More than 7,000 international higher education professionals met in Glasgow from 8 to 11 September 2026 for the 36th Annual Conference and Exhibition of the European Association for International Education (EAIE). EUNICoast, the European University of Islands, Ports and Coastal Territories, was there for all four days. It shared stand G53 with SEA-EU, the European University of the Seas. SEA-EU brings together nine coastal universities, is coordinated by the University of Cádiz, and is an associated partner of EUNICoast.
The shared stand stood opposite the European Commission's own stand, among more than 250 exhibitors. It gave both alliances a base for meetings, and it gave EUNICoast colleagues from different partner universities a place to work together in person.
For Mato Brautovic, from the University of Dubrovnik, being at EAIE as part of EUNICoast added another dimension to the experience:
“EAIE is always a great place to meet people, exchange ideas and start conversations that can turn into real cooperation. This year, being here with EUNICoast made the experience even more valuable. We had the chance to present our Alliance, make new connections, but also spend time together and get to know each other better.”
An associated partner since the start
SEA-EU and EUNICoast have worked together since EUNICoast's launch in 2024. SEA-EU, founded in 2019, shared the lessons of its first years, and EUNICoast drew on them when it set up its own governance. SEA-EU's General Coordinator, Marcela Iglesias, and its General Director, Fernando Pérez, took part in EUNICoast's capacity-building programme and helped design one of its sessions. SEA-EU was also consulted on the design of EUNICoast's upcoming inter-alliance conference on artificial intelligence.
The purpose is to shape the seas together. Both alliances build education and training programmes for coastal regions, so planning side by side means neither builds what the other already has. Between them they bring together 21 universities in 13 countries, from the Caribbean to the Arctic Circle. Where their interests coincide, they can speak with one voice on coastal and maritime higher education.
In Glasgow the cooperation took a visible form. On Thursday 10 September at 15:00 the two alliances hosted a joint reception at the stand for colleagues from both alliances, their partner universities and visitors from other European University Alliances.
For Nena Karagianni, from the University of Patras, the experience highlighted the value of working across EUNICoast’s different regions:
“Showing how our Alliance members work jointly in our diverse coastal regions proved that together we can build stronger, more resilient educational pathways.”
What EUNICoast brought to the programme
On Wednesday 9 September, Angela Ballone from the University of Sassari, Ricardo Sagrera from the University of the Balearic Islands, and Magdalene Weber from Stralsund University of Applied Sciences facilitated EUNICoast's fishbowl session, Finding the beat in remote places: Internationalisation at home as a revolutionary practice for peripheral universities (session S2.13). Participants compared practical ways to give students and staff an international experience without leaving their campus: international networking, English-friendly courses, student-led activities and peer-to-peer learning.
What EUNICoast took home
On Thursday 10 September, EUNICoast colleagues joined Finding Rhythm Together: Co-creating Communications for Students, with Students, a session led by the Una Europa alliance on how students can help create the communications aimed at them.
The programme around the European Commission stand covered two developments that touch every alliance: the European Degree label and Marie Skłodowska-Curie funding for research.
As Ricardo Sagrera, from the University of the Balearic Islands, put it:
“EUNICoast feels the beat of the EAIE.”
Angela Ballone described the week as “a great experience” and pointed to the visibility the shared stand gave both alliances in what she called the “Alliance Village”.
What comes next
36 European University Alliances representing more than 300 universities were in Glasgow, and EUNICoast met peers working on the same questions. The next occasion to continue those conversations is EUNICoast's inter-alliance conference on artificial intelligence, which Université Le Havre Normandie hosts from 4 to 6 November 2026.
As Angela Ballone reflected:
“The EAIE has been contributing to our development, both personal and Alliance-wise. We’ve taken in EAIE’s main theme this year: The Rhythm of Revolution.”
Read SEA-EU's account of the week: SEA-EU joins Europe's largest international education gathering at EAIE Glasgow 2026 (8 September 2026) and SEA-EU wraps up an intense week of connections and cooperation at EAIE 2026 (10 September 2026).
