VMU Hosted T4EU Conference PROF-SYNERGY on Professional Excellence of All Employees

From April 9 to 11, 2025, Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) hosted the Transform4Europe Alliance’s international conference “Enhancing Professional Excellence: Synergy of Academic and Non-Academic Staff (PROF-SYNERGY)”.

This event, which was organized by VMU, is a part of T4EU event series continuing the tradition of the earlier Inno-Methods conferences, which highlighted innovative approaches to teaching and learning in higher education.

This year, the event underwent a significant change: it united both academic and non-academic staff, with the goal of fostering deeper collaboration between these groups. Through interactive professional growth and expertise building sessions, the organizers aimed to facilitate meaningful dialogue and cooperation across professional roles in higher education. This new format highlighted the importance of professional and collective development within the academic community.

Applauding this shift, VMU Vice-Rector for Studies Dr. Simona Pilkienė noted that anything is possible in co-creation and cooperation: Transform4Europe is the space where new solutions and innovations are born in synergy between different ideas and experiences.

“Four years ago, when we were working on the next generation concept of professional development, combining academic and non-academic staff, we weren’t sure if we would be able to successfully implement it, but we did, and it works. Even the European Commission has recognised this professional development concept as unique among all European alliances. I am therefore very pleased that our partnership between the universities in T4EU is gaining speed and that we are seeing real results that are exceptional”, Dr. Pilkienė said.

VMU Rector-Elect, Professor Dr. Ineta Dabašinskienė, Institutional Coordinator of the Transform4Europe Alliance, expressed deep appreciation to the people whose collaborative efforts were invaluable in the organization of this event.

“I am deeply grateful to the T4EU institutional team at VMU, the university’s Communication and Technology Transfer Centre, and VMU Education Academy for their diligent and efficient work organizing an event of this magnitude, which has drawn in people from more than 10 European countries. I’d also like to thank them for their success in seeking out a new model for events where we are able to not only listen but also exchange ideas and practices and learn from one another”, Prof. Dr. Dabašinskienė pointed out.

The conference welcomed speakers and experts from across the Transform4Europe Alliance who, working in groups, shared their expertise on topics ranging from innovative teaching methods and lifelong learning competences to digital learning technologies and resilience skills.

On the opening day, three keynote speakers delivered presentations on a variety of pressing topics. Prof. Dr. Vesna Kovač from Rijeka University (Croatia) spoke about innovative teaching methods and what happens in the backstage of successful students’ performance. Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania) lecturer Kristijonas Jakubsonas discussed the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of AI and how to navigate its promise and pitfalls in education. Prof. Dr. Inga Minelgaitė from Iceland University addressed the issue of focus on results prevalent in education, phenomena such as projectification, and how to deliver real impact.