the European university of the Netherlands, in the framework of increasingly important EU initiatives in education, research, and innovation.
With this in mind, the aim of the ‘What’s up, EU?’ talk series is to inform UM about developments in and around EU policy, with a focus on issues that closely affect universities, and invite the UM community to reflect about how these developments may impact them.
The talks will last one hour and will be organised on a regular basis, depending on the issues that are on the EU agenda. They will consist of informal talks with EU policy-makers and stakeholders, during which they will be invited to present a topic they are working on. UM staff, students, and (in most cases) external partners will be invited to attend and ask questions.
Topics of the 'What's up, EU?' talks
What's up, EU? talk on EU Innovation Initiatives and Opportunities for Universities
Date: 15.06.2022
The European Commission has recently stepped up its efforts to foster innovation in Europe in synergy with policy initiatives education and research as part of Commissioner Mariya Gabriel's wide-ranging portfolio: a new European Innovation Agenda, aimed at working alongside the already existing European Research Area (ERA) and European Education Area (EEA), is in the making. In this talk, we will be shedding light on opportunities for universities and their (regional) innovation partners from the EU initiatives aimed at supporting innovation.
What's up with the European Strategy for Universities?
Date: 20.04.2022
The European Commission has recently published the first European Strategy for Universities, which aims at "supporting and enabling universities to adapt to changing conditions, to thrive and to contribute to Europe’s resilience and recovery". What are the opportunities that lie ahead for students and staff? What concrete changes will we see in the coming years? And how can universities be actively engaged in the process, with so many actions on the menu?
What’s up, European University Association?
Date: 03.12.2021
The European Students’ Union (ESU) represents the voice of students at EU level, and regularly takes part in discussions with policy-makers to voice the views of the student community. In this edition of ‘What’s up, EU?’, we will discuss the main EU agenda topics important for students, what projects the ESU is working on, and how UM students can get involved.
What’s up, European Students’ Union?
Date: 21.05.2021
The European Students’ Union (ESU) represents the voice of students at EU level, and regularly takes part in discussions with policy-makers to voice the views of the student community. In this edition of ‘What’s up, EU?’, we will discuss the main EU agenda topics important for students, what projects the ESU is working on, and how UM students can get involved.
What’s up with gender in Horizon Europe?
Date: 01.04.2021
Gender equality is one of the key priorities of the European Commission. This is going to be reflected in policy and legislative initiatives such a Horizon Europe, the European Union’s framework programme for research and innovation for the period 2021-27, in which a number of changes will be introduced. In this edition of ‘What’s up, EU?’, a representative from the European Commission will tell us more about how gender equality is going to shape Horizon Europe.
What’s up with the European Research Area?
Date: TBC
In September 2020, the European Commission launched its plans to renew the European Research Area (ERA), suggesting a major overhaul to the way in which researchers work in and move around the European Union. In this edition of ‘What’s up, EU?’, we will learn more about what the proposed renewed ERA consists of, how it will affect universities, and the progress that has been made since the plans were launched.