ESEIA Contributes to the UNITE! Widening Conference in Brussels, 17-18 June 2026
On 17 – 18 June 2026, policymakers, university leaders, researchers, and innovation stakeholders from across Europe will gather in Brussels for the UNITE! Widening Brussels Conference 2026, a high-level event exploring how European universities can act as engines of inclusion, innovation, and transformation. Brigitte Hasewend, ESEIA Director and Member of the Governing Council, will join the conference as a key speaker in the session Bridging the Gap: Academic and Policy Insights into European Research Integration, contributing to discussions on European research integration, collaboration, and innovation.
The conference will bring together representatives from Widening and Non-Widening countries to discuss the future of European research and innovation, strengthen collaboration across the European Research Area, and explore pathways for building more connected and inclusive research ecosystems. Through a series of presentations, discussions, and interactive sessions, participants will exchange experiences and perspectives on Europe’s shared challenges, opportunities, and ambitions.
For ESEIA – European Sustainable Energy Innovation Alliance, these discussions are closely aligned with its mission of fostering collaboration between higher education institutions, research organisations, industry, policymakers, and innovation ecosystems. As a European alliance dedicated to advancing sustainable energy innovation through cooperation and knowledge exchange, ESEIA recognises the importance of strengthening research integration and building partnerships that contribute to Europe’s competitiveness and sustainability goals.
ESEIA is therefore pleased to contribute to this important European dialogue through the participation of Brigitte Hasewend, ESEIA Director and Member of the Governing Council, who will speak in the session Bridging the Gap: Academic and Policy Insights into European Research Integration, on 17 June 2026, starting 15.30.
The session will gather leading voices from academia and research management to discuss collaboration, innovation, and the future of European research. Alongside Brigitte Hasewend, the speakers include João Coroado, President of Instituto Politécnico de Tomar and President of the KreativEU – European University Alliance; Peter Hošták, PhD, Leader of the research management team at FunGlass – Centre for Functional and Surface Functionalized Glass and coordinator of the GlaCerHub Excellence Hub; Natalya Shakhovska, Rector of Lviv Polytechnic National University.
Through individual presentations followed by an interactive Q&A session, the speakers will share experiences and perspectives on research and innovation collaboration across Widening and Non-Widening countries, offering both academic and policy insights into Europe’s shared challenges, opportunities, and ambitions.
We invite ESEIA members, partners, and stakeholders to join the conference and take part in the discussion.
Registration remains open | Conference programme: Konferencja Bruksela – program
