The Across European University comprises 9 European higher education institutions and a partner university in Ukraine. Launched on 1 January 2025, the project is now entering its pivotal 22nd month. The meeting in Białystok therefore served not only to review achievements to date, but above all as an intensive working marathon, preparing the consortium for its forthcoming mid-term report and setting goals for the years ahead.
Relationships are the Across alliance’s greatest asset!
On 13–15 October 2026, Bialystok University of Technology hosted delegations from eight partner universities in the alliance, from Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The largest delegations came from the University of Perpignan Via Domitia (34 people), the University of Girona (31), the University of Craiova (26) and the University of Udine (23). The hosts at Bialystok University of Technology involved a team of more than 50 people in the proceedings. For many participants, who had previously known one another mainly through online working meetings, this was the first opportunity for long-awaited face-to-face conversations. It was in this distinctive, emotionally charged atmosphere that the opening ceremony began, during which the alliance’s coordinator, Agata Mannino, PhD, recalled what truly underpins the entire undertaking.
– If someone asked me today how much Across is really worth, the simplest answer I could give would be: more than EUR 14 million, because that is the amount of funding from the European Union. However, I believe the real answer is much more complex, – emphasised Agata Mannino, PhD, international coordinator of the Across European University. – The true value of Across lies in the relationships, cooperation and connections that staff and students at nine universities have built in just 22 months. It lies in summer schools, conferences and cross-border mobility. I believe that, through our cooperation, we are changing the future of the European Higher Education Area.
Professor Maximilian Eibl of Chemnitz University of Technology (Germany), the institution leading the Across European University, shared this view: Across is first and foremost about people, meetings and building an integrated Europe together. In two years, we have achieved far more than we initially expected, especially given the complex structure of our undertaking. The coming years will be crucial in consolidating these ties, demonstrating our potential and ensuring that the alliance continues to operate for years to come.
A lasting framework for cooperation
Representatives of the authorities of Bialystok University of Technology emphasised that participating in a network of European Universities is a strategic step in the development of the entire academic community.
For us, Across is far more than a four-year project. We sincerely hope and plan for it to be an undertaking that continues for many years, supported by further grants, not only from Erasmus+ but also from Horizon Europe, – said Professor Dorota Krawczyk, DSc, PhD, Eng., Vice-Rector for International Cooperation at BUT and the alliance’s institutional coordinator. – Nearly 50 members of staff at Bialystok University of Technology are already directly involved in carrying out tasks divided among 16 working groups (Tasks)! Nearly 250 people are attending the Across alliance meeting at Bialystok University of Technology, of whom almost 180 have come from abroad. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase our University’s potential, exchange experience and build modern education and research together.
In the 2025/2026 academic year, Bialystok University of Technology organised more than 120 staff and student visits to partner universities and hosted more than 100 visitors from Across universities at its faculties.
More information at: pb.edu.pl/across
A working marathon: from micro-credentials to eCampus
The three-day summit at Bialystok University of Technology had a packed agenda. Discussions took place in dozens of parallel Task Teams based at the Faculties of Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, Mechanical Engineering, and Computer Science, as well as at the Sigma Centre and the Centre for Modern Education.
Expert panels and workshops addressed key challenges in modern education:
- micro-credentials and ALU (Atomic Learning Units) modules: recommendations for joint educational provision,
- increasing mobility: removing formal and legal barriers to cross-border cooperation,
- eCampus infrastructure: developing digital services to support students and researchers,
- the Think Tank and Knowledge Creation Teams: identifying interdisciplinary research priorities,
- community engagement: building a sense of belonging among students and staff.
Students and doctoral students from partner universities held their own lively working sessions.
– I think students and doctoral students are the heart of the Across University, – said Bernadetta Lubowicka, MSc, Eng., of the Doctoral School of Bialystok University of Technology. – During the Across Annual Meeting, we are discussing, among other things, the research equipment available in the laboratories of partner universities. These are resources we can use when planning our academic and professional careers. We share experience and build friendships that will bear fruit in future projects.
A valuable contribution came from representatives of other experienced university alliances, who shared their practices.
– At Poznan University of Technology, we have been helping to build the EUNICE alliance for 7 years. We are the only Polish public university to coordinate a European University. We have worked with Bialystok University of Technology for a long time, and today we are sharing experience and learning from one another how to improve the quality of education and develop joint research grants, – said Professor Mariusz Głąbowski, DSc, PhD, Eng., Vice-Rector for International Cooperation at Poznan University of Technology.
Poland among Europe’s leaders
The Across Annual Meeting at Bialystok University of Technology was also attended by representatives of government agencies and funding institutions, including the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) and the Foundation for the Development of the Education System (FRSE), which is the National Agency for the Erasmus+ Programme and the European Solidarity Corps.
– Poland ranks fifth in Europe for the number of higher education institutions involved in European Universities, just behind Germany, France, Spain and Italy. Our 32 institutions in alliances, including Bialystok University of Technology in the Across alliance, demonstrate the tremendous dynamism of Polish higher education, – emphasised Katarzyna Aleksy, Director of the Higher Education Programmes Office at FRSE. – As the National Agency, we support the alliances through training, conferences and publications. Soon, we will present the findings of the first studies showing the real impact of these networks on the development of Polish universities.
Polish academic institutions participate in 30 different international alliances, which means they help to build nearly half of all the consortia in Europe (64 in total). More information about European Universities is available on the FRSE website
Networking and artificial intelligence on stage
Despite the busy schedule, the organisers made sure that international guests experienced the distinctive hospitality of Białystok and Podlasie.
Alongside the official proceedings, guests took part in Polish language workshops and toured the campus and the modern robotics laboratories at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. They viewed exhibitions at the Centre for Modern Education of Bialystok University of Technology. Mornings began with exercise: the joint Across Run and a Nordic walking session. There was also a group tour of Białystok and a gala dinner in the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic building.
The two days of proceedings culminated in a unique artistic performance, ‘impAKT Attune’, combining physical theatre, live music and visuals generated in real time by artificial intelligence. The production was created jointly by the Faculty of Architecture of Bialystok University of Technology and the Białystok Branch of the Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw. Maciej Popławski, MA (Faculty of Architecture, BUT), developed the project’s visual elements and AI solutions, while Konrad Falecki (ATB) provided the live music. Zofia Paszkiewicz and Bartłomiej Kowalski (ATB) performed on stage. The production was directed by Bernarda Bielenia, DSc, PhD, Dean for Degree Programmes at the Białystok Branch.
The hosts and participants have no doubt: the Across European University meeting in Białystok was a landmark step towards building a modern, open and borderless educational space in Europe.
Monika Rokicka
The Across Annual Meeting at Bialystok University of Technology on 13–15 October 2026 was supported by:
the Marshal’s Office of the Podlaskie Voivodeship (Strategic Partner)
and Białystok City Hall (Event Partner)
The ‘Across European University for Cross-Border Knowledge Sharing’ project is co-funded by the European Union. Project number 101177485 – Across – ERASMUS-EDU-2024-EUR-UNIV.
The ‘Together towards excellence – Bialystok University of Technology in the activities of the Across alliance – PBAcross’ project is financed by the European Union through the European Funds for Social Development 2021–2027 (FERS), under the NAWA project ‘Support for European University alliances’, number FERS.01.05-IP.08-0219/23.
See the photos from the Across Annual Meeting at Bialystok University of Technology:
Opening ceremony at the Assembly Hall of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Bialystok University of Technology, 13 October 2026:
Working group meetings:
Closing ceremony at the Assembly Hall of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Bialystok University of Technology, 13 October 2026:
Meeting of the Across European University Board, 15 October 2026.
