On 22 October 2025, Brno University of Technology hosted over one hundred and fifty participants for a high-level conference titled “Shaping the future of STEM education: advancing excellence through transnational cooperation.” This event, part of the CESAER Annual Meetings 2025, brought together global and European leaders from universities, policymakers, and the next generation of researchers to discuss reimagining engineering education, fostering excellence, and strengthening Europe’s Union of Skills to attract, develop, and retain top STEM talent in an era of rapid technological transformation and global competition.
Keynote by Amitava ‘Babi’ Mitra, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The conference opened with a keynote by Amitava ‘Babi’ Mitra, Founding Executive Director of the New Engineering Education Transformation (NEET) programme at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Recalling the Apollo 11 moon landing as a symbol of what interdisciplinary collaboration can achieve, Mitra illustrated how “the future of engineering lies in the hands of those who can bridge the gap between disciplines and work together.”
Launched in 2017, NEET reimagines how students learn and prepares them to make meaningful contributions to society while strengthening MIT’s role in engineering education. Developed with input from stakeholders including students, faculty, alumni, industry, thought leaders and from a global benchmarking study, it embodies MIT’s values of useful knowledge, societal responsibility, learning by doing, and education as preparation for life.
Through NEET programs or “threads” such as Autonomous Machines, Climate and Sustainability Systems, Digital Cities, and Living Machines, students pursue their major while collaborating across departments on complex, real-world challenges. They join the NEET community as sophomores, and complete in the usual four years with a degree and a NEET certificate in the thread they were enrolled in. The programme rests on four principles: creating new systems, fostering ways of thinking, building a community of makers, and embracing digital learning.
He closed by identifying the ‘secret sauce’ --- five ingredients for initiating and developing reform: a bold vision, complementary teams, strong stakeholder engagement, iterative testing starting with a pilot, and a start-up mindset. The NEET experience at MIT and the learnings from it could be one of the sources that would inform Europe’s universities as they drive transformation in engineering education.
Keynote by Vanessa Debiais-Sainton, European Commission
Vanessa Debiais-Sainton, Member of Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu at the European Commission, underlined that Europe stands at a crossroads: geopolitical tensions, demographic change, and technological disruption are reshaping societies and economies. Europe’s competitiveness and unity, she argued, depend on sustained investment in people – in their education, talents, and skills.
Presenting the Commission’s vision for a Union of Skills, she described a Europe where everyone can keep learning throughout life, where qualifications open doors across borders, and where universities connect education, research, and innovation.
Debiais-Sainton reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to deepening cooperation among Europe’s universities through mobility, joint programmes, micro-credentials, blended intensive activities, and innovation labs, aiming for most students to benefit from such opportunities. She noted that European Universities alliances play a leading role in this transformation, demonstrating the potential of transnational collaboration to strengthen Europe’s talent base and innovation capacity.
Turning to Europe’s technological agenda, she emphasised that STEM education has never been more vital. The EU’s target of 32% of higher-education students in STEM by 2030 – with at least two in five being women – reflects the urgency of equipping Europe’s workforce for strategic sectors such as clean technologies, digitalisation, AI, biotechnology, defence, and space.
She called on universities and stakeholders to engage national ministers and European Parliament to build consensus for greater investment in human capital in the next EU long-term budget, stating that universities are indispensable partners in shaping a competitive, sustainable, and democratic Europe.
A high-level panel, moderated by Tim Bedford (Vice President of CESAER and Associate Principal at University of Strathclyde) brought together Nicolas Peter (Senior Policy Advisor to the Director General of the European Space Agency), Vanessa Debiais-Sainton (European Commission), Amitava ‘Babi’ Mitra (MIT), Martyna Maria Czudec (PhD student at Gdańsk University of Technology), and Patrícia Janigová (Master's student at Brno University of Technology).
The panel explored how universities can help secure Europe’s competitiveness by reimagining STEM education; equipping graduates for future challenges, connecting academia and industry, and ensuring that top talent is developed and retained within Europe. Nicolas Peter (European Space Agency) underlined that “talent exists everywhere, but opportunities often do not,” highlighting new University initiatives to connect education with space and high-technology careers. He called for stronger partnerships between universities and ESA to create better opportunities for students across Europe and to keep talent within the continent amid intensifying global competition. He welcomed the strong engagement between ESA and CESAER, and encouraged to further strengthen and deepen this relationship.
