There is a modernisation process ongoing at the universities in Europe. The necessity of modernising the universities does not imply that all have to go the same way or that all universities need to become similar in organisational setup, orientation and priorities. But, with the concept of the knowledge triangle in mind, the European universities generally need to modernise so that education, research and innovation are regarded as apparent tasks for the universities, with recognition of the value of further interaction and interplay between these tasks. This is a challenge for many. Status quo is not an option.To begin with, the issue of the knowledge triangle and the meaning of it, is important to bring up on the agenda. More specifically, concrete examples and subsequent discussions are planned in two dimensions during the conference.First, thematically, where four broad areas of science are dealt with in parallel sessions (life sciences/health; social sciences; technology/IT; humanities/fine arts). Knowledge transfer and information flow may look and operate different in different disciplines or areas of science. These differences must be taken into account; there is no single formula which can be applied upon all disciplines, all universities in all European countries.Following that line, secondly, there will also be parallel sessions where regional examples are put forward and where we discuss how the better integration within the knowledge triangle can support modernisation of universities from a regional perspective. Particular regions in UK, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Sweden will be in focus.In this way it is the goal of the organisers to highlight the concept of the knowledge triangle on the political agenda, to inspire policy makers and representatives at European universities and provide concrete examples of good practise from various scientific fields as well as different geographical regions.