Third day of the General Assembly of the European Federation of Catholic Universities at CUC

The work of the Federation, achievements and development in 2026, as well as new planned projects presented

The Catholic University of Croatia (CUC) from 20 to 22 May 2026 is host of the General Assembly of the European Federation of Catholic Universities (FUCE), under the title “Mission of Catholic Universities in Challenging Times” (eng. Inspiring Catholic Universities in Challenging Times), which gathers 67 rectors, vice-rectors and deans as well as experts from sixteen European countries in order to discuss the role of Catholic universities in contemporary society marked by social, cultural and technological changes.

The third day of the General Assembly of the Federation of Catholic Universities (FUCE) had in focus the Session, at which it was discussed about the development and presentation of joint projects of the member Universities within the Federation.

Within the programme, the new FUCE model of double degrees was presented, by which it is intended to encourage international mobility and academic cooperation among the members of the network. The model would enable students to spend part of their studies at a partner university and upon completion obtain two diplomas. The project is conceived as a joint framework which simplifies cooperation among institutions and increases the international attractiveness of Catholic universities in Europe.

Also presented was the previous development of the international summer school “European Humanism in the Making”, an interdisciplinary programme which gathers students and professors of Catholic universities from Europe and beyond. The programme explores themes of European humanism, democracy, identity, art, religion and social responsibility through lectures, workshops and international cooperation, and particular emphasis was placed on current challenges such as artificial intelligence, populism and peacebuilding in Europe.

Also presented was an overview of current activities of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), including international projects, research, conferences and education programmes. The importance of topics of artificial intelligence, academic diplomacy, migrations, social responsibility and the future of Catholic higher education was emphasised.

In addition, the candidacies of universities that wish to join FUCE were presented – the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Nordrhein-Westfalen (katho), the largest church university of applied sciences in Germany, and the Catholic Private University in Linz, an Austrian institution with a long academic tradition in the field of theology, philosophy and art history.