25 May 2026
The YUFE Webinar Series on Recognition and Rewards brought together participants from across YUFE universities and beyond, representing a wide range of professional roles from HR and research support services to communication and research.
Through shared experiences, insights, and dialogue, the series explored four key areas:
- open, transparent and merit-based recruitment
- recognising and rewarding societal engagement and impact
- universities’ career models for recognition and rewards
- work well-being in academia.
Together, these sessions highlighted both inspiring institutional practices and open discussion of practical challenges. This dialogue supports the long-term goal of building more inclusive and motivating working environments within higher education institutions. The series took place between October 2025 and January 2026.
“I greatly valued the opportunity to contribute to the YUFE R&R webinar, particularly the openness and engagement from participants. The questions and discussions were insightful and generative, offering perspectives that extended well beyond my own institutional context. This kind of cross-border exchange is essential in developing more nuanced, culturally aware approaches to wellbeing in academia. It also creates space for new ideas and practices to emerge through shared reflection.”
Dr. Ritta Husted – Senior Lecturer, Head of Department & Coach
University of Essex
“These well-structured sessions seamlessly span the range from EU policy to practical implementation, making the bigger picture of change in academia feel both tangible and inspiring. Seeing best practices from other universities reminds you that we are all working to change the same system for the better — from very different angles. While the process can sometimes feel slow or isolating, being part of this European effort confirms that we are collectively moving in the right direction. A fundamental culture change in academia is underway, and this webinar series makes you feel right at the heart of it.”
Adreas Bressler, Project Coordinator for Research and Innovation
Maastricht University
“The YUFE webinar ”Recognizing and rewarding societal engagement and impact” was truly amazing. The speakers were knowledgeable and shared important approaches for acknowledging societal engagement and impact. I was left with new knowledge and ideas for developing my own work in my university. Thank you to the speakers, the organizers and YUFE!.”
Roseanna Avento, Global Development Manager
University of Eastern Finland
As the testimonials illustrate, it is valuable to share insights and good practices when building a sustainable recognition and rewards culture, in which diverse contributions are seen, appreciated, and encouraged. The reflections and experiences shared offer inspiration for continuing this exchange across YUFE and more widely within European higher education.
We hope that the webinars sparked new ideas that can be applied in your own context.
