San Sebastian, Spain
San Sebastian (Spain) & Bidart (France), April 2–3, 2025 – The EU4Dual Annual Conference 2025, themed “Greener Visions, Brighter Futures,” brought together over 300 participants from more than 15 countries for two days of collaboration, insight, and innovation around the future of Dual Higher Education, the Green Economy, and the Future of Work.
Hosted across two cross-border locations, this year’s edition welcomed stakeholders from academia, industry, and policy to explore how education can meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving, sustainability-driven world.
Key Themes Explored
The conference revolved around three core themes:
- Dual Higher Education: Discussions focused on curriculum co-design, mentorship, stakeholder engagement, and the role of dual education in preparing Gen Z for future labor markets.
- Future of Work: Panels examined topics like reskilling for Industry 5.0, remote vs. in-person work, social inclusion, and job quality in the digital era.
- Green Economy: Experts presented ideas on climate resilience, the circular economy, the New European Bauhaus initiative, and the social dimensions of environmental policy.
Featured Speakers
The event featured a lineup of high-level speakers who brought diverse perspectives from both national and European institutions:
- Musa Alrefaya – Dean of Dual Studies, Palestine Polytechnic University Palestine Polytechnic University
- Scott Wildman – Executive Principal and Dean Northeastern University London
- Monica Chao Janeiro – Member of the Independent Expert Panel Social Impact Fund (FIS)
- Xavier Fouger – Senior Director, Global Academia Programs at Dassault Systèmes Dassault Systèmes
- Frédéric Henrion – Senior Vice President and Global Learning & Safran University Director Safran University
These and other expert voices emphasized the growing importance of aligning education with industry and sustainability goals.
Innovation Prize Winner
A standout moment of the conference was the EU4Dual Innovation Prize, which honors groundbreaking ideas aligned with the conference’s key themes. This year’s winner was:
Marcus Strand, from DHBW Heilbronn, whose work on dual education practices and innovation was recognized for its impact and originality.
New Associated Partners Join the EU4Dual Annual Conference
The event also celebrated the onboarding of five new associated partners, expanding the alliance’s international reach and collaboration potential:
- Northeastern University
- Mondragon Educación Internacional (MEi)
- World Association for Cooperative & Work-Integrated Education (WACE)
- Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre
- Akademija strukovnih studija Politehnika
Each partner shared insights into their motivation for joining and their shared vision for transforming dual higher education across Europe and beyond.
Relive the Moments
- 📸 Event Photos – Relive some of the great moments from our time together!
- 📖 Abstract Booklet & Presentations – Explore key topics and speaker presentations from the conference.
The official highlights video will be shared soon on our social media channels.
