Event to be held in June is expected to attract over 300 delegates from 42 European universities
The Coimbra Group association of European universities will hold its Annual Conference and General Assembly at the University of Granada from 16 to 19 June. The event will bring together more than 300 delegates from 42 universities across more than 20 European countries.
The Annual Conference serves as a forum for exchanging information about the activities carried out by the twelve working groups that make up the European Coimbra Group network. It also acts as a platform for dialogue with other key stakeholders involved in the development of higher education, including local, regional and national authorities, businesses and the private sector in general.
This year, the event will be held under the theme 'Transforming the Local and Social Environment through Research and Innovation'. This topic will be explored in depth through activities including lectures and plenary sessions, round-table discussions involving senior university officials and representatives from other institutions, thematic workshops, and meetings that bring together academic, research, technical and administrative staff from the network's universities, all with a view to sharing best practices.
Several sessions on 16 and 17 June, as well as the full programme on 18 June, will be open to the public. The university community is encouraged to participate in the sessions, which will feature key figures in the field of social innovation at the European, national, regional and local levels. All sessions will take place at the Health Sciences Technology Park (PTS) and will be conducted in English.
The detailed programme is available via the following link.
Members of the university community interested in attending the conference must register as soon as possible using this form.
Coimbra Group
The Coimbra Group, founded in 1985 and based in Brussels, is an association of prestigious, historic and multidisciplinary European universities. The network brings together 42 institutions at the forefront of research and innovation. All of these universities are committed to academic excellence, international collaboration, and generating a positive socioeconomic impact in their regions.
The Group’s objectives include promoting collaboration and internationalization, as well as fostering the development of a common European higher education framework in which historic universities are called upon to play key roles.
Furthermore, through its advisory role to European bodies and other international organisations, it conveys the main concerns and recommendations of its members regarding research, development and innovation, thereby ensuring that the university sector has a voice in the formulation of European policies.
Its members include prestigious, internationally recognised institutions such as the University of Bologna (Italy), University of Edinburgh (United Kingdom), Heidelberg University (Germany), Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), University of Poitiers (France) and Utrecht University (Netherlands). Spain is represented by three institutions in the network: the University of Barcelona, the University of Salamanca and the University of Granada, which has been a member of the Coimbra Group since its foundation in 1985.
Further information:
Preparatory meeting for the 2026 Coimbra Group Conference and General Assembly, which took place in October 2025. The Rector of the University of Granada, Pedro Mercado, hosted the Chair of the Coimbra Group, Ludovic Thilly, and Emmanuelle Gardan, Director of the Coimbra Group Brussels Office, at the 'Hospital Real' building (seat of the UGR Rectorate).
Translated version: This text has been translated into English by the Language Services Unit (Vice-Rectorate for Internationalization) of the University of Granada.
