EC2U Forum in Turku highlights collaboration and quality education

Over 460 delegates from all EC2U member universities gathered on site at the EC2U Forum in Turku, Finland (18–21 May 2026), alongside 60 participants joining online.

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Organised under the theme “Shaping European Futures through Quality Education,” the 10th EC2U Forum provided a platform for discussions on current challenges, the development of future collaborations and the strengthening of networks across the Alliance’s universities and partner cities. Umeå University was represented by a delegation of 40 researchers, staff and students, including three representatives from Umeå Municipality.

Peter Lexelius, EC2U projektsamordnare.

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"The forum gave us a valuable opportunity to exchange perspectives with colleagues from across Europe and explore new avenues for collaboration in education and research, with a view of creating a fairer, more equal and sustainable world,” says Peter Lexelius, EC2U project coordinator at Umeå University.

Advancing quality education via collaboration and student engagement

The themes of the EC2U Forums are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year’s programme focused on the importance of high-quality education and addressed topics such as sustainability, wellbeing, multilingualism, inclusion, accessible education, talent retention and active European citizenship.

As part of the Forum programme, the EC2U Student Challenge brought together ten groups of students who worked collaboratively on themes including equitable and accessible learning, digital transformation and the future of education, and sustainability and employability. Each group developed a poster presenting their ideas and proposed solutions, which were shared during the Voice of Students poster walk session. 

The most valuable part for me was the exchange of knowledge, with students and staff from different backgrounds sharing experiences to build a better European future.

Karina Eremin participated in the EC2U Student Challege which resulted in the Voice of Students poster session on 21 May 2026.

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“The most valuable part for me was the exchange of knowledge, with students and staff from different backgrounds sharing experiences to build a better European future,” says Karina Eremin, student in the International Business and Economics programme at Umeå University and one of ten students from the Umeå delagtation.

“The discussion on employability and supporting local communities stood out,” she continues. “Universities face similar challenges but take different approaches, which pushed us to think beyond our own context and find solutions together.” 

At the Forum, the outcomes of local EC2U Think Tank sessions were presented and discussed, highlighting the role of education systems in developing digital skills and promoting digital citizenship. The discussions also emphasised the importance of addressing existing power structures in language use and strengthening cultural competences to support inclusion and mutual understanding. These insights will form the basis for future policy recommendations within the Alliance.

Team Umeå wins EC2U Science Contest semi-final

The Forum also hosted the semi-final of the EC2U Science Contest, where teams of researchers and doctoral students from Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany), the University of Turku and Umeå University developed solutions to challenges submitted in advance by the public. One question the teams had to answer in less than 60 seconds was, “If AI suddenly became human, what would it do first and why?”

Following a very close vote, Team Umeå was selected as the winner and will advance to the final in 2027, where they will compete against teams from the University of Pavia and Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași.

Watch the Science Contest recording on the EC2U Youtube channel

Team Umeå from left to right: Hanna Söderlund, Associate Professor, Language Studies; Jesper Enbom, Associate Professor, Media and Communications; Manju Maharjan, Doctoral Student, Plant Physiology; Kristina Lejon, Professor, Immunology; and Jerker Fick, Associate Professsor Chemistry (not seen in photo).

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Umeå to host the 2027 Forum

The Forum in Turku also marked the starting point for the next EC2U Forum, which will be held in Umeå on 12–15 April 2027. As the eleventh Forum and the first to be hosted in Umeå, preparations are already well underway in close cooperation with local and regional stakeholders. Approximately 500 delegates are expected to attend.

We are proud to host the next Forum and warmly invite the EC2U community to join us in creating an open, inclusive and meaningful event.

Cathrine Norberg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Education.

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“The EC2U Forum is an important platform for strengthening collaboration and advancing high-quality education and research," says Cathrine Norberg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Education at Umeå University.

"It reflects Umeå University’s commitment to working together with partners, students and society to shape knowledge that contributes to a sustainable and democratic future," she continues. "We are proud to host the next Forum and warmly invite the EC2U community to join us in creating an open, inclusive and meaningful event. We also encourage participants to experience the culture, environment and natural surroundings of Umeå and northern Sweden."

Umeå delegation at the EC2U Forum 2026 in Turku, Finland.

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