Come and meet us in Brussels! On 10 February, the joint Aalborg University (AAU) and ECIU Brussels’ Office re-opened its doors after a move and COVID lockdown. The office and its meeting facilities are available for all ECIU partners, their staff, academics, learners and network members.

On an opening day Anna Panagopoulou, Director of European Research Area and Innovation at the Research and Innovation Directorate General of European Commission, gave a key note speech on the role of innovative universities in EU Research and Innovation programmes, also linking to other missions of universities like education and service to society. Together with Danish Ambassador Per Fabricius Andersen, Anna Panagopoulou cut the ribbon and officially opened the joint ECIU and AAU Brussels’ Office.

In their opening speeches, Katrin Dircksen, ECIU Secretary-General, and Charlotte Pedersen Jacobsen, Head of Research Support and Policy at AAU underlined the importance of a physical presence in Brussels, where partners can meet and work on projects with EU added value.

Olga Wessels, the Head of the ECIU Brussels Office, gave a short introduction on the role of the office: “The ECIU Brussels Office contributes to setting the agenda of ECIU at the European level, increasing the organisation’s visibility as a potential and reliable partner for European institutions in debates on policy and programme developments. We collect and obtain information at an early stage to help ECIU member universities prepare for upcoming programmes and ensure quick coordination of ECIU replies to requests for advice and consultancy”.

The ECIU/AAU office is located at Rue du Luxembourg 3, 2nd floor, in Brussels. The meeting rooms and office facilities are free for ECIU partners. If you have any questions or needs related to EU affairs, you can contact olga.wessels@eciu.org or +32 483 680 182.

The full video from the opening can be watched here.

‍

‍

‍