STARS EU Goes Global: Alliance community meets in Bragança for 2026 Annual Meeting

The STARS EU community will come together at Bragança Polytechnic University (Portugal) from 21 to 23 October for the STARS EU Annual Meeting 2026, three days dedicated to strengthening cooperation, reviewing progress and shaping the next steps of the Alliance. 

Under the theme “STARS EU Goes Global”, this year’s meeting will focus on the growing international dimension of STARS EU and its ambition to turn cooperation between European universities and their regions into opportunities with a broader global impact. 

The meeting will bring together the rectors of the nine STARS EU partner universities, along with the rector of Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University in Ukraine, a Strategic Associated Partner of the Alliance. 

Students, academic and research staff, professional staff and representatives of the Alliance’s governance structures will also gather in Bragança for strategic discussions, parallel working sessions, networking opportunities and Student Board activities. 

The Annual Meeting will bring together Work Packages, Thematic Interest Groups, governance bodies and other STARS EU teams to review achievements, connect ongoing initiatives and identify shared priorities. 

Expanding cooperation beyond the Alliance 

The meeting in Bragança will mark a further step in the international development of STARS EU, with important developments expected in institutional cooperation and joint education. 

Representatives of Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University in Ukraine will join the Alliance community following the decision earlier this year to recognise the institution as a Strategic Associated Partner of STARS EU. 

The relationship began to take a more structured form during the STARS EU Annual Conference in Opava, where discussions between representatives of the Ukrainian university, the STARS EU Commission and the Steering Committee confirmed a shared interest in developing closer institutional cooperation. 

In Bragança, this collaboration is expected to advance with the formalisation of an agreement that provides a framework for the Ukrainian university’s cooperation with STARS EU. 

Another important development will be the expected signing of an agreement for a joint Master’s degree involving four STARS EU partner universities: Université Marie et Louis Pasteur (France), University West (Sweden), Bragança Polytechnic University (Portugal) and Cracow University of Technology (Poland). 

The agreement will strengthen cooperation in joint education in the field of Robotics, Mechatronics and Automatic Control, bringing together expertise from the four institutions and creating new opportunities for international academic collaboration. 

Together, these initiatives reflect the ambition behind this year’s theme: strengthening STARS EU as a European University while opening new paths for international academic, scientific and institutional cooperation. 

Working together on the next stage of STARS EU 

The main programme on 21 and 22 October will combine parallel working sessions with opportunities to share conclusions across the Alliance, as well as networking, student-led, and cultural activities. 

On 23 October, members of the STARS EU Commission and Steering Committee will continue the work in dedicated governance meetings. 

Hosted by Bragança Polytechnic University, the Annual Meeting will also allow participants to discover Bragança and the Trás-os-Montes region, connecting the Alliance’s collaborative work with the cultural and regional environment of the host university. 

STARS EU Goes Global will be an opportunity to reflect on progress, strengthen partnerships and advance a shared vision for an Alliance firmly rooted in its European regions and increasingly connected to the wider world.