On 30 October 2025, at the E. Saveriano Room of the University of Salerno, the kick-off and presentation meeting of the NEOLAiA administrative networks took place. This inaugural and informative event officially marked the start of collaboration among staff involved in Work Package 4, with particular reference to Task 4.3 – “Launching and sustaining the NEOLAiA Staff Mobility for Training.”
The meeting was attended by administrative staff formally appointed by the Head of the Coordination Office, Rosanna Saggese, to participate in the nine NEOLAiA networks established within WP4. The event represented a key milestone for the structured launch of this new phase of inter-university cooperation.
During the morning session, Project Coordinator Vittorio Scarano provided an overview of the NEOLAiA Alliance, outlining the origins of the networks, their strategic objectives, and the active role expected of participants in contributing to the development and consolidation of staff mobility for training activities.
Task 4.3 is embedded within the broader framework of initiatives promoted by the European Universities Initiative (EUI) and builds on the well-established experience of Erasmus+ staff mobility programmes. The activities of the NEOLAiA Mobility Scheme are designed to foster the creation of international teams, enhance staff professional skills, and innovate the support processes required for close and effective collaboration among partner universities.
The programme involves expert staff working across a wide range of administrative and managerial areas, with the aim of establishing the NEOLAiA Staff Training Expert Team, responsible for co-designing and coordinating the staff training scheme. Each partner university has appointed a Staff Training Coordinator; for the University of Salerno, this role is held by Ms Jasmine Fusco, task force member of Work Package 4.
The networks aim to build a stable and sustainable community of professionals by promoting the sharing of best practices, tools, and expertise in key areas such as alliance management, joint study programmes, communication, library services, research project management, HRS4R, and digital platform management. Training activities—structured through annual face-to-face meetings, workshops, and online webinars—will be certified and supported by monitoring tools and dissemination mechanisms to ensure impact within the participating institutions.
The nine NEOLAiA networks currently active are coordinated as follows:
- The Academic Officers Support Network is coordinated by the University of Tours (France) and was established through a bottom-up process, starting with a Staff Week held in Tours, followed by its formalisation.
- The Librarians and Open Science Network is coordinated by the University of Salerno (Italy).
- The Career Counsellors Network is coordinated by the University of Suceava (Romania).
- The Student Services Network is coordinated by the University of Nicosia (Cyprus).
These three networks have already jointly launched their activities and are organising a joint Staff Week, to be held in Nicosia from 9 to 13 March 2026, entitled “Collaborate, Evolve & Elevate: Student Support and Career Pathways in NEOLAiA.”
- The HR Experts Network is coordinated by the University of Bielefeld (Germany), and the Responsible Internationalisation Network by the University of Örebro (Sweden); both will be officially launched in January 2026.
- The Strategy and Evaluation Services Network is coordinated by the University of Jaén (Spain).
- The PR and Communication Strategies Network is coordinated by the University of Šiauliai (Lithuania), under the title “One voice, many stories.”
- Finally, the Quality Assurance Experts Network is coordinated by the University of Ostrava (Czech Republic).
A dedicated page on the official NEOLAiA website presents the networks, their structure, coordinators, and main activities, offering a reference point to follow the progress of the work within the Alliance:
https://neolaiacampus.eu/for-staff/staff-networks/
The University of Salerno wishes all participants a productive journey, rich in experiences, collaboration, and shared growth, in line with the values and objectives of the NEOLAiA Alliance.
