Universidade Lusófona Takes Centre Stage at FilmEU Summit 2026

FilmEU Summit 2026 took place this year at the campuses of LUCA School of Arts in Brussels. The Summit brought together students, academics, researchers, artists, and industry professionals from across the FilmEU Alliance for three inspiring days of collaboration, debate, and creativity.

Held under the theme "ENACT CHANGE – Weaving the A(rts) into STEM", this year's summit explored how the arts can transform STEM education by fostering creativity, critical thinking, storytelling, and imagination, creating new opportunities for interdisciplinary teaching, research, and innovation.

Over five days, the programme featured keynote lectures, working group presentations, panel discussions, exhibitions, workshops, and networking opportunities. The second edition of the FilmEU Film Festival also celebrated emerging filmmaking talent from around the world, attracting nearly 200 submissions.

The summit opened with welcome addresses by Veerle Van der Sluys, President of LUCA School of Arts, and Manuel José Damásio, FilmEU Coordinator and Head of the Department of Film and Media Arts, who reaffirmed the alliance's commitment to building a truly European university for film, media, and the arts.

The opening keynote, entitled "Enact Change – Weaving the A(rts) into STEM", was delivered by Professor Katrien Kolenberg (KU Leuven), who explored how artistic thinking can enrich science education and inspire new approaches to addressing complex societal challenges.

This was followed by a keynote from Fabienne Beernaert, researcher and lecturer at LUCA School of Arts, focusing on creativity and imagination as drivers of social transformation. She presented an inspiring vision of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary education for a regenerative future, demonstrating how arts education develops the skills, competencies, and attitudes essential to the ever-evolving STEAM landscape.

The opening day also featured the presentation of the new joint Bachelor's Degree in Music and Sound by the WP6 working group, showcasing one of FilmEU's latest collaborative educational initiatives designed to expand cross-border learning opportunities.

On the second day, participants were introduced to the FilmEU Offices, followed by the inauguration of FilmEU Inc., marking a new phase of collaboration and research across the alliance. The programme also included presentations from FilmEU's dynamic clusters, including "Animating Together", "EU-Script", and "On Essayism", demonstrating innovative approaches to artistic research and creative collaboration among partner institutions.

A major milestone of the summit was the official launch of the FilmEU Observatory, an important new initiative that will support research, data collection, and knowledge sharing across Europe's audiovisual and creative sectors.

The final day highlighted the alliance's commitment to inclusion, student engagement, and international collaboration. Linda Carroll and Christina Reynolds (IADT) presented "FilmEU Without Borders: Stories, Impact and Next Steps", showcasing the achievements and future ambitions of one of FilmEU's flagship initiatives.

This was followed by a WP5 session on "FilmEU Inclusive", where Dovilė Lapinskaitė (LMTA), Linda Carroll (IADT), and Erasmus Mundus REPLAY Master's student Angela Wu discussed equity, diversity and inclusion, student support services, and the importance of student voices in shaping the future of higher education.

The programme also featured the presentation of the AGORA Position Paper: "Mapping the Narrative of STEAM", encouraging dialogue on the growing importance of integrating artistic perspectives into science and technology education.

Throughout the summit, participants also enjoyed the second edition of the FilmEU Film Festival, celebrating the creativity and diversity of emerging filmmakers from FilmEU member institutions, the alliance's joint programmes, and partner universities in Ukraine (SUMDU and I.K. Karpenko) and Armenia (SAFAA and YSITC). Once again, the festival demonstrated the power of storytelling to connect cultures, inspire dialogue, and showcase the next generation of European creative talent.

Across three days of inspiring discussions, innovative presentations, and artistic exchange, FilmEU Summit 2026 reaffirmed the alliance's mission to shape the future of higher education by placing creativity at the heart of innovation. By integrating the arts into STEM disciplines, FilmEU continues to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, empower its international community, and contribute to building a more inclusive, sustainable, and imaginative future for Europe.