The second week of June in sunny Malta started off on an excellent note, with 300 researchers from across the European continent convening on our island for BEING SEA-EU, a multidisciplinary conference bringing together several research streams under one roof.
SEA-EU is a pioneer of the European Universities Initiative which started in 2019 with six allied Universities, including the University of Malta, and which since then has expanded to nine universities that have been working incessantly towards a number of ambitious objectives, such as the offering of joint degree programmes, and increased student mobility within Europe.
Among the factors shaping the future of the coasts is the idea of a European university, which is not a new one at all - it has been mentioned since the 1940’s. The presence of an Alliance such as the SEA-EU has, however, given the matter, a massive push forward on the European agenda.
The European Commission provides financial support for the SEA-EU Alliance under the project “SEA-EU For All,” which spans from 2023 to 2027. This funding framework is organised into a series of work packages and deliverables, meticulously designed to ensure the comprehensive development and implementation of the alliance’s objectives. Through this structured approach, SEA-EU For All aims to foster a cohesive and innovative educational ecosystem.
In the last days of May, it was announced that UM Rector, Prof. Alfred J. Vella took helm of the SEA-EU Alliance, a significant appointment which is part of a rotating presidency scheme that sees each university rector lead the alliance for a six-month term.
The main Conference took place on Monday 10 and Wednesday 12 June 2024 at the University’s Valletta Campus, focusing on presenting the results of research and enabling networking. A number of other activities such as a guided cruise to the island of Comino and the Blue Lagoon, and a guided visit to the capital city Valletta, enriched the stay of these researchers even further.
The formal opening of the Conference was jointly chaired by UM Rector Prof. Alfred J. Vella, Rector’s Delegate for SEA-EU at the University of Malta, Prof. Alan Deidun and University Pro-Chancellor and former EU Commissioner, Karmenu Vella. The session continued with a Keynote presentation by the EU Commission representative, Dr Ioana De Wandeler and by SEA-EU Alliance General Coordinator, Prof. Fidel Echevarria. The opening session ended with the presentation of the Blue Economy Student Research Grants by University Pro-Chancellor Emeritus Karmenu Vella.
The four thematic pillars, namely (1) STEM, (2) Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, (3) Migration, Human Rights and Interdisciplinary, (4) Young Scientists Session were part and parcel of the conference. No less than 43 parallel sessions including around 160 oral presentations were conducted by academics and students, along with two poster sessions and 72 video clip screenings.
All the presented abstracts were featured in a comprehensive abstract bookletwhich was to the Rector, Prof. Alfred J. Vella and which was designed by members of the Oceanography Malta Research Group of the Department of Geosciences, namely Mr David Montano and Dr Adam Gauci.
The University of Malta received financial support from the Parliamentary Secretariat for Youth, Research and Innovation in the form of student research grants. Organisational matters were coordinated by the UM Rector’s Delegate for the SEA-EU, Prof. Alan Deidun and SEA-EU Office members, Ms Maria Grima Calleja, Ms Isabella Bianco, Ms Fernanda Giraldo Guzman, and Ms Stefania Zdral.
A number of workshops (e.g. Futures Workshop, coordinated by Dr Lisa Pace), poster sessions and plenary sessions succeeding the Conference served as a great way to sum up what was presented while discussing what is shaping the future of the coasts, which are what characterises each of the universities within this Alliance.
During the morning session of the third day, the representatives of the University of Gdansk, Prof. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler and Prof. Antonowicz, presented the results of their qualitative research on the development of the European universities' initiative. The research highlighted the benefits of the European alliances for the students, academics, and especially for the administrative staff. The conference concluded with the presentation of the results of the detailed overview of the status of the SWOT analysis being conducted by each SEA-EU Universities.
“All in all, this was a great showcasing and networking opportunity for all of us, where the research being conducted within these nine universities came alive and unique perspectives were shared - I’m sure these were all welcome additions to the vast landscape of human knowledge and the expansion of many frontiers”, said Prof. Deidun about the Conference proceedings.
The University of Malta's leadership in the coming months is expected to drive forward more of the alliance's initiatives, leveraging the collaborative spirit that SEA-EU embodies.
The UM Rector's tenure as SEA-EU Rector will conclude with the organisation of the SEA-EU Governing Week in Malta on 26 - 28 November 2024.
The next BEING SEA-EU Conferences will be held in 2025 in Cadiz, Spain and in 2026 in Gdansk, Poland.
