Weimar Triangle: Universities at the Heart of European Integration

On 24 and 25 September 2026, the University of Warsaw hosted the trilateral conference Shaping Europe: The Role of Universities in the Weimar Triangle – Trilateral Conference on European University Alliances. Over two days, university leaders, institutional representatives and diplomats from France, Germany and Poland gathered around one question: how can university collaboration within the Weimar Triangle be strengthened in the era of European university alliances?

Grenoble INP - UGA was present, alongside the European alliance Unite!, which Vivien Quéma, Managing Director of Grenoble INP - UGA, currently chairs. The institution was represented by Vivien Quéma and Gülgün Alpan, Vice-President for International Affairs.

The Weimar Triangle and European University Alliances

Created in 1991, the Weimar Triangle brings together France, Germany and Poland around a political dialogue and concrete cooperation, of which the university sector is today one of the most active vectors. Of the 74 European university alliances, 28 include partners from these three countries.

Organised by the University of Warsaw with the support of the French and German embassies in Poland, the DAAD (the world's largest organisation for the promotion of international academic and scientific exchange), Campus France, the NAWA (the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange) and the French Institute in Poland, the conference was an opportunity to take stock of these dynamics and outline shared perspectives.

A very high level representation

The conference brought together many prominent figures:

• Étienne de Poncins, Ambassador of France to Poland, and Miguel Berger, Ambassador of Germany to Poland;
• Professor Andrzej Szeptycki, Under-Secretary of State at the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education;
• representatives of the French and German ministries responsible for higher education and research, including David Itier, European Affairs Coordinator at the Institut Pasteur and Dr Lisette Andreae (Allemagne) ;
• Diana Jabłońska, Director for Erasmus+ Education and Skills at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture;
• around fifteen rectors and university presidents from the three countries

Day 1 : welcome speeches and strategic round tables

The first day, held in the heart of the University of Warsaw's historic campus, opened with welcome speeches by the Rector, Professor Alojzy Z. Nowak, the ambassadors of France and Germany, and the Polish Under-Secretary of State.

The keynote address, on the geopolitical dimension of European university alliances, was given by Professor Emmanuelle Garnier, President of the University of Toulouse - Jean Jaurès.

Two round tables then structured the discussions:

• "Quo Vadis, European University Alliances?" brought together, among others, the European Commission, the French, German and Polish ministries, and Professor Beatrix Busse, President of FOREU4ALL, which represents all the European alliances, to discuss the future of the alliances and their place in the next European budget framework;   ;
• "Fostering cooperation within the Academic Weimar Triangle University Alliances" gave the floor to national agencies (DAAD, Campus France, NAWA, FRSE) and university leaders on ways to make the Weimar Triangle a space of strengthened cooperation.

Day 2 : parallel workshops and sharing of good practices

The second day took place on the Dobra Street campus, in the form of parallel workshops devoted to exchanging good practices:

• "Mobility programmes and degrees shaped for the Weimar Triangle": mobility programmes and joint degrees tailored to the French-German-Polish area;
• "Fostering Synergy: Collaborative Research Models in European University Alliances": collaborative research models within the alliances;
• "Fostering Excellence: Early-Career Researchers in European University Alliances": support and prospects for early-career researchers;
• "Virtual Bridges – Digital Campuses": digital campuses and virtual cooperation.

The alliances shared their experiences, notably on joint degrees, governance models and shared digital infrastructures.

Why this event mattered for Grenoble INP - UGA

This conference was a valuable opportunity for Grenoble INP - UGA to:

• represent the Institute and the Unite! European alliance before a leading institutional audience;
• meet Polish and German counterparts as well as high-level institutional representatives, and consolidate relationships of trust;
• exchange on good practices and learn about the latest developments in international cooperation and European alliances.

These exchanges will feed into the reflection and actions of Grenoble INP - UGA within Unite!, in order to build a more integrated, more open and more resilient European higher education and research area.