From 22 to 24 September 2025, the SUNRISE Alliance held its annual Summit & Workshop at the Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC) in France. The three-day event brought together students, academics, and university leaders from all SUNRISE partner institutions to exchange knowledge, strengthen collaboration, and advance the Alliance’s shared vision for innovative, sustainable, and inclusive education in Europe.

The Summit opened with discussions on student engagement and participation, including presentations of best practices and survey results from across the Alliance. The afternoon was dedicated to the LEAP SUNRISE Challenge, where ten student teams presented their proposals for new European learning formats responding to the environmental, digital, and social transitions. After live pitches and voting, three winning projects were announced:

• 1st place: Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Digital Transformation – Sumit Sharma (TU Ilmenau), Theo Pereira de Araujo (UTC), Ebin Ephrem Elavathingal (Mälardalen University)
• 2nd place: G.A.I.A. – Global AI for Immersive Awareness – João Monteiro (IPVC), Thomas Schapman (UTC)
• 3rd place: Master in Impact Management & Strategy – Sacha Bourguet (UTC), Mutsawashe Djani Chiperemadza (WSIiZ Rzeszów)

The second day featured the official SUNRISE Summit on Teaching and Student Mobility, focusing on how to attract and support students in regional and rural areas. Key sessions included a Collective Intelligence Workshop with a European Alliances Round Table, and an Alliance Rectors’ Showcase presenting best practices from partner universities. Participants also explored regional development needs through case studies from UTC and UNIVPM, followed by a LEAP poster exhibition and research lab tours.

The final day was dedicated to thematic collaboration through parallel work meetings and workshops addressing strategic areas of the Alliance. These included sessions on PhD dual degrees and mobility, university–industry cooperation, joint research projects, scientific mediation, and training for task leaders. The closing session summarised key outcomes, shared insights from the workshops, and gathered ideas for future cooperation and project development.

Beyond the formal programme, participants enjoyed opportunities to strengthen community ties through networking events, cultural visits, and informal exchanges in the historic city of Compiègne. These personal connections are at the heart of SUNRISE and essential for building long-term collaboration across Europe.

The SUNRISE Summit 2025 once again demonstrated that such meetings are a cornerstone of the Alliance’s growth—combining strategy, creativity, and community spirit to shape the future of learning together. The SUNRISE partners extend their warmest thanks to the UTC team for their outstanding organisation and hospitality throughout the event.