A Vibrant Start
Aurora students from across Europe came together in Innsbruck for an unforgettable combination of academic engagement, sport, and cultural exchange. The event began with a relaxed and welcoming evening by the lake, offering students the chance to connect informally before the official start.
The following morning featured interactive sessions at UIBK, encouraging cross-disciplinary dialogue and fresh perspectives. The conference continued at the USI Sports Campus with a keynote lecture on Health & Well-Being: The Role of Sports & Mental Health, exploring the vital connection between physical activity and mental resilience in student life.
In the evening, participants joined the UIBK Summer Festival, a lively celebration with live music, food trucks, games, and plenty of opportunities to meet, network, and enjoy the summer atmosphere.
Sport, Collaboration, and International Spirit
On 27 and 28 June, the AURORA OPEN continued with two full days of Beach Volleyball Tournaments, offering an exciting and active component to the program. Alongside the matches, students also took part in the Student Peer Learning Activity titled “Together We Learn, Together We Rise”, which encouraged collaborative reflection, mutual support, and sharing of experiences across cultures and disciplines.
The tournament featured teams from six AURORA universities:
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain)
- Universität Innsbruck (Austria)
- University of Iceland (Iceland)
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci (Czech Republic)
- Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)
Evenings were dedicated to the social programme, including a relaxed burger party and a heartfelt farewell gathering, where students and organizers came together to celebrate the end of a successful first edition of the AURORA OPEN.
And the winner Is …
After two exciting and intense days of competition, the beach volleyball tournament concluded with outstanding performances from all participating teams.
In the women's tournament, the results were as follows:
• 1st Place: Czech it out (Palacký University Olomouc)
• 2nd Place: Jamonas (Universitat Rovira i Virgili)
• 3rd Place: Die Unsellerieösen (University of Innsbruck)
• 4th Place: Sandy Sisters (University of Iceland)
In the men's tournament, the winners were:
• 1st Place: URV (Universitat Rovira i Virgili)
• 2nd Place: JBG (University of Innsbruck)
• 3rd Place: Bananenflanken (University of Innsbruck)
• 4th Place: Zwergkekse (University of Innsbruck)
• 5th Place: Networker (University of Innsbruck)
• 6th Place: Die Außenseite (University of Innsbruck)
• 7th Place: Die Salzigen (University of Innsbruck)
• 8th Place: Team Winner (Copenhagen Business School)
The level of play, team spirit, and fair competition across all matches was truly impressive. Congratulations to all the teams for their commitment, energy, and collaboration throughout the event.
