27 April 2026
Bridging Project Management and Impact in European University Alliances
Granada welcomed around 140 on-site participants from across the European Universities Initiative for the second FOREU4ALL transversal workshop, co-hosted by the Arqus Alliance and the University of Granada. The two-day gathering brought together project management professionals and impact practitioners to strengthen strategic alignment across European university alliances.
Organised within the FOREU4ALL Community of Practice, the workshop titled “Aligning project management and impact: A practical and strategic dialogue for European University alliances”, created a shared space for reflection, exchange, and co-creation. As an active member of the broader European Universities Initiative ecosystem, YUFE played a visible and contributing role throughout the programme.
Opening the Conversation: A YUFE Voice at the Helm
The opening session set the tone for the two days ahead, with Pedro Mercado Pacheco, Rector of the University of Granada, welcoming participants alongside key figures from the FOREU4ALL initiative.
Jonas Salz – Project Coordinator at the YUFE Alliance and Chair of the FOREU4ALL Project Management Topical Group, opened the proceedings alongside Glória Nunes Rodrigues, Co-Chair of the FOREU4ALL Impact Topical Group. Throughout the opening session, both speakers highlighted the importance for clear understanding of terminology and the need to foster collaboration between both processes. Jonas brought to the stage not only the perspective of a topical group chair shaping the Community of Practice’s direction, but also the lived experience of coordinating a first-generation European University Alliance on a daily basis.
“Throughout the workshop, it was great to feel the motivation of Alliances to move beyond mere project, share boundaries which are in the way, and concretely come up with a Toolbox for improvements.”
Jonas Salz, Project Coordinator, YUFE Alliance | Chair, FOREU4ALL Project Management Topical Group
Capturing the Complexity
One of the key objectives of the workshop was for participants to identify common challenges they meet in aligning project management and impact. The discussions highlighted shared difficulties, from reconciling reporting cycles with long-term impact logic, to managing the expectations of diverse institutional partners. The workshop insights informed the development of a toolbox during the second day, to help alliances address these very challenges identified on the first day.
Julia Cora, Senior Policy Advisor, served as rapporteur for this session, synthesising a wide range of perspectives into coherent, actionable takeaways for the broader community. Her contribution helped ensure that the insights exchanged during the session would not remain within the room, but feed into the collective knowledge base of the FOREU4ALL Community of Practice.
“Exchanging with colleagues on how to integrate data and impact into alliance strategies was truly revealing. It highlighted the shared challenges we face, particularly the tension between the pressure to demonstrate quick results and the reality that meaningful impact takes time, and this duality meets in alliances’ strategies.”
Julia Cora, Senior Policy Advisor | Rapporteur, Challenges in Aligning Project Management and Impact
A Rich Programme Built on Peer Learning
Beyond the plenary sessions, which could be followed live via the Arqus YouTube channel, the two days featured interactive workshops, poster sessions, training activities, and collaborative exercises designed to encourage genuine cross-alliance dialogue.
The format reflected a shared conviction across the European Universities Initiative: that sustainable progress depends not only on sound project structures, but on communities of practice that learn from one another, challenge assumptions, and build tools collectively.
For Alliances like YUFE, events such as this are essential moments to engage with the wider strategic conversation shaping the future of European higher education.
As Alliances move further, the connection between project management and societal impact becomes ever more critical. The workshop offered a timely reminder that this work is best done together, and that YUFE’s people are at the heart of it.
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YUFE, Young Universities for the Future of Europe, is one of the first-generation European University Alliances, selected by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ programme. The Alliance brings together ten young, research-oriented universities committed to building an open, inclusive, and student-centred European University.
