At the 2025 AEC Annual Congress in Salzburg, IN.TUNE brought together leaders and students from all eight partner universities to show how long-term international cooperation can actively transform higher music education institutions. The panel offered a candid look at how institutions are navigating alliance developments — celebrating progress, addressing challenges, and leading change with purpose. It also highlighted what makes IN.TUNE’s approach distinct compared to other international initiatives, and how AEC members and other institutions in the sector can draw practical inspiration from the alliance’s emerging experiences.

The first in a series of eight national dissemination events within the European University Alliance IN.TUNE was held in Belgrade, hosted by the Faculty of Music, University of Arts. Organised within the long-established international conference of the Department of Musicology, Music in Socio-Cultural Turmoil, the event gathered artists, scholars, and students from across Europe to explore music’s role in contemporary society.

Through keynote lectures, concerts, and a wide-reaching panel on innovation and integration, participants reflected on how universities in the arts can connect education, research, and social engagement. The programme included a music performance of Echoes of Resistance, featuring Damjan Jovičin as both composer and performer, and a talk titled The Politics of Open Scores, led by Cristina Cubells (ESMUC).