Participants from 27 countries from Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, and South America and 32 universities were present at the congress, among them Nord University's rector Hanne Solheim Hansen and Ph.D. research fellow at Nord University Business School Dhaneswara Al Amien.
The most important aim of the event was to transform the European Partnership into a Global Partnership, emphasising its benefits for the whole planet and envisioning a future centred on a sustainable blue environment.
Dhaneswara Al Amien was one of three presenters at the "Science Show by Young Stage Researchers". He gave a short and on point presentation, in accordance with SEA-EU's goal of presenting science to the general audience.
His research is about how waterways can be used more for shipping with the help of autonomous ships. He received good feedback from the audience about the importance of communicating research in a simple but effective way.
– This soft skill is receiving more attention as academia also has a responsibility to serve society, Al Amien states. – On top of that, I had the opportunity to discuss concrete potential collaborations with different universities. It was a wonderful experience to present my research at a very high level of dialogue, says Al Amien.
See Al Amians presentation in the Live YouTube-session (video starts at 46:45)
The day continued with several roundtable discussions addressing global challenges, fostering collaborative exchanges among participants. The rector of Nord University, Hanne Solheim Hansen, emphasized in her speech that there is a need of a diversity of skills among others critical thinking and to take responsibility. The challenges we need to prioritize are climate change and ecological biodiversity. We need to change education from teaching map to teaching compass, meaning from focusing on competences to how to live in a changing world.
See Hanne's speech from the discussion in the Live YouTube-session (video starts at 6:24:32):
Beyond formal sessions, participants immersed themselves in local culture, enjoying Fado music and tapas. Informal interactions during lunch sparked the beginning of future collaborations.
The SEA-EU Congress at the University of Algarve reached its pinnacle when all participants united in signing the Gateway Declaration.