“The competition should not be in this room. The competition for talent is global – but our response must be European.”
— Nicolas Peter, European Space Agency
Vanessa Debiais-Sainton argued that education is the foundation of Europe’s strength in a rapidly changing world where AI and automation are eliminating many traditional entry-level jobs. Graduates must therefore be ready to take on more strategic and complex roles from the start of their careers.
From the student perspective, Patrícia Janigová and Martyna Maria Czudec spoke about the realities facing young engineers and researchers. Janigová stressed the importance of learning environments that reward curiosity and experimentation, while Czudec called for clearer and more transparent career pathways across academia, industry, and other sectors to help graduates plan their futures with confidence.
Babi Mitra concluded that engineering education needs to become more relevant. Universities must teach students not only what to learn, but how to learn, thus helping them embrace uncertainty and develop through practice. We must bring back the ‘joy of engineering’ into engineering education.
“Knowledge is changing so fast that no one can keep up with it all. That’s why critical and creative thinking, the ability to learn, and hands-on experience are so important. When you do something – whether you fail or succeed – your talent grows.”
— Babi Mitra, MIT
Keynote by Ladislav Janíček, Brno University of Technology
The second session opened with a keynote by Ladislav Janíček, Rector of Brno University of Technology, who reflected on Europe’s competitiveness, skills, and the future of engineering education. Drawing on recent reports by Letta, Heitor and Draghi, Janíček underlined how the Czech Republic has adopted a targeted economic strategy to strengthen national competitiveness by investing in research, innovation, and STEM education. He noted that productivity and tertiary education are closely correlated, and that both education and research are a crucial vehicle for building competitiveness in Europe.
At national level, BUT contributes actively to collaboration between universities, government, and industry, notably through nationwide STEM education surveys that help inform evidence-based approaches to education policy. At the same time, collaboration with industry has been crucial to advance STEM education at the university, with initiatives such as regional innovation clusters in semiconductors, batteries, and space technologies.
Janíček emphasised that the next generation of engineers must be shaped not only by technical expertise but also by cultural, ethical, and sustainability thinking. “We are building future-ready engineers – imaginative, entrepreneurial, and capable of working across disciplines, cultures, and sectors.” To achieve this, he argued, education systems must evolve: “Students should not be mere consumers of what we prepare, but co-creators of their own studies.”
He warned that Europe’s demographic decline poses a long-term challenge, reinforcing the need to think internationally and attract skilled talent. He called for curricula that focus on transferable and transversal skills, enabling graduates to adapt to changing labour markets. Concluding, he pointed to the growing role of European Universities alliances and joint initiatives such as the European Degree label and industrial doctorates as vital frameworks for transnational cooperation.
“We must move beyond competition towards genuine collaboration. Europe’s strength lies in openness, partnership, and inspiring the next generation to create. We need engineers who are not only technically qualified, but also equipped with interdisciplinary and critical thinking, imaginative, entrepreneurial, and ethical - capable of working across disciplines, cultures, and sectors’’.
— Ladislav Janíček, Rector of Brno University of Technology
Keynote by María Alfonso Molina, Universitat Politècnica de València
The session continued with a keynote by María Alfonso Molina, PhD candidate and researcher at Universitat Politècnica de València, who explored the cognitive and motivational foundations of STEM learning. Alfonso pointed to a steady decline in students’ performance in mathematics, science, and reading comprehension since 2012, a trend accelerated by the pandemic. She stressed that these results reflect a gradual erosion of the fundamental cognitive skills on which learning depends and called for renewed attention to how students think, learn, and stay motivated.
Drawing on research conducted within ENHANCE, EELISA and EUt+, Molina described the experiences of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, revealing tensions between intrinsic motivation and structural barriers, as well as facilitators such as mentoring, collaborative environments and recognition of a wider range of achievements and roles in academic careers. Understanding these dynamics, she claimed, is crucial for designing evidence-based interventions.
