Glasgow, Scotland — 11 September 2026 — The PIONEER Alliance joined the EAIE Conference and Exhibition 2026 in Glasgow from 8 to 11 September, connecting with the international higher education community at one of Europe’s leading events dedicated to the internationalisation of education.
The four-day conference brought together a record-breaking 7,300+ professionals from around the world, while the exhibition featured more than 1,200 organisations. Under the theme “The Rhythm of Revolution,” EAIE 2026 created space for learning, new connections and conversations about how international education is evolving.
Sharing the PIONEER experience
For PIONEER, EAIE was an opportunity not only to connect with colleagues across European higher education, but also to share the experience of building a European University Alliance.
A key moment was the poster session “PIONEER Alliance at EAIE 2026 – Lessons Learned from Building Visibility and Engagement,” presented by Adriana Valentovičová (UNIZA) and Pavel Býček (TBU).
The session explored PIONEER’s communication journey so far — from building a shared identity and increasing the Alliance’s visibility to engaging audiences across institutions and countries. It also opened a wider conversation about the practical communication challenges faced by European University Alliances as they develop their identity and presence.
The poster attracted interest from colleagues representing other European University Alliances, as well as marketing and communication professionals from higher education institutions. Discussions centred on shared experiences, approaches to building visibility and the role of communication in turning collaboration across institutions into a recognisable and engaging Alliance story.
Connecting, exchanging, moving forward
Beyond the poster session, EAIE offered numerous opportunities to reconnect with colleagues, exchange ideas and build new professional connections. The conference brought together people working across internationalisation, mobility, partnerships, communication and higher education development — creating a valuable space for sharing perspectives and learning from approaches across Europe and beyond.
For PIONEER, these conversations provided fresh perspectives as the Alliance continues to develop its cooperation and communication across its partner institutions.
EAIE 2026 also offered an opportunity to bring PIONEER’s vision of The European University for Future Cities into a wider international conversation — and to continue building the connections, visibility and shared understanding that will support the Alliance as it grows.
