ENLIGHT Impact Conference: Working With and For Society

The European University Alliance ENLIGHT is organizing the first Impact Conference on 30-31 March in Bilbao.

The ENLIGHT Impact Conference will take place on 30-31 March in Bilbao. It will bring international leading impact experts in- and outside the academic ecosystem to exchange and discuss approaches for embedding impact within Universities full spectrum of activities, being in education, in research, in innovation or in societal engagement related activities.

ENLIGHT is as European University Alliance formed by nine research-intensive universities:

(University of the Basque Country,
University of Bordeaux,
Comenius University Bratislava,
University of Galway,
Ghent University,
University of Göttingen,
University of Groningen,
University of Tartu
Uppsala University

This alliance is aiming to promote equitable quality of life, sustainability and global engagement through Higher Education transformation.

Impact is at the core of the ENLIGHT mission and one of its distinctive features. ENLIGHT seeks to promote an impact-based culture both within and beyond ENLIGHT universities, including the promotion of a model of good practice of impact-directed management. For this purpose, the ENLIGHT impact team, led by the UPV/EHU, is developing a comprehensive methodology for assessing the impact of ENLIGHT activities on learners, communities, institutions and systems at large. At the same time, it is undertaking a series of actions to promote a culture of research impact and common impact-driven research agendas.

The ENLIGHT Impact Conference is one of the multiple initiatives of our impact team to achieve these objectives. More specifically, it will be the fora to:

debate how to raise impact awareness, literacy and readiness. We will discuss different strategies and approaches to make our universities impact-driven;
share and learn about different approaches for impact assessment. We will discuss what higher education can learn from business, environmental, quality assurance and research impact assessment practices;
discuss barriers and opportunities for promoting common impact-driven research agendas. We will exchange views on the challenges and opportunities to implement common impact-driven research agendas;
understand how University Alliances are bringing about impact and transforming the European Education and Research Area.

The conference counts with the participation of renowned impact experts from all over Europe, including from the ENLIGHT alliance, other European universities and Alliances, public administration, private funding organisations, and international and European associations. It offers participants the possibility to know the ENLIGHT Impact Awards Nominees and the future ENLIGHT Impact Ambassadors.

At the conference, the ENLIGHT Impact Awards will be announced. These awards seek to recognize and give visibility to research endeavors at ENLIGHT universities that are exemplars in planning for and achieving impact. ENLIGHT will concede five Impact Awards in alignment with its flagship domains identified as key determinants of societal well-being and sustainability. You will be able to meet the nominees, awarded teams and the respective Impact Ambassadors during the ENLIGHT Impact Conference on 31st March.

Roundtable discussions, workshops, interesting social events to discover Bilbao and its treasures. All in one during these two intense days at the University Basque Country (UPV/EHU), in the Bizkaia Aretoa building, located in one of the most emblematic areas of Bilbao, opened out onto the estuary and the Guggenheim Museum.

Looking forward to meeting you in Bilbao!

More about ENLIGHT Impact Conference at official website.

Registration here.