COLOURS Conference Panel 2025 Reflections on the Future of our Alliance

13.30-13:45 Opening Input: Key Outcomes of the COLOURS Future Robustness Study

• Alena-Marie Tusek, Paderborn University, Germany 

13.45-14:15 Panel 1 — “Future Collaboration and Innovation Across Regions”

• Heike Trautmann, COLOURS President, Paderborn University (Germany)
• Delphine Letort, President, Le Mans Université (France)
• Håkan Pihl, Vice Chancellor, HKR (Sweden)
• Piergiorgio Mazzotti, Student Vice President, University of Ferrara (Italy)
• Marcin Sosnowski, Prorector, Jan Dlugosz University (Poland)

14:15–14:45 Panel 2 — “Strategic Pathways and Long-Term Positioning of COLOURS”

• Laura Ramaciotti, Rector, University of Ferrara (Italy)
• Igor Nedelkovski, Rector, Univ. “St. Kliment Ohridski” – Bitola (North Macedonia)
• Andris Vaivads, Rector, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (Latvia)
• Raúl Martín, Vice Chancellor, UCLM (Spain)
• Richard Holliman, Professor of Engaged Research, The Open University (UK)

14:45–15:00 Joint Closing Session — Insights & Future Outlook

• Key takeaways from both panels
• Reflections on long-term Alliance direction
• Open discussion with participants. Closing remarks

Potential Questions for Both Panels:

1. Which emerging trends or disruptions must COLOURS anticipate to remain resilient and future-proof?

2. How can COLOURS strengthen deep, future-oriented collaboration across regional innovation ecosystems?

3. What should be the key strategic priorities if COLOURS enters the next funding period?

4. How can COLOURS better align research, education, and innovation with long-term regional needs?

5. How can students be empowered as active co-creators of regional transformation?

6. How can COLOURS demonstrate the societal impact of its regional innovation activities more convincingly to policymakers and stakeholders?

7. How can our diversity of institutions, teams, cultures, and disciplines become a strategic advantage for COLOURS in 2030 and beyond.

Kindly let us know until Tuesday, 2nd of December via email to cso.colours@uni-paderborn.de whether you agree to join this panel or would like to nominate a proxy to represent your university.

The list of panelists may be subject to change.