Developing a shared vision for the future of European cooperation with ENGAGE.EU
What will the ENGAGE.EU alliance look like in 2035? Marieke Korst and Rob van Hensberg, from the Strategy cluster at our university, are working together with the ENGAGE.EU partner universities to answer this question. We spoke with them about the importance of the alliance, the methods and techniques they have used, and the lessons they have learned.
The importance of developing a strategy
Tilburg University, led by Hans-Georg van Liempd, is the task coordinator for developing the ENGAGE.EU 2035 strategy. This strategy outlines where the alliance wants to be in 10 years, what decisions need to be made now, and the path to achieve this vision. Rob van Hensberg and Marieke Korst are part of the task team.
Rob emphasizes the importance of developing this strategy. “The current work program of ENGAGE.EU runs until 2027, co-financed by the European Union. In this strategic process, we ask ourselves what unites us and where, as an alliance, we will focus in the future.” Marieke explains why 2035 was chosen: “We look a bit further ahead to think beyond the current work plan, but not too far, to avoid participants dreaming about things like living on the moon or flying cars.”
"There is a tremendous willingness to collaborate within ENGAGE.EU.
For me, the alliance would also be a place where knowledge
can be exchanged without the feeling of competition."
Coming together to develop a shared strategy
An important step in the strategy process was the stakeholder sessions. At all nine partner universities and the prospective associate partner University of St. Gallen, input was gathered on where they believe the alliance should be in 2035. Students, academics, staff, and partners were invited to these sessions. In addition to the stakeholder sessions, three Tilburg University students conducted an environmental analysis. Read all about it in this article. This forms the basis for the meeting at the end of January in Tilburg, where all ten involved universities will work on the building blocks for the strategy. This includes areas such as the identity (purpose) of ENGAGE.EU or strengthening transdisciplinary research with societal partners within the alliance.
Rob had prior experience with strategy sessions at Tilburg University in the 2022-2027 trajectory. Rob: “The lessons learned there have been incorporated into the ENGAGE.EU strategy process. However, the dynamics with ten universities is quite different from going through this process for just one university.” Rob is pleased with the enthusiasm among all partners: “The willingness and involvement are high. Everywhere, the importance of the process is recognized.”
"It's interesting to be part of an international collaboration.
We can learn a lot from each other, and I've noticed
that as universities, we have a lot in common."
Two interactive formats
The sessions were designed by Marieke and Rob to be interactive through in-person meetings. Rob highlights the added value of gathering physically: “The quality of the discussion improves, and it directly contributes to increasing engagement with ENGAGE.EU. We also found it important to standardize the method so we could compare the input.” To achieve this, Rob and Marieke created a handbook for the strategy colleagues at partner universities. Participants could choose between two creative formats: the Cover Story Vision and the Idea Framework. Marieke explains: “In our approach, we brought together different stakeholders, such as professors, students, and staff. It’s crucial that every participant can contribute and feel heard. The formats worked very well to achieve that. For the strategy session in Tilburg at the end of January, we’ll again use a variety of active methods.”
Marieke explains the formats: “In the Cover Story Vision format, participants created a magazine cover about ENGAGE.EU in 2035. What does the alliance look like in your wildest dreams? What’s the headline article, who would you interview, and what achievements would you be proud of?” In the Idea Framework format, the different groups first formulated a vision for ENGAGE.EU 2035, followed by a series of key questions underlying that vision. Marieke adds: “The most important questions were written on various frameworks. All participants then moved around to provide answers to those questions.”
A glimpse behind the scenes
Marieke and Rob offer a sneak peek into the results. Rob highlights that ENGAGE.EU can create opportunities for specific groups: “We see the alliance as a chance to expand the networks of PhD candidates and students.” Many stakeholders also believe that ENGAGE.EU should focus on societal change, but what kind of changes exactly? “These are topics that still need to be discussed further by the ENGAGE.EU Governing Board,” Rob adds. Marieke concludes: “We’ve gathered all the ingredients, and now it’s time to create a beautiful recipe together. Hopefully, we’ll end up with a satisfying meal.”
The added value of international collaboration
Rob shares that he personally gained a lot from this process: “It’s fascinating to be part of an international collaboration. We can learn so much from each other, and I’ve noticed that as universities, we have a lot in common. I’ve also gained new insights into organizing these sessions, which we can apply in a future strategy process at Tilburg University.” He is pleased with the formats that he and Marieke implemented together.
Marieke is pleased with the colleagues she has met at the other universities: “There is a tremendous willingness to collaborate within ENGAGE.EU. While there’s often internal competition between universities in the Netherlands, within ENGAGE.EU, I feel like we’re working together. The alliance, therefore, would be a place where knowledge can be exchanged without the feeling of competition.” Rob concludes: “In Dutch politics, we see that internationalization at universities is being slowed down. Now more than ever, I am convinced of the power of European cooperation. As universities in Europe, we must continue to collaborate in order to have a greater impact on society.”