Ressort Presse

• von Dr. Alexandra Nießen
• 16.05.2025

Bringing sustainability to life: The 9 universities of the Aurora network will meet from May 19 to 22 for the Aurora Annual Conference in Paris, with members of the UDE-Rectorate also taking part. One of the highlights will be a lecture by Nobel Prize winner in medicine Prof. Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn. The event will conclude with a Sustainability Summit, which aims to raise participants' awareness of sustainability, highlight best practices and motivate them to take meaningful action.

15 participants from the UDE will travel to the Aurora Summit in France, including Rector Prof. Dr. Barbara Albert and Prof. Dr. Karen Shire, Vice-Rector for University Culture, Diversity & International Affairs. A group of students from the Sustainable Innopreneurship Master's program will also take part. The course teaches how sustainability is possible at the interface between digital technologies, society, business and sustainability.

The Annual Conference offers participants the opportunity for a good exchange with the partner universities and networking on a personal level. The various sessions on topics such as international exchange and mobility in one's own country, the impact of research on our lives or education for sustainable development invite intensive discussions. The meeting in Paris brings together both researchers and students from the universities and fills the European Alliance with life. After all, contact is usually virtual by nature, with universities located all over Europe, from Iceland to Spain.

The Aurora Sustainability Summit will conclude the four-day event. It informs participants in three different workshops on how they can take action against climate change and the loss of biodiversity.

The next Aurora Annual Conference will be hosted by UDE from May 18 to 21, 2026.

About Aurora:
Aurora was founded in 2016. Nine universities from Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, France, Iceland, the Netherlands and Spain have joined forces in the network. In addition, there are four partner universities in Europe as Associate Partners and one North American university as a Global Partner. The network focuses thematically on sustainability, innovations and their social impact. The fact that UDE is part of Aurora is also a benefit for students: they have access to a virtual campus, can take part in exchange programs and work on initiatives that are in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Further information:
https://aurora-universities.eu/aurora-annual-conference/

Editor: Dr. Alexandra Nießen, Tel. 0203/37-91487, alexandra.niessen@uni-due.de