Participation of the Agricultural University of Athens in the 4th EU-CONEXUS Festival in Limassol, Cyprus

From May 13 to 15, 2025, the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) took part in the 4th EU-CONEXUS Festival, hosted by Frederick University in Limassol, Cyprus. The event was organized within the framework of the European University for Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability (EU-CONEXUS).

AUA was represented by Rector Professor Spyridon Kintzios, Vice-Rector for European University Affairs, Internationalization and Student Affairs Professor Eleni Miliou, along with colleagues and students from the university. They participated in a wide range of events and meetings held throughout the festival.

The festival, which focused on the arts, culture, sports, and science, welcomed around 300 participants from the nine EU-CONEXUS member countries — France, Greece, Spain, Lithuania, Croatia, Romania, Ireland, Cyprus, and Germany — showcasing cultural diversity and strengthening ties within the academic community and with the local environment.

The event opened with an official ceremony at Frederick University, followed by the launch of an open-air student exhibition at Molos Seaside Park, featuring artwork inspired by the Mediterranean. AUA was represented by two visual pieces created by students Stavroula Kazila and Eleftheria Garoufali. All exhibited artworks are available online at: https://www.eu-conexus.eu/en/events/eu-conexus-cultural-festival/.

Throughout the festival, students and alliance members took part in creative workshops focused on circular economy and sustainability, cultural performances, and sports activities.

A key feature of the program was the IamSTUDENT student conference, an inter-university initiative that brought together students from all alliance institutions. Participants collaborated on shaping a shared student identity under the name “IamEU-CONEXUS” and drafted an action plan to promote student mobility, cultural exchange, and stronger connections between EU-CONEXUS universities. AUA was represented by Vice-Rector Eleni Miliou, PhD candidate and Student Engagement Officer Christina Zantioti, and students Vasiliki Lintzeri, Panagiota Mallouchou, Iliana Papada, Konstantina Georgiou and Vasileios Sapounas.

The program concluded with the 5th Blue Limassol Forum, organized in collaboration with the Municipality of Limassol at the city’s port. The forum addressed important issues related to sustainable coastal development in Europe. The festival closed with a live concert at the Molos waterfront featuring student music groups.

Alongside the festival’s public events, a number of key meetings and sessions were held, aimed at strengthening strategic cooperation among the alliance members, setting shared academic and research goals, and planning future initiatives.

One of the central meetings was that of the EU-CONEXUS Governing Board, attended by the rectors and representatives of the nine member institutions, including AUA Rector Spyridon Kintzios. The meeting focused on strategic planning, inter-university collaboration, and the next steps of the European Universities initiative. It was followed by a joint session with the External Advisory Board and the Student Board, where AUA was represented by student Myrsini Anastasia Stagaki Barlou, a Student Board Representative, highlighting the meaningful involvement of students in shaping the vision of the European University.

In the same spirit of collaboration and development, the EU-CONEXUS Enables project team also met, marking the beginning of the project's second phase. This five-year initiative aims to build an innovative ecosystem that fosters cooperation among EU-CONEXUS, municipalities, and other stakeholders. AUA was represented by postdoctoral researcher Katerina Kolleti from the Department of Biotechnology, who is the Project Manager and took part in strategic planning discussions.

At the same time, a meeting of the EU-CONEXUS Career Centre partners was held, where AUA was represented by Antonis Vlassopoulos, postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition and EU-CONEXUS External Affairs Officer. Mr. Vlassopoulos contributed to the planning of joint actions to improve student and alumni engagement with the job market, with a focus on using the JobTeaser platform.

In this way, the 4th EU-CONEXUS Festival in Limassol was not only an opportunity for cultural expression, but also a field of substantial cooperation between the Alliance partners, both at the administrative and research levels. The active presence of the AUA in artistic, scientific, and collaborative initiatives highlighted its stable role in the European university community and confirmed its commitment to promoting extroversion, sustainable development, and academic interconnection within the framework of EU-CONEXUS.