From 8 to 10 June 2026, EUNICoast's Mobility and Internationalisation commission (Work Package 5) met at Burgas Free University in Burgas, Bulgaria. Fifteen representatives from partner universities participated in person, with colleagues joining remotely.
Mobility and Internationalisation (WP5): four outputs across three days
The commission voted to replace the Summer and Winter Schools designation with a new concept: EUNICoast Seasonal Schools (Task T5.5). The shift removes the constraint of fixed academic seasons, making short mobility formats more adaptable across all partner universities. The proposal is now subject to validation by the Education commission (WP2), the Quality Office and the Head Office before taking effect.
On international partnerships, the commission agreed a structured approach for selecting collaborators beyond Europe (Task T5.3). Each partner university will identify its three most promising partnerships; the consolidated lists will then be submitted to the Education and Research & Innovation commissions and the alliance's thematic hubs for relevance assessment. Partners identified Ukraine as a relevant target, reflecting the current geopolitical context. The broader objective is for EUNICoast to hold partnerships on every continent.
Two English language training proposals for staff were reviewed (Task T5.8). Feedback from the partner institutions concerned is pending; the point will be at the centre of the commission's July meeting.
Finally, the commission confirmed the activity calendar for Years 3 and 4, including locations for upcoming in-person meetings. The roadmap will be circulated to all partner universities.
"In person is definitely the best way to do it. I think we took a step forward in our team building, we are becoming more than a work team," said Jean-Marc Bagghi, WP5 Lead and Officer in Charge of International Relations at the University of the Antilles.
Burgas: a port city at the heart of EUNICoast's mission
Burgas Free University sits on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, a setting consistent with EUNICoast's founding commitment to islands, ports and coastal territories. BFU also serves as co-lead of EUNICoast's Impact and Dissemination commission (Work Package 7). During the session, participants took part in the EUNICoast Burgas Challenge, a city game that brought together team members, several of whom were attending their first in-person WP5 meeting.
