Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra

The meeting was attended by members of the Management Board, as well as local coordinators from partner institutions of the INVEST project – University of Agribusiness and Rural Development, Bulgaria, University of Thessaly, Greece, Karelia University of Applied Sciences, Finland and Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences , Netherlands.

During the meeting, important issues related to the legal documents of the INVEST Alliance (Memorandum of Cooperation), the legal entity of the Alliance, as well as the extent of implementation of the project results at partner universities from the perspective of the Alliance's institutionalization were discussed. However, a substantial part of the meeting was devoted to negotiations on the procedures for creating the final report of the project, as well as the financial and administrative aspects of the project.

The National INVEST day took place as the follow up of the meeting. The event took place in the form of an expert symposium on October 20, 2023, the final day of the stay of representatives of partner universities at SUA. The event was titled "Maximizing the Potential of European University for Sustainable Regions" and, in addition to representatives of partner universities, guests from important foreign institutions, such as the Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Investment, Regional

Development and Informatics of the Slovak Republic, as well as the Attaché for scientific and university cooperation, French Embassy in Slovak Republic for cooperation in the field of science and higher education actively participated in it. 40 participants of the event had the opportunity to participate in professional presentations focused on the importance and potential of universities for the development of Slovak and European rural regions and their sustainability, as well as three expert panel discussions on the topics of Universities as catalysts of sustainable economic growth, universities as drivers of local change and transformation to sustainable community and Universities as facilitators in public governance and policy design and implementation.