The 2026 ENLIGHT staff week hosted by the University of the Basque Country will cover three strands. It will be an apportunity to bring together three administrative units in a collective peer-learning exercise. Hopefully this staff week will be a cooperative effort to bring together best practice examples and propositions to enhance quality and improvement in daily tasks. 

Administrative units hosting the 2026 ENLIGHT Staff training week at EHU: 

• Welcome services for international researchers and staff (Administrative unit: International Relations Office)
• Professional recognition of participation in internationalization activities (academic & administrative) (Administrative Unit: ENLIGHT European University management staff).
• Building an institutional visual identity (Administrative unit: Communications office).

Staff Training week dates: October 13th to 15th

Travel days: October 12 (Please note: this is a National Bank holiday)  and 16th (Friday)

13-15 October 2026, for group sessions

16 October 2026, customised bilateral meetings on demand 

Venue: Donostia-San Sebastián (Spain)

Carlos Santamaría building (Campus Library)

ABOUT DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIÁN

Strand 1: International Relations

Theme: Welcome services for international researchers and staff

Introduction: 

We would like to raise discussions on the topic we have chosen. Also, participants should introduce themselves and their institutions´ services and resources related to the topic.  

Applicants should propose a subject to present (see next columns) and the sessions will be organized and arranged according to the session themes selected. We are looking for participants willing to present creative ways to assist international visitors and off the beaten track initiatives to foster peer-learning. 

Candidates profile:

University officers related to Welcome Services for international researchers and staff, who can share their experience and best practices on the topics herein described.  

What will be expected from participants:

Candidates are requested to suggests a presentation related to topics such as:  

• Range of onboarding / welcome / integration services provided,  
• housing options and aid schemes,  
• university internal coordination structures (welcome centre- research/staff units),  
• integration activities (mentoring programmes, language tandems, etc.),  
• activities as Euraxess contact point,  
• ways to create and keep connected an international community 
• programmes for families (spouses and children) 
• communication strategies (general tools and ways to adapt communication policies to new generations) 
• strategies to retain international researchers and staff. 

Strand 2: European Universities

Theme: Professional recognition schemes for participation in Internationalization initiatives (academic recognition + administrative recognition) 

Introduction: 

International cooperation programmes offer funding for travel, organizational costs, cooperative tools design, and others. We would like to address the ways in which institutions recognize this participation in the academic and administrative careers, beyond the funding available in the project.  

The programme will include sessions  on: (1) short presentations of each regulatory and internal management context, resources and limitations applying to academic and administrative career paths (2) identification of challenges and limitations to internally acknowledge staff´s participation in European Universities´ activities, including project-related tasks and other cooperative actions (including legal, technical, conceptual challenges) and (3) drafting of proposals to try to overcome some of the challenges mentioned earlier. 

Candidates profile:

• Administrative staff working in the management and coordination of internationalization initiatives. 
• Career service officers or managers working in the field of professional development and university career services 

What will be expected from participants:

To present the career opportunities and professional recognition schemes at their university, both for administrative and for academic participation in European Universities activities 

To have some knowledge or experience on the professional development schemes in place at their institution (including basic knowledge of regulations and/or internal career promotion opportunities 

To work in groups to identify the potentialities and challenges in place at different universities and propose potential solutions or creative ways to implement some kind of recognition (academic and/or administrative) for participants in European Universities´ activities 

Strand 3: Communications Office

Theme: How we (should) build our visual identity 

Introduction: 

Visual identity is part of the deeper identity of our universities, the outward sign of the inward commitment, serving to remind of its purpose. 

We would like to analyse with you our Corporate Visual Identity Systems, from the corporate name; symbol or logo; typography; colour; and slogan/motto; to the brand implementation across diferent channels. We would like to discuss the problems we find to standardise or implement our visual identity’s musts, how often we update it; what kind of brand guidelines we have… 
In short, the aim is to take a closer look at our corporate identity systems, explore how we manage them and learn from examples of good practice. 

Candidates profile:

Members of the communication teams in charge of their university visual identity (not only designers) 

What will be expected from participants:

Candidates are request to prepare a presentation that include the main items of the brand guidelines: logos architecture (main logo and other logos, such as those of faculties and departments): brand’s graphic elements (typography, colours, grids) and examples of implementation on different assets. 

Those presentations will give us the opportunity to carry on reflecting on the best ways to achieve a consistent brand application. 

For questions and requests, please contact

enlight@ehu.eus

Please, fill in our application form