PIONEERing Leadership for Transformation in Higher Education

With leadership pilots underway in areas such as ecosystem co-creation, equality, diversity and inclusion, international mobility and competence development, the Alliance continues to pave the way for transformative change across Europe’s higher education landscape.

The sub-project “Transformative Leadership” of the PIONEER Alliance brought together over 40 representatives from all ten member universities for a workshop in Cologne. As part of the PIONEER Work Package 3, the gathering focused on advancing leadership pilots and fostering cross-border collaboration to shape the future of higher education.

Organized by and hosted by TH Köln in collaboration with Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Finland), the event spotlighted the Alliance’s commitment to transformative leadership – an approach that emphasizes inclusivity, participation, and sustainable change. In her opening remarks, Prof. Dr. Sylvia Heuchemer, President of TH Köln, underscored the importance of shared leadership: “Transformative leadership is essential for universities like ours, as it means creating spaces for participation, embracing diversity, and actively shaping change. Within PIONEER, it takes on a central role: only through shared leadership across borders we can develop solutions that make our cities more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable.”

Concepts for pilot projects on leadership in several areas

In a brainstorming session, participants developed initial concepts for pilot projects that could be implemented in their institutions. The predefined areas for these projects included Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), Ecosystem-(Co)Creation, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Mobility, and Competence Development. Agile collaboration and democratization were also identified as relevant areas. These ideas are not only to be pursued internally at the universities, but also expanded through cooperation with external stakeholders such as companies and civil society actors, as Prof. Dr. Franz Krönig of TH Köln, Co-Lead of the work package, emphasized: “Bringing together colleagues from ten European countries to explore how leadership can become truly transformative is, in itself, a powerful and transformative process. This gathering marks an important step toward a shared European, inter-institutional effort – not only to transform leadership in universities, but also to redefine their role as catalysts and orchestrators of transformation within their ecosystems.”

The workshop featured exchanges among management, faculty, administrative staff, and students with a strong emphasis on co-creation and student engagement. Prof. Sylvie Chevrier, Deputy Vice-President International of Université Gustave Eiffel and Coordinator of the PIONEER Alliance, praised the commitment of the participants: “This workshop was another step forward in deepening collaboration among PIONEER members by engaging new participants, including students, to enhance transformative leadership throughout the Alliance. The high level of commitment and vibrant exchange of ideas to develop pilots demonstrated the Alliance potential and the dedication of its members.”

Student’s perspectives included

Student voices played a central role in the discussions, reinforcing the Alliance’s belief in participatory leadership. Antonia Fischer, a student at TH Köln, emphasized the value of student input: “The perspectives and opinions of students are key drivers for climate-friendly, practical teaching, and their active involvement strengthens innovation and quality in their studies and careers.”

Marco Reichardt, also a student at TH Köln, added: “Transformation in higher education requires fairness and participation in order to enable a peaceful, democratic, and sustainable future for this world.”

Outlook

"This collaborative workshop marked a significant step toward a shared European, inter-institutional collaboration. When diverse expertise comes together, new connections, discussions and innovative ideas emerge. The workshop demonstrated that collaboration isn't just a method—it's a catalyst for meaningful change. The co-created pilot projects will enrich student learning experiences and generate lasting, positive impact across the surrounding ecosystem. In November, the leadership pilot ideas developed during this workshop will be presented to international stakeholders from business, industry, social services, civil society, and city administrations to gather their feedback”, describes Taru Maamies, the WP3 leader form Laurea University of Applied Sciences, outlining the next steps.