La Rochelle Université awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to Mariya Gabriel, former European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, in recognition of her contribution to European cooperation in higher education, research and innovation.
The ceremony brought together institutional representatives, members of the academic community, students and partners to celebrate Mariya Gabriel’s commitment to strengthening the European Higher Education Area and supporting initiatives that foster cooperation between universities across Europe.
Recognising a commitment to European universities
After serving as a Member of the European Parliament, Mariya Gabriel was European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society from 2017 to 2019, before becoming Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth between 2019 and 2023.
During her mandate, the European Universities Initiative became one of the European Union’s flagship programmes for higher education, encouraging universities to build long-term alliances based on excellence in education, research, innovation and societal engagement. Today, EU-CONEXUS is one of these European University Alliances, bringing together partner universities around the shared objective of promoting the sustainable development of coastal regions.
A dialogue with the academic community
Following the official ceremony, Mariya Gabriel delivered a lecture entitled “European Union Policies for Research, Innovation and Youth: Achievements and Perspectives”, before taking part in a question-and-answer session with the audience.
The visit concluded with a meeting between Mariya Gabriel and students from La Rochelle Université and EU-CONEXUS, offering an opportunity to discuss European mobility, research, innovation and the future of higher education in Europe.
Celebrating the European dimension of higher education
The awarding of an Honorary Doctorate to Mariya Gabriel reflects La Rochelle Université’s commitment to European cooperation and recognises the importance of initiatives that strengthen collaboration between higher education institutions across Europe.
For the EU-CONEXUS community, the ceremony also highlighted the shared ambition of European university alliances: to provide students, researchers and staff with new opportunities for collaboration while contributing to the major societal challenges facing Europe.
