Events
In 2025 the Coimbra Group is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Beyond the necessary retrospective, this is an opportunity to reflect on where CG is heading next and to take action. The Coimbra Group’s 40th Anniversary Celebrations include a sequence of three high-level events (Durham, Bologna, Brussels):
1985 – 2025 Timeline
Then & Now
40 Years of Innovation:
Shaping the Future of Higher Education
The anniversary logo
How the Coimbra Group started
The Coimbra Group Office
in Brussels
Coimbra Group & Latin America
A lasting partnership
The visionary Poitiers Declaration
The annual get-together of the Coimbra Group
Coimbra Group’s
Erasmus love story
Digital Time Capsule
In the framework of the 40th anniversary of the Coimbra Group (1985-2025), we are interviewing key personalities that are part of our history and present. Find out more about them and how they live their experience within the Coimbra Group.
Oisin McCormack was the first winner of the Coimbra Group 3MT competition, back in 2017. At the time Oisin was pursuing a PhD at the University of Padova and went to the final during the Coimbra Group General Assembly at the University of Edinburgh.
Ana Borisavljević, geographer and former Coimbra Group scholarship holder (2009). At the time, Ana went on a research mobility from Belgrade (Serbia) to the University Alexandru Ioan Cuza of Iași, Romania.
Inge Knudsen led the Coimbra Group Office for 14 years with vision, dedication, and unwavering commitment to academic cooperation in Europe and beyond.
Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, sent a birthday message to the Coimbra Group Annual Conference 2025 in Bologna, on the occasion of the group’s 40th anniversary.
A few highlights of the testimonies and interviews compiled for the 40th Annniversary of the Coimbra Group, presented at the General Assembly 2025 in Bologna
Peter Floor was at the meetings leading to the creation of the Coimbra Group, 40 years ago, as a representative of the University of Leiden. Learn all about the creation of our association of Universities through the voice of one of the main actors.
Ludovic Thilly, present Chair of the Coimbra Group Executive Board and Vice-Rector at the University of Poitiers, first joined the Coimbra Group community in 2012. In this testimony, he reflects on the highlights of his journey within the Coimbra Group.
Cecília Costa was the first to join what would become the team of the Coimbra Group Office in Brussels. At the time, Cecília thought she would come from the city (and University) of Coimbra to Brussels for just six months – but she ended up staying for 10 years.
Juan Rayón González, former President of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) – one of the Coimbra Group’s most invaluable partners – tells us all about the partnership between both our organizations.
Dorothy Kelly has been connected to the Coimbra Group since 1991, first as representative of our founding member the University of Granada, and later as Chair of the CG Executive Board.
Coimbra Group testimonies
As part of our anniversary reflections, we invite Coimbra Group member universities to share their experiences within the network and their hopes for its future. The responses we received are as diverse as our membership – some offer a thoughtful institutional perspective, while others speak with a more personal voice. Together, they highlight what makes the Coimbra Group truly special: a rich tapestry of stories, visions, and voices united by a common commitment to collaboration and excellence.
