The University of Nicosia, as a partner of the NEOLAiA Alliance of European Universities, participated in the official kick-off meeting of the Alliance, which took place in Brussels on February 7-8, 2024. 

During the event, the Rectors and Vice-Rectors of the 9 participating universities attended the ceremonial opening of the project. They also participated in the meetings of the Alliance's Rectorial Administrative Council and Executive Committee respectively, as well as in related social events.

At the official kick-off event, the University of Nicosia was represented by a large group of academics, researchers, and administrative staff, led by the University’s Rector, Professor Philippos Pouyioutas, who also serves on the Rectorial Administrative Council of the Alliance.

Also present were Senior Vice-Rector Professor Konstantinos Fellas, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Professor Panagiotis Angelidis, a member of the Alliance's Executive Committee, Vice-President for International Relations, Professor Dimitris Drikakis, as well as Dr. Melpo Iakovides, Director of the Erasmus+ and European University Alliance NEOLAiA Office, and Ms. Marianna Charalambous, Research Projects Manager at the Institute For the Future, members of the Alliance's Executive Committee.

Representatives of the Working Groups and one doctoral and one undergraduate student, as members of the Student Network that will connect the students of the nine university partners of the Alliance, also attended the kick-off event. Also present was the Director of the Lifelong Learning European Program Management Institute (IDEP), Dr. Stelios Mavromoustakos.

The aim of the kick-off event was the official start of the Alliance's activities and subsequently, the 10 Working Packages, as each package had the opportunity to meet privately with the respective members of the participating universities. The agenda included meetings, roundtable discussions, joint sessions with all participants, separate sessions for each Working Package, as well as social events.

The University of Nicosia has taken a substantial role in implementing the vision of the Alliance, as it heads the "Digital Transformation" Working Package, as well as co-heads the "Adopting and Sustaining Open Science" Working Package.

After the two-day meeting, the University of Nicosia’s Rector, Professor Philippos Pouyioutas, stated, among other things: "The kick-off event of the NEOLAiA Alliance's activities, in the presence of distinguished guests from the 9 countries of the participating universities, took place in a particularly joyful and emotional atmosphere. As the Rectorial Administrative Council, we discussed the strategic implementation of the Alliance's goals and reiterated once again our commitment to establishing the Alliance as an innovative, inclusive, and digital European University, with 9 university campuses. With our students at the forefront, we are ready to serve our function as Educators and with the Knowledge Square as our compass, to collectively engage in quality teaching, learning, research, innovation, and contribution to society and culture. I would like to warmly thank the twenty colleagues and students from our University who participated in the two-day event in the working groups and contributed significantly to the great success of the event."

Representing doctoral students, the doctoral candidate in the Doctorate of Philosophy in Decentralization in DAOs program, Department of Digital Innovation, School of Business Administration of the University of Nicosia, Mr Stamatis Papangelou, said: "As a student, having the opportunity and the honor to contribute substantially to the processes, works, and implementation of the project of such an important European Alliance is an exceptional experience. It is wonderful to be able to participate in dialogue and exchange views on mobility, diversity, and digital reform within our University Alliance. The acquaintances made were crucial in establishing a stable organizational structure that serves not only the current but also the future generations of the Student Advisory Committee. My participation in this project as well as in the opening ceremony was an unforgettable experience and I feel lucky to be part of it."

Undergraduate Law student Dimitrios Verdis said: "Thanks to the Rector of the University of Nicosia, Professor Philippos Pouyioutas, I had this unique opportunity to participate in this exciting project as a student representative on the Student Advisory Committee (SAC). Attending the kick-off ceremony in Brussels and participating in SAC meetings was an invaluable experience for me, and I will use this experience for the benefit of all students of my university and our alliance as a whole. It was an unforgettable experience and I feel fortunate to participate in this project.

Among other things, a key strategic goal of the NEOLAiA alliance is the strengthening and acquisition of a common digital identity among its members, the digitization of the educational environment, the enhancement of tolerance, diversity, and inclusion, investment in research and contribution to society and culture, support for democracy, the provision of innovative solutions for global health, and the provision of high-quality education.

The Alliance receives funding of €14.4 million from the European Commission for 4 years, within the framework of the European University Alliances program.

Along with the University of Nicosia, the network includes top, young, outward-looking, and innovative universities, which are ranked among the best universities in the world according to major university rankings: the University of Jaén in Spain, the University of Tours in France, Bielefeld University in Germany, Örebro University in Sweden, the University of Salerno in Italy, Šiauliai State University of Applied Sciences in Lithuania, "Ştefan Cel Mare" University of Suceava in Romania, and the University of Ostrava in the Czech Republic.

For more information about the University of Nicosia and its participation in the European University Alliance NEOLAiA, you can visit the website https://neolaiacampus.eu/.