“Excellence in STEM is never explained by a single factor; it emerges from the complex interaction of motivation, cognition, and learning context. We need to base European and national policies on STEM education and skills on solid research foundations.”
— María Alfonso Molina, Universitat Politècnica de València
A high-level panel moderated by Jennifer Herek (Vice-President & Treasurer of CESAER and University of Twente) brought together Ladislav Janíček (Rector of Brno University of Technology), Stephen Jarvis (President and Vice-Chancellor of University of Surrey), Rogério Colaço (President of Instituto Superior Técnico), and María Alfonso Molina (PhD Candidate & Researcher at UPV) to explore how universities can build agile, inclusive, and globally competitive STEM education systems.
Stephen Jarvis noted that many European countries face similar challenges in STEM education and industrial strategy. He emphasised the need to make learning relevant and resilient to prepare graduates for jobs that do not yet exist - by encouraging students to experiment, embrace uncertainty, and learn from failure. Rogério Colaço observed that engineering education is shifting from narrow specialisation to broader, more flexible approaches, requiring interdisciplinarity and adaptable learning pathways. He stressed that while engineers will always be driven to design and solve problems, universities must create the conditions and partnerships that allow them to do so in a rapidly changing labour market.
María Alfonso Molina reflected on the rapid spread of AI in education, emphasising that these technologies can both enhance and disrupt learning. She called for thoughtful integration of AI tools and the development of metacognitive skills, helping students to reflect on their own thinking and learning processes. Janíček echoed the need for transformation, arguing that education must evolve “from transferring information to transforming thinking” and that project-based learning is essential to engage new generations of engineers.
“Partnerships don’t thrive on goodwill alone. Europe must invest strategically in education and industry collaboration if it wants to stay competitive with the US and China.”
— Rogério Colaço, President of Instituto Superior Técnico
Panellists agreed that collaboration between universities, industry, and policymakers is pivotal to developing future-proof STEM talent. Jarvis and Colaço pointed to a new era of partnership in which universities can no longer act alone, while Janíček stressed that reforms should focus on outcomes and real training needs rather than on distinctions between academic and professional programmes. Examples included new doctoral models with industrial internships and expanding joint and dual programmes to provide doctoral candidates with broader experience and exposure.
The discussion also addressed Europe’s demographic challenges and the need to attract and retain international talent, supported by coherent education policies and sustained investment. Audience interventions highlighted the importance of motivating young people to pursue STEM, strengthening teacher training, and introducing interdisciplinary approaches earlier in the education system. Alfonso underlined that motivation depends on competence, autonomy, and belonging, whereby students thrive when they feel capable, independent, and part of something meaningful. The panellists concluded that reform must extend from secondary to higher education, with universities working hand in hand with schools to modernise teaching and inspire future scientists and engineers.
“We are entering a new era of partnership. Universities can’t do everything alone - but together, we can tackle some of Europe’s biggest challenges in skills and competitiveness.”
— Stephen Jarvis, President and Vice-Chancellor of University of Surrey
Orla Feely, President of CESAER and President of University College Dublin
The conference concluded with remarks by Orla Feely, who underlined the importance of collaboration between universities, industry, and society in driving Europe’s transformation. She emphasised that the discussions from MIT to Brno reaffirmed universities’ central role in shaping the engineers, scientists, and innovators that Europe needs to thrive.
During the conference, Amitava ‘Babi’ Mitra shared an example of NEET’s approach. This model is further detailed in “How Aurora Flight Sciences and MIT’s New Engineering Education Transformation (NEET) program are working together to develop and implement industry-oriented projects for cross-departmental teams of MIT seniors” (Mitra & Long, in Innovation Alchemy: How to Build Strong Industry Engagement Partnerships for Impact and Economic Growth, Wiley, July 2025).
Our association is actively following up in all of the areas discussed, notably through our task forces.
Recent outcomes and additional resources include:
Leaders and experts from our Members interested to engage are welcome to join our task force activities. Contact the Secretariat to learn more.
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