This year, the 2026 Aurora Annual Conference centered on the 10th anniversary of the Aurora Alliance. During the opening session, the long-standing collaboration among the Aurora universities was commemorated. The conference was hosted by the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, and began on 18 May.
On behalf of the VU, Dr. Margrethe Jonkman assumed the Aurora Chairmanship, taking over from the University of Innsbruck.
During the official Presidency handover, Margrethe emphasized the importance of strong collaboration among our universities in an era of rapidly evolving international and societal developments. Furthermore, the conference provided a platform for discussions regarding joint educational projects, knowledge exchange, and Aurora’s strategic direction leading up to the application for funding renewal in 2028.
The opening ceremony also featured science journalist and chemist dr. Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim who delivered a highlight presentation "Cutting through the noise", about how we can improve the visibility of science and gain the skills to more effectively communicate with the public.
On Tuesday and Wednesday universities came together in various working groups as well as panel discussions on important topics such as student representation, societal impact, and joint education initiatives within Aurora.
The themes of public engagement in science and increasing trust in academia ran throughout the conference, as well as broadening the adoption of Aurora principles across the European university ecosystem by 2030. Ambitions for the future of Aurora met current challenges during day 2 in plenary session 'The Erosion of Trust in Academia'.
On the last evening prizes for the Communities of Practice were handed out, where the Communities of Peace and South-South and Triangular Cooperation on Food Systems and Climate Change (SSTC- FSCC) led by the VU received awards.