For 12 days, 26 students from 11 countries and 14 universities, both from within and outside the INGENIUM Alliance, have come together at the “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași, under the framework of the international symposium BEST – International Symposium, “Empowered Diversity: International Mobility, Wellbeing and Inclusive Campus Cultures”.
In an ever more interconnected Europe, but marked by visible socio-economic disparities, access to student mobility programmes often remains a privilege restricted by invisible barriers. To identify solutions for these challenges the Local Group BEST Iași, alongside the ’’Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași (TUIASI), as a partner of the event has organized the 2026 edition of BEST Iași Symposium (BIS) – an international event of academic debate held between 11-22 July 2026.
The international Romania: interdisciplinarity and diversity
The symposium transformed the university’s campus into a veritable laboratory of ideas. The central theme of this year’s edition was inclusive mobility programmes, the way in which programmes like Erasmus+ can become truly accessible for all students, no matter where they come from.
A remarkable characteristic of this edition was the synergy between highly varied fields: from engineering, biotechnology and law, to psychotherapy, acting and international relations. This diversity of perspectives has allowed tackling academic mobility not just as an educational opportunity, but also as a complex mechanism of social integration and personal development.
From theory to real change: the three pillars of the research
The strategic aims of the symposium were anchored directly in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) established by the UN:
- Equitable access and diversity (SDG 10 & SDG 5) – identifying the financial, structural, linguistic, and informational barriers that limit access to mobility programmes for disadvantaged students;
- Innovation, employability, and decent work (SDG 4, 8 & 9) – analyzing the role of international mobility in the transition to the labor market, internships, master’s-level mobility, and the protection of students’ rights as temporary workers;
- Inclusive campus culture and well-being (SDG 11 & 17) – exploring how universities, NGOs, and the private sector can collaboratively build a support ecosystem for mobile students, ranging from well-being and academic recognition to strategic partnerships.
An intensive programme: research work and multicultural experience
The 12 days of the symposium were rich in experiences, with academic sessions and practical writing workshops, with guided visits to iconic locations of Iași, like the “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași Library and the Botanical Garden—day trips and social activities designed to strengthen group cohesion.
Results and future projects
The tangible outcome of the international symposium is the research paper developed by the three working teams, titled “International Mobility, Well-being, and an Inclusive Campus Culture within the BEST Network & INGENIUM Alliance” which comprises three parts: “Equitable Access and Diversity in European Mobility”, “Mobility as a Driver for Employability, Innovation, and Decent Work” and “Inclusive Campus Cultures, Wellbeing, and Strategic Partnerships”.
This document is to be disseminated to partner university networks and decision-makers in the European education sector, to serve as a practical guide for creating more inclusive university policies.
BEST Iași Symposium 2026 succeeded in bringing together 26 participating students from 14 European universities, as well as an entire organizing team, around a significant topic: ensuring genuine accessibility to academic mobility for students from diverse backgrounds. Through their involvement, participants linked theoretical concepts regarding the Sustainable Development Goals with concrete experiences, proposing avenues for improvement ranging from emergency funds and language training to closer partnerships between universities, NGOs, and the private sector.
Event part of the project: TUIASI Global-Connect: Smart Digitalisation and Multicultural Integration of Technical Higher Education in Iași, code CNFIS-FDI-2026-F-0593
