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The following text has been machine translated from the German with no human editing.
Today's universities must operate in an environment characterised by a variety of challenges: public health crises such as the coronavirus pandemic, armed conflicts, economic inequality, climate change and the increasing pace of technological change. These conditions require higher education systems that can maintain their core functions even under pressure, while being flexible enough to adapt and make a meaningful contribution to social progress. The Transform4Europe Alliance position paper cites Ukrainian universities as an example of this, as they face the dual challenge of preserving their fundamental academic values while adapting to extreme upheaval.
Mariupol State University in Ukraine is an associate partner of the Transform4Europe university alliance. Following the occupation of the city of Mariupol by Russian troops, it has relocated its headquarters to Kyiv. Just recently, the university's management appointed Dominik Brodowski, Vice-President for Internationalisation and Europe at Saarland University, as an honorary ambassador (see press release dated 18 September 2025). Together with University President Ludger Santen and Professor of Psychology Tanja Michael, he will attend Transform4Europe Week in Kaunas next week to discuss the topic of "Resilience in Higher Education" with the eleven member universities and Ukrainian partners. At the plenary meeting, the establishment of an association will also be announced, which is intended to continue the cooperation even after EU funding has expired. The aim is to further deepen and consolidate the close cooperation within the European university alliance Transform4Europe, which will celebrate its fifth anniversary in October 2025. High-ranking politicians such as Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö will open the week.
Wide-ranging programme for students at Transform4Europe Week
In parallel with the alliance's steering committees and working groups, around 150 students from the eleven partner universities will also travel to Kaunas. As part of the so-called Transform4Europe Week from 20 to 24 October, they will take part in courses in various disciplines and be offered a varied cultural and sports programme. Throughout the year, students from all partner universities can also take advantage of offers on various topics, either as joint events on site or as online courses. This can take the form of a short-term exchange with one of the partner universities or a stay for an entire semester as part of the mobility programme. These stays are usually free of charge for students or can be financed through the EU's Erasmus programme.
Background information
Together with ten partner universities, Saarland University forms the European alliance Transform4Europe – T4EU. These include the University of Alicante (Spain), the Estonian Academy of Arts (Estonia), the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Portugal, the University of Primorska (Slovenia), the French University Jean Monnet in Saint-Étienne, the University of Silesia in Katowice (Poland), the University of St. Kliment Ohridski in Sofia (Bulgaria), the University of Trieste (Italy) and Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania). Mariupol State University in Ukraine is an associated partner.
The university network will train a new generation of young Europeans to work together across disciplines and acquire digital, intercultural and entrepreneurial skills. To this end, a virtual European campus will be created, offering numerous joint study and continuing education programmes. Mobility is to become the norm for students and staff, and close cooperation in research and innovation is to be established.
The Transform4Europe alliance will receive a total of €14.4 million in funding from the Erasmus+ programme between 2024 and 2027. In addition, the eleven participating universities will contribute €3.6 million. Saarland University will receive around €2.4 million in EU funding.
T4EU Alliance website: https://transform4europe.eu/
Information from the DAAD on European universities
Questions answered by:
Prof. Dr Dominik Brodowski
Vice-President for Internationalisation and Europe
Tel.: 0681 302-2018
Email: vp-europa(at)uni-saarland.de
Carola Hodyas, Project Manager Transform4Europe
Tel.: 0681 302-5039
Email: carola.hodyas(at)uni-saarland.de
Irini Tselios, Member of the T4EU Student Advisory Board and Student Project Assistant
Tel.: 0681 302-2873
Email: irini.tselios(at)uni-saarland.de