From 18 to 22 October 2026, student representatives from across the UNINOVIS alliance came together at Kauno Kolegija in Lithuania for the Student Council Summit. This week centered on one key question: How can students benefit from all that UNINOVIS offers and also help steer where it goes?
Why student participation matters
Students know better than anyone how study programs and institutional decisions play out in daily life. Bringing them in early, when ideas are still taking shape, leads to choices that reflect real student needs. This matters even more in a European University alliance, where partners with different academic cultures and student communities make decisions together. Participation only counts if it goes beyond attending meetings or reacting to finished plans. Students should help plan, put forward proposals, evaluate results, and hear how their input was used.
Students experience study programa and institutional decisions first-hand. Involving them early, while ideas are still taking shape, leads to decisions that reflect real student needs. This is particularly important in a European University alliance, where partners with different academic cultures and student communities make decisions together.
Meaningful participation goes beyond attending meetings or responding to finished plans. It means contributing to planning, putting forward proposals, taking part in evaluation, and receiving feedback on how student input has been used.
A week of workshops and collaboration
The Student Council Summit combined presentations, workshops, and group discussions. Participants learned from existing student representation models at national and European level and considered how these could work within UNINOVIS. They also discussed shared European values, how the Student Council can contribute to alliance activities, and what roles and responsibilities its members should have. Clear structures help keep student representation connected to the alliance’s core work rather than something that happens on the side.
Communication was another central theme. Students need to be aware of what UNINOVIS offers, how to get involved, and that their feedback will get a response. Participants explored ways to reach students at every partner institution, from events and digital tools to communication campaigns, and presented their ideas to the group.
What’s next
On the final day, the council elected its co-chairs: Oreoluwa Boluwatife Oyinlola (Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt) and Elina Parssinen (Tampere University of Applied Sciences). Their first priorities are to establish a solid foundation through regular meetings, clearly defined responsibilities, effective communication, and to make the council’s work visible to students across the alliance.
The next step is to turn the summit’s outcomes into concrete action plans, agreed responsibilities, and a way to access whether student perspectives are influencing decisions and reaching all student groups. When students help shape the alliance, UNINOVIS can offer a European learning experience that is inclusive and is responsive to the people it is meant for.