At the end of January, the application for the extension of the E³UDRES² European University Alliance was successfully submitted to the European Commission. With the current funding period of the "first phase" of E³UDRES² coming to an end in September 2023, the alliance already looks forward to the great plans it has to strengthen the collaboration between the partnering institutions for another 4 years and beyond.
The next phase of E³UDRES² aims to intensify and deepen the collaboration between all partners involved - including the three new partners (Fulda UAS, Saxion UAS and Jyväskylä UAS) that were invited to the alliance throughout 2022. The next phase of E³UDRES² ("E³UDRES² 2.0") will enhance a range of the main focus areas, missions and research networks: E³UDRES² learning, teaching, research and innovation activities will regard mainly topics such as Health, Wellbeing and Social Inclusion for Regions, Digital Solutions & (Applied) Deep Tech for Regions, Resilient Economy & Innovation for Regions, and Creative Industries for Regions’ Identity.
Creating "E³UDRES² 2.0"
The alliance also plans to pilot 20 micro-credentials for diverse target groups, create 4 joint degrees within the mentioned focus areas, and offer more than 100 E³UDRES² European internships. Established E³UDRES² formats such as the I Living Labs, Bootcamps, Hackathons and iResidencies will also be part of E³UDRES² 2.0 and systemised together with some new ones (e.g. Future Learning Appetisers) within the overall concept of the newly created E³UDRES² Talent Funnel. Research activities will support relevant research groups in addressing challenges within key focus areas. There is an ambition to join powers within joint doctoral schools and the launch of Applied Research Centres of Excellence, a cross-alliance structure with outstanding achievements. The E³UDRES² alliance will continue to strengthen its interaction with regional ecosystems, entrepreneurs and innovators, aiming to further shape a network of E³UDRES² Open Innovation Hubs reflecting regional development strategies. New formats such as the E³UDRES² Leadership Forum will be supported through networking events, stronger exchange, peer learning and training. "Within this promising second stage of the E³UDRES² alliance we want to strengthen its structures for scaling up many innovative approaches in order to reach a majority of students, engage with regional ecosystems, and build a basis for long-term development beyond the EU support", says Michal Karpisek, Senior Policy Officer for E³UDRES² based at St. Pölten UAS, Austria. “It was great to experience the commitment of a wide range of colleagues, including smooth integration of new partners who have substantially enhanced the E³UDRES² capacity.”
Enhancing the network
In addition to its 9 full partners, E³UDRES² 2.0 will engage 36 associated partners from relevant regional stakeholders. Special attention is paid to the support of three Ukrainian universities and three Universities from the Western Balkans. Particularly noteworthy is the broad commitment that the alliance has received during the development of the new application: More than 30 letters of support from various ministries, companies and institutions were also sent to the EU Commission together with the 120-page application document. The decision on the application by the EU is expected in June/July 2023.
The E³UDRES² team would like to especially thank all colleagues, students and regional stakeholders who have actively contributed to this ambitious application throughout the last year, brought an incredible number of creative ideas, and showed their commitment in fine-tuning the proposal.
Links
➞ European Universities Initiative
