The 2nd ACE²-EU Annual Congress brings governance, management and advisory bodies together to take stock of a year of results and set the course for Year 3.
Târgu Jiu, Romania, 28 October 2026
The ACE²-EU European University Alliance opened the main programme of its 2nd Annual Congress on 28 October 2026 with the Annual Assembly, a joint plenary held in the Senate Room of Universitatea Constantin Brâncuși (UCB) in Târgu Jiu. Under the theme “From Formation to Impact and a Sustainable Future”, the session brought together the Rectors & Presidents Steering Group, the Management Board, and the Alliance’s Student, Staff and External Stakeholder Advisory Boards.
The Congress was officially opened by Luminița Popescu, Rector of UCB, which hosts this year’s edition from 27 to 30 October. Ruaidhri Neavyn, Strategy Advisor to the ACE²-EU alliance, then presented the context of the meeting: the Alliance is completing the second year of its Operational Delivery and Development Phase and preparing for Year 3 and its Mid-Term Review.
At the heart of the morning, the leaders of the alliance’s eight Work Packages presented the progress achieved during Year 2. Together, their reports showed an Alliance moving from building foundations to delivering measurable results for students, staff and communities across its nine partner universities.
The Assembly also looked ahead. Ruaidhri Neavyn set out a series of strategic questions for the Student, Staff and External Stakeholder Advisory Boards to address in their own sessions later in the Congress. Their input will help shape the next steps of ACE²-EU, including its long-term sustainability and its collaboration with the nine regions associated with the alliance. A Q&A session followed.
The Annual Assembly was closed by João Moutão, President of the Polytechnic University of Santarém.
The Congress continues with meetings of the advisory boards and governance bodies, which are expected to address key milestones for the alliance: the pilot legal entity for the ACE²-EU e-Campus, the Quality Assurance Framework, the first joint degree programmes and preparations for the Mid-Term Review.
