19 Sep 2025

ELI Strengthens Ties with Universities Across Europe

ELI welcomed representatives of universities from Bulgaria, Czechia, Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Montenegro, Germany, Italy, and Romania for the second ELI University Day. The event, hosted at ELI ALPS in Szeged, Hungary highlighted ELI’s growing role as a hub for education and training.

The University Day reflects ELI’s commitment to forging stronger partnerships with higher education institutions across Europe. These collaborations ensure that students and researchers at all levels, from BSc to postdocs, gain access to the state-of-the-art laser technologies that ELI offers.

"High-quality research does not only depend on expertise but also on access to advanced equipment,” says Allen Weeks, ELI Director General. “ELI offers world-class research opportunities through its state-of-the-art technology and equipment and is committed to building partnerships that enable efficient cooperations with universities.”

The ELI University Strategy places a strong emphasis on supporting education and training at all levels from BSc, Msc and PhD students, as well postdoctoral candidates. Key elements of the strategy focus on joint supervision of students, comprehensive internship programmes and hands-on research experiences. ELI has also launched an online courses for students and teachers. A central aim is to expand collaborations beyond borders, ensuring a strong European talent pipeline for the future. ELI has also formalised several cooperation agreements with universities, embedding education and training more firmly into its long-term mission.

“For ELI to be sustainable and competitive, we need a steady flow of students and young researchers,” said Gábor Szabó, Managing Director of ELI ALPS. “Universities supply the talent, while ELI provides the environment to apply it. This connection is vital for building Europe’s next generation of skilled professionals and for turning today’s research opportunities into long-term impact.”

ELI’s university collaborations are already producing tangible results. In Hungary, collaborations with the Universities of Szeged, Pécs, Debrecen, and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics have led to initiatives such as the High Intensity TeraHertz Laboratory in Pécs and more than 50 joint publications. In the Czech Republic ELI works closely with the Czech Technical University through joint PhD programmes, lectures, and conferences. There are also strong connections with the University of Montenegro in the form of joint publications and events. In Italy, a joint PhD programme and MSc thesis topics were launched with the Politecnico di Milano, while in Poland the Candela Foundation delivered a popular online lecture series on ELI that attracted strong student participation.

By aligning with universities across Europe, ELI is strengthening its position not just as a world-class research infrastructure, but also as a driver of education and training for future generations of scientists.