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SUNRISE Alliance Opening Ceremony

Sunrise Alliance Opening Ceremony

SUNRISE Alliance Opening Ceremony

On January 14, 2025, the official SUNRISE Alliance Opening Ceremony will take place at the Humboldtbau – Audimax of Technische Universität Ilmenau. This event marks a significant milestone in European collaboration, bringing together academic leaders and policymakers to celebrate the launch of an alliance dedicated to advancing education, research, and regional development.

The program will include musical performances by Second Unit Jazz, keynote addresses from leading university presidents, and a series of insightful talks and discussions focusing on the key areas of the SUNRISE initiative.

The event will also be streamed online at the following link. Below is the detailed schedule of the event.

Program Overview

09:30 – 09:35
Musical opening – Second Unit Jazz

09:35 – 09:45
Welcome by the President
Prof. Dr. Kai-Uwe Sattler, President of Technische Universität Ilmenau

09:45 – 10:00
How the “Sun rose”: Looking back on the evolution of our proposal/our Alliance
Prof. Claire Rossi, President, Université de technologie de Compiègne (France)

10:00 – 10:15
Impulse talks on the key areas of SUNRISE and future perspectives:

  • Education: Prof. Andreas Efstathiou, Rector of European University Cyprus
  • Research: Prof. Marco D’Orazio, Vice-Rector, Università Politecnica delle Marche (Italy)
  • Region, Co-Creation, and Transfer: Prof. Martin Hellström, Rector, Mälardalens Universitet (Sweden)

10:15 – 10:20
Musical intermezzo – Second Unit Jazz

10:20 – 11:20
Panel discussion: SUNRISE Alliance as a key initiative for our Regions
Led by Dr. Toni Caro and Prof. Robert Wagenaar, Mavericks, Brussels

Panelists:

  • Dr. Stefan Blechschmidt, LEG Thuringia (State Development Corporation)
  • Prof. Dr. Alena Huseinbegovic, Rector, Univerzitet “Džemal Bijedić” Mostar (Bosnia)
  • Prof. Konrad Szocik, Vice-Rector, Wyższa Szkoła Informatyki i Zarządzania w Rzeszowie (Poland)
  • Prof. Alex Weissensteiner, Rector, Freie Universität Bozen (Italy)

11:30 – 11:35
Summary and outlook
Prof. Ana Paula Vale, Vice-President, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo (Portugal)

Musical closing – Second Unit Jazz

Following the ceremony:

  • Press conference
  • Lunch break at Mensa 4
  • Reception at the Ernst Abbe Centre, featuring a welcome address by Christian Tischner, Thuringian Minister of Education, Science, and Culture.

The SUNRISE Alliance represents a bold step towards fostering collaboration across Europe, with a focus on innovation, knowledge transfer, and strengthening regional ties.