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Nearly 40 representatives from 26 higher education institutions across 15 countries took part in the International Staff Week, an event where staff from university international offices exchange experiences—this time focusing on participation in European university alliances. Representing the Czech Republic at the event hosted by the University of Girona were delegates from three universities: the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (UWB), Brno University of Technology, and the University of Pardubice.

Romana Suchá from UWB’s International Office gave a presentation during a workshop on European university alliances, where she outlined the structure of the EUPeace alliance, in which UWB has been involved for the second year, and shared concrete experiences from the activities under Work Package 4 “Facilitating Mobility,” which is led by the UWB International Office on behalf of the whole alliance. “One of the major challenges for all International Office teams from the nine universities involved in EUPeace was to prepare all the materials for the alliance's Mobility Portal. This includes virtual campus tours, short videos for each university, guides for incoming students, and testimonials from staff who have taken part in mobility exchanges with partner universities,” said Romana Suchá.

The host institution, the University of Girona, is a member of the Across European Cross Border University alliance, which comprises 10 universities from 10 different countries. “Student exchanges are strongly supported and encouraged within the Across alliance; however, some partner universities involved in cross-border cooperation are not particularly attractive to our students,” explained Laura Ripoll, head of the International Office at the University of Girona.

This challenge of lower attractiveness of certain destinations is shared by other university alliances, including EUPeace. Limited options are often due to study programs abroad being offered only in the local language and not in English in the field the student is pursuing. Students also tend to be more interested in studying at universities located in popular tourist destinations, which is not always the case for member institutions of the alliance. To encourage study stays within the EUPeace alliance, UWB offers students a financial incentive, if they choose to study at a member university of the alliance, they receive a financial bonus.

During the event, Romana Suchá also strengthened ties with International Office staff from institutions UWB already collaborates with, such as Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski in Bulgaria, Lublin University of Technology, and the University of Warsaw in Poland. She also made new contacts with representatives from universities in Austria, Finland, Armenia, and Estonia, which may lead to future cooperation. “There’s potential, for example, for collaboration with Riga Technical University in Latvia, which offers Erasmus+ study stays in English in fields taught at UWB’s Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, and Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,” added Romana Suchá.