On 27–28 October 2026, the NEOLAiA Work Package 1 meeting took place at Šiauliai State University of Applied Sciences, Lithuania, bringing together representatives from the Alliance's partner universities for two days of discussion, exchange and collaborative work.
The meeting provided an opportunity to take stock of the progress achieved across the Alliance, discuss ongoing challenges and reflect on priorities for the next phase of NEOLAiA, with particular attention to the transition towards the Bridge phase.
The first day focused on several key aspects of the Alliance's development, including student engagement, the future of NEOLAiA Offices, cooperation with associated partners and the strengthening of institutional and administrative structures. Discussions also addressed the Platform of the Regions, quality management and project coordination, as well as opportunities to enhance collaboration through the FOREU4ALL thematic groups and the Virtual Café.
The second day was devoted to sharing good practices and experiences in the implementation of NEOLAiA activities. Partner universities presented initiatives and approaches developed within their respective institutions, offering an opportunity to exchange ideas, identify common challenges and explore opportunities for further cooperation.
On behalf of the University of Salerno, several experiences were presented, highlighting the University's commitment to fostering collaboration, supporting academic communities and embedding NEOLAiA activities within institutional processes. These included the Early Stage Researcher (ESR) mentoring programme, which promotes academic exchange and collaboration between doctoral candidates and researchers from different partner universities; the NEOLAiA Success Stories blog, aimed at showcasing mobility experiences and the people contributing to the Alliance; and the Open Research Hub (ORH), developed by UNISA to facilitate research networking and identify potential opportunities for collaboration.
Other initiatives included the University's engagement with the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R), activities supporting research networking among early-career researchers, and the collaboration between Greenopoli (UNISA) and Musicalo (Örebro University) within the framework of the NEOLAiA Living Labs. Together, these examples demonstrated how activities developed through the Alliance can generate opportunities for collaboration and contribute to broader institutional objectives.
The final discussions focused on the integration of NEOLAiA within partner universities and on how to ensure the sustainability of the Alliance's activities beyond the current project phase. The exchange highlighted the importance of strengthening institutional engagement, fostering cooperation across different university structures and building on the results already achieved.
The two-day meeting concluded with a wrap-up session dedicated to summarising the main points discussed and identifying the next steps. It represented a valuable opportunity to strengthen relationships among partners, share experiences and reflect collectively on the future development of NEOLAiA and its long-term impact on participating universities.
All photos of the event are available in our gallery.
