The 7th edition of the CEEDUCON (Central European Education Conference) conference was successfully held in Prague, under the auspices of the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research (DZS). More than 1,000 representatives from universities, student organisations, National Agencies for Education, Ministries, EU policymakers, and other stakeholders gathered at this record edition to exchange on a range of topics in international higher education.
In the “Smart & Sustainable International Cooperation” thematic area, the SET consortium proudly held a panel on “Enabling Green Mobility: Student Perspectives and University Practices”. In this data-driven, solution-oriented session, we presented recent data on student mobility trends, including top destinations, identified main barriers to choosing sustainable transportation alternatives and shared best practices to accelerate the green transition in international mobility. According to the SET student survey, 52% of respondents travelled green, defined funding as the primary decision-making factor for green mobility, and recommended that information about all types of financing be shared as early as possible.
Initiatives from Charles University, the 5th most demanded university within the Erasmus+ programme, were highlighted as a case study of how to successfully embed environmental sustainability into internationalisation processes, alongside other institutional initiatives. These range from embedding sustainable development in curricula to small-grant competitions, podcasts, research activities, and updating informational materials, among others. Interestingly, the uptake of the green travel grant in recent years has shown significant progress (from 26% in 2023/2024 to 37% in 2024/2025).
The discussion concluded with several takeaways. Understanding students’ barriers to green mobility is the first step towards tailoring appropriate measures to enable it both at the national and European levels. Secondly, celebrating student success stories and empowering responsible behaviours at each phase of the mobility are key to a transformative experience for a long-lasting, positive impact. This is why it is essential for universities and other stakeholders to join the green mobility movement and relay the SET project’s messages long after its lifecycle, by capitalising on existing open-access resources and campaign materials.
The session recording and presentation are available on the conference website.