European Universities in a Period of Global Turbulence

21 06 2025

During the Days of Polish Science and Education organized in conjunction with the EXPO 2025 World Expo in Osaka, the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo hosted a lecture on April 24, European Universities in a Period of Global Turbulence: Navigating Challenges, Ensuring Stability, delivered by UW Vice-Rector for Research, Prof. Zygmunt Lalak. The event is part of the project “University of Warsaw Toward the Challenges of the Modern World. Polish-Japanese Partnership for Security and Sustainable Development,“ carried out within the framework of the NAWA Program ”Direction of EXPO 2025.”

EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES IN A PERIOD OF GLOBAL TURBULENCE. NAVIGATING CHALLENGES, INSURING STABILITY

In the face of unprecedented global disruptions – from geopolitical conflicts and demographic shifts to technological upheavals and the climate crisis – European universities are being challenged to reassess their roles and resilience. In this lecture a leading Polish expert in university education and management shall explore the multifaceted pressures confronting higher education institutions and present strategic approaches for ensuring institutional stability, relevance, and leadership. Emphasis is placed on leadership strategies grounded in foresight, values, and institutional agility. Key themes include external threats such as international instability, the digital revolution, environmental demands and strategic investment into scientific research and innovation, alongside internal challenges like financial precarity, governance rigidity, and academic workforce issues.

The example of the University of Warsaw, one of the top European universities and a member of the 4EU+ Alliance, shall illustrate how European universities are innovating and responding through international alliances, sustainability strategies, and civic engagement. The lecture underscores the importance of universities not only as centers of knowledge, but also as anchors of societal trust and stability in turbulent times.

Professor Zygmunt Lalak is the Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Warsaw (for the terms 2020-2024, 2025-2029) and a distinguished physicist widely recognized for his contribution to the advancement of science and the improvement of research quality in Poland. He is actively involved in numerous national and international scientific bodies. At the national level, he chairs the University Science Commission that brings together the vice-rectors for research from 21 leading Polish universities.

Internationally, Professor Lalak represents the University of Warsaw in the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), a European initiative aimed at reforming the system for evaluation of research and researchers. He also chairs the Research Working Group of the 4EU+ Alliance, which is a strategic partnership of eight prominent European universities dedicated to enhancing academic collaboration and innovation. Additionally, he serves on the Board of the Central European Leuven Strategic Alliance (CELSA) which fosters joint research and academic cooperation among KU Leuven and major Central European universities.

Professor Lalak is a member of the scientific councils of several research institutions. He currently chairs the Scientific Council of the Centre of New Technologies at the University of Warsaw and the Scientific Council of the Research Centre for the Antiquity of South-Eastern Europe. For the past five years, he has overseen the Excellence Initiative – Research University program at the University of Warsaw. This strategic project aims to enhance the quality of research and education, and to elevate the international rank of the University. He has initiated several institutional programs with the aim to strengthen academic staff competencies, particularly in the field of university management. As part of the University’s rectoral leadership, he is responsible for shaping and implementing the research strategy of the University; furthermore, he actively engages in national-level discussions on issues related to research funding and higher education policy. He also serves as the Coordinator of the UW Institute for Advanced Studies, which supports frontier research, attracts renowned international scholars, as well as fosters global academic partnerships.

During his tenure as Vice-Rector, the University of Warsaw has successfully renewed its right to use the HR Excellence in Research distinction, hosted the Times Higher Education Europe Universities Summit, and maintained its status as a top Polish institution participating in the EU’s Horizon Europe Framework Programme. To date, the UW researchers have been involved in 89 Horizon Europe projects, with total funding exceeding 44.4 million EURO.

As an academic, Professor Lalak has continued to play a vital role in shaping the future of research at both the institutional and international levels since 1985. His scientific work focuses on Beyond the Standard Model Physics, supersymmetry in four and higher dimensions, extra-dimensional theories and branes, electroweak vacuum metastability, cosmological inflation, particle production, primordial fluctuations, and modifications of Einstein’s theory of gravity. Throughout his career, he has conducted research at several world-leading institutions in elementary particle physics; these included CERN (Switzerland), the University of Oxford (UK), the University of Pennsylvania (USA), the Technical University of Munich, and the University of Bonn (Germany).