European University Alliances in the spotlight at IHE2025

From 8 –10 October, the Innovating Higher Education Conference will bring together universities, policymakers and practitioners to explore how higher education can become more flexible, inclusive and future-ready.

Organised by EADTU and hosted by FernUniversität in Hagen, the conference is one of Europe’s leading forums on the digital transformation of universities. This edition gives special attention to University Alliances and cross-institutional collaboration — with a brand-new track on “Strategic Alliances & the University of the Future.”

OpenEU will be there with one of the strongest delegations: more than 50 representatives from our ten partner universities, including rectors, researchers, staff and students.

🔹On Wednesday’s Opening Plenary, three of our alliance rectors will set the tone for the discussions:

• Prof. Stefan Stürmer, Rector of FernUniversität in Hagen (host and OpenEU member). 

"Together, we are building an Open University without borders, where no one is left behind."

• Prof. Theo Bastiaens, Rector of Open Universiteit (President of EADTU and OpenEU member).

"We are shaping a learning space that transcends borders and stands resilient in time. It is precisely in the combination of EADTU and OpenEU that Europe finds its opportunity to make learning truly open."

• Prof. Àngels Fitó, Rector of Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) (Vice President of EADTU and President of the OpenEU Alliance).

"As Europe's open and distance learning universities, we have a responsibility to continue to provide learning opportunities for individuals who, for whatever reason, do not have the option of attending university in person."

🔹On Thursday, OpenEU will be at the heart of the new alliances track, with sessions on:

• Joint degrees & interoperability

• Inclusive and sustainable models

• Digital strategies & AI literacy

🔹And on Friday, our members will also contribute to the workshop Enhancing Research Collaboration within European University Alliances.

With such a strong presence in Hagen, OpenEU reaffirms its role as a leading alliance of open and distance universities in Europe — showing how strategic alliances deliver real impact for students, equity and lifelong learning.

Explore the full programme here.