At the end of March, Eötvös Loránd University hosted the meeting of the LERU research university network and the rectors of the Central Europe 7 (CE7) institutions.

The two-day event focused on current European policy issues affecting higher education and research, as well as strengthening inter-institutional cooperation. Gábor Zemplén, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at ELTE, and Linda Doyle, President of Trinity College Dublin and LERU, opened the meeting.

As part of the professional program, Csaba Pléh, Széchenyi Award-winning Hungarian psychologist and linguist, regular member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, gave a lecture on current dilemmas in research policy, while Judit Mádlné Szőnyi, Vice-Rector for General Affairs, and Gábor Zemplén presented the university’s sustainability program and the challenges of domestic science policy on behalf of ELTE. Balázs Erdei, Deputy Director of the ELTE Innovation Center, presented the work of the Social Innovation National Laboratory (TINLAB).

Kurt Deketelaere, Secretary-General of LERU, presented the latest European research and innovation policy developments, while Martin Kern, Director of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), spoke about the institution's role in strengthening Europe's competitiveness. At the end of the discussions, participants reviewed the current state of LERU–CE7 cooperation.

On behalf of LERU, the meeting was attended by rectors or vice-rectors from the Trinity College Dublin, the University of Barcelona, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Cambridge, the Sorbonne, and the University of Geneva, while from the CE7 institutions, the University of Ljubljana, the University of Tartu, the Charles University in Prague, the University of Warsaw, the University of Belgrade, and the University of Zagreb participated.

The meeting reinforced the importance of dialogue and partnership among Central and Western European research universities in the rapidly changing European higher education space.