SUNRISE Alliance First Annual Summit

The Technical University of Compiegne in France hosted the first annual SUNRISE Alliance Summit from 22.09. to 24.09. 2025.

The focus of this year's summit was education and student mobility, with a special emphasis on strategies that make universities more attractive to students. This focus reflects the Sunrise Alliance's commitment to addressing educational inequalities and promoting inclusive academic opportunities.

The first day of the summit highlighted the importance of student engagement in academic life. Students had the opportunity to present their academic projects, which they had been working on over the past few months. In this part of the summit, the representative of the Džemal Bijedić University of Mostar was the student of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Study in the field of Social Sciences, MA Haris Šunje.

The central topic of the second day of the summit  was the presentation of best practices at the member universities of the Alliance. On behalf of the Džemal Bijedić University of Mostar, the Vice-Rector for Science and Research, Associate Professor Amela Piralić, spoke about the distance learning program developed by the university, which has been successfully implemented for many years. Prof. Piralić also talked about the future goals that the University has yet to achieve.

During the third day of the summit, all participants were part of various workshops on topics that are key for the Alliance members. The importance of promoting innovative and sustainable regional development, which the Alliance strives for through strengthening cooperation between members in key areas of higher education, including teaching, research, innovation, and other engagement, was once again underlined.

Džemal Bijedić University of Mostar is a member of the SUNRISE Alliance, and the University representatives at the summit were the Rector Prof. Dr. Alena Huseinbegović, Vice-Rector for Education Prof. Dr. Azra Špago, Vice-Rector for Finance Prof. Dr. Armina Hubana, Vice-Rector for Science and Research Assoc. Prof. Dr. Amela Piralić, Prof. Dr. Emina Junuz, Prof. Dr. Denis Mušić, Prof. Dr. Alisa Hadžiabulić, Prof. Dr. Emir Nezirić, Prof. Dr. Maja Kazazić and Assoc. Ph.D. Sunčica Hajdarović, and MA students Haris Šunje and Amar Obradović.