On 11 November 2025, the CATALISI consortium invites you to take part in the project’s Final Conference, taking place in Amsterdam at Four Elements Hotel Amsterdam. This one-day event will bring together a diverse group of experts, from policymakers and researchers to university leaders and innovation stakeholders, to reflect on the progress made and to explore what lies ahead for systemic transformation in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
Over the past three years, the CATALISI project has supported HEIs across Europe in designing and implementing strategies for institutional transformation, through a set of targeted and innovative acceleration services. This Final Conference marks a key moment to share the results and lessons learned.
Key highlights of the event include:
- Presentation of CATALISI’s main results, the theory of change and acceleration framework for institutional transformation in HEIs.
- A dynamic workshop focused on transformations in research culture and research assessment, one of the intervention areas in which CATALISI Higher Education Institutions are pursuing institutional change.
- A “Dissemination & Networking Corner” providing opportunities for projects to exchange experiences and increase visibility through posters, roll-ups and relevant materials.
- A policy validation session focusing on policy recommendations and the future of systemic changes in academia, with sister projects (Accelerate Future HEI; and aUPaEU – A University Partnership for Acceleration of European Universities) and key stakeholders.
Whether you are a practitioner, policymaker or researcher, this conference offers a unique opportunity to engage with transformative ideas and connect with peers working to shape the future of higher education in Europe.
We look forward to welcoming you to Amsterdam!
🗓️ Date: 11 November 2025
🕘 Time: 08:30 – 16:00 CET
📍 Location: Four Elements Hotel Amsterdam | Bert Haanstrakade 1074 1087 HJ Amsterdam The Netherlands
Call for Posters – Get Involved!
As part of the Dissemination and Networking Session, if you are working on initiatives related to topics such as institutional transformation, Open RRI and the empowerment of the European Research Area (ERA), we warmly invite you to present posters, bring roll-ups or any other relevant dissemination material highlighting your projects, initiatives and practices. This is a valuable opportunity to showcase your work, exchange experiences and connect with other projects across Europe. Posters should be printed in A0 format or A1 format.
If you wish to present a poster (or bring any relevant dissemination material), please indicate your interest in the registration form in the dedicated section.
| Start time | End Time | Item | Presenter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 | 9:00 | Participants registration | |
| 09:00 | SESSION I: Welcome and Opening remarks | ||
| 9:00 | 09:10 | Welcome session The CATALISI Coordination Team welcomes participants and introduces the objectives, agenda, and expected outcomes of the day | Laura Mentini & Stefania Laneve, Project Managers and CATALISI Coordination team, Agenzia per la Promozione della Ricerca Europea (APRE) |
| 09:10 | 09:25 | Presentation of main results and acceleration framework for institutional transformation of HEIs | Laura Mentini & Stefania Laneve, Project Managers and CATALISI Coordination team, APRE – Agenzia per la Promozione della Ricerca Europea |
| 09:25 | 09:40 | Overview of evaluation approach and results | Martin Galvin, UCC Civic & Community Engagement Manager, University College Cork (UCC) David Hogan, Data & Institutional Research Officer, University College Cork (UCC) David O’Connell, Director of Research Support & Policy, University College Cork (UCC) Matteo Pallocca, Research Support Officer, University College Cork (UCC) |
| 09:40 | 10:00 | Acceleration Services for Institutional Transformation: Insights and Synergies from CATALISI Sister Projects | Rimante Rusaite, Senior Project Officer and Project Coordinator Accelerate Future HEI project, University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN) Jesus Alcober, Associate Professor and Project Coordinator aUPaEU project, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| 10:00 | SESSION II: Interactive workshop | ||
| 10:00 | 11:00 | Changing researcher assessment and research culture: policy insights PART 1 | Sanli Faez, Program Manager for the Netherlands Recognition and Rewards program, Utrecht University Marjon van Wijnbergen, HR manager Research BV, Amsterdam UMC |
| 11:00 | 11:15 | COFFEE BREAK | |
| 11:15 | 13:00 | Changing researcher assessment and research culture: policy insights PART 2 | Miriam van Loon, Assistant Professor, Amsterdam UMC Rita F. Alves dos Santos, NRIN Coordinator and RIOS project lead, Amsterdam UMC Mariette van den Hoven, Full Professor, Amsterdam UMC Laura Bernal Sánchez, Technical secretary for Ethics Committee, Universitat Jaume I (UJI) |
| 13:00 | 14:00 | NETWORKING LUNCH | |
| Ongoing | POSTER SESSION, DISSEMINATION & NETWORKING CORNER | ||
| 14:00 | SESSION III: Policy Validation workshop | ||
| 14:00 | 14:05 | Welcome & Introduction Opening remarks and session objectives | Laura Mentini & Stefania Laneve, Project Managers and CATALISI Coordination team, Agenzia per la Promozione della Ricerca Europea (APRE) |
| 14:05 | 14:20 | Policy feedback: Acceleration services joint forces in Europe | Rinske van den Berg, Project Officer, European Research Executive Agency (REA) |
| 14:20 | 15:55 | Presentation of the Joint Policy Brief Presentation of draft key policy recommendations
Rimante Rusaite, Senior Project Officer and Project Coordinator Accelerate Future HEI project, University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN) Jesus Alcober, Associate Professor and Project Coordinator aUPaEU project, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) Audrone Telesiene, Deputy chair of the Research and Innovation Committee, KTU Senate, Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) Mariëtte van den Hoven, Full Professor and Chair of NRIN, Amsterdam UMC Martin Galvin, UCC Civic & Community Engagement Manager, University College Cork (UCC)
| Laura Mentini & Stefania Laneve, CATALISI Coordination team, APRE
Moderators: Suhida Dermani & Jacopo Cardilli, EY |
| 15:55 | 16:00 | Synthesis & Next Steps Summary of key points, next steps for recommendations, and information on continued involvement. | Laura Mentini & Stefania Laneve, CATALISI Coordination team, APRE Suhida Dermani & Jacopo Cardilli, EY |
| 16:00 | End of conference |
