Leading together in a time of turbulence

As I begin my second term as President of CESAER, I do so at a moment of profound turbulence for Europe and for our universities. The forces reshaping our environment—geopolitical instability, intensifying competition, rapid technological change, demographic pressure and fiscal constraint—are not abstract trends. They are now structural conditions under which we must lead.

For universities of science and technology, this context sharpens both responsibility and opportunity. Our institutions sit at the heart of Europe’s capacity to generate advanced knowledge, educate talent and translate ideas into impact.

We operate across the full innovation journey, from fundamental research to technological application, and we anchor ecosystems that connect education, research, innovation, industry and society.

In the European Commission’s own framing of competitiveness as delivery across ‘strategic sectors and technologies’, our Members are not peripheral actors. They are central.

In such circumstances, acting alone is neither efficient nor credible. The scale of the challenges we face makes collaboration at continental level indispensable.

This is precisely why CESAER matters. By working together through our association, we amplify expertise, connect perspectives and bring coherence to Europe’s conversations on research, education and innovation in science and technology. In doing so, we also deliver clear value to our Members and support their success.

Over the past period, CESAER has secured a place at the key tables where Europe’s future funding and policy frameworks are being shaped, including discussions on the successor to Horizon Europe, the future of Erasmus, and the emerging European Competitiveness Fund.

This presence is not symbolic.

It reflects trust in the depth of experience within our community and in our ability to contribute constructively to complex, high-stakes negotiations.

It also creates responsibility: to ensure that Europe’s drive for competitiveness is grounded in excellence, sustainability and long-term capacity, not short-term optimisation.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the growing attention to dual-use and defence-related research and innovation. Taken together as a community, universities of science and technology have long and varied experience in these domains, often rooted in national contexts with well-developed governance, safeguards and partnerships.

As a collective, we are uniquely placed to bring this experience to European discussions—helping to steer them towards approaches that deliver speed and impact where needed, while safeguarding university autonomy and academic freedom.

Different universities will make different choices—together with their communities—on how to engage with the challenges and opportunities of today’s landscape. This variety of responses across a community of autonomous universities is an essential element of our system, and one that enables both short-term effectiveness and long-term excellence.

More broadly, in a period of disruption the temptation is often to narrow horizons, centralise control and wish away change. Our collective experience demonstrates that the opposite approach delivers stronger and more durable outcomes.

Europe will be strongest where it mobilises its leading universities of science and technology as trusted partners, empowers them to act within clear frameworks, and respects the institutional conditions that allow talent, ideas and innovation to flourish.

CESAER exists to make that case—calmly, credibly and collectively.

As we move further into 2026, my priority is to continue strengthening our role as a strong and united voice, ensuring that Europe’s ambitions for competitiveness, resilience and security are matched by policies and investments that enable our Members to deliver now, at pace, and for the long term.

Orla Feely

President of CESAER

President of University College Dublin