After submitting the proposal for E³UDRES² 2.0 - the roadmap for deepening and extending the collaboration and actions of the E³UDRES² partnering institutions - to the European Commission ealier this year, the long wait for the decision on the funding is now over. The consortium was successful in convincing the commission with its ambitious application: The work of the alliance will definitely continue until 2027 and get supported with funding of around 14.4 million euros. The main focus of the next phase will lie on intensifying the existing cooperation of the now nine full partner universities.
Deepened collaboration
"With the extension of our excellence initiative E³UDRES² until 2027, we can further expand the network and thus make an important contribution to strengthening the innovative power in European regions," states Hannes Raffaseder, lead coordinator of E³UDRES² and CEO of St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, in a press release issued recently by the university. In addition to the existing nine E³UDRES² partnering institutions, the network will also have 36 associated partners in the next phase, including three Ukrainian universities and three universities from the Western Balkans. "The great effort of the E³UDRES² team and more than 30 letters of support from various ministries, companies and institutions have paid off. We are very happy about the confirmation of the work done so far and the continuation of the Alliance," says Raffaseder.
a look into the future
With the next phase of the alliance starting in October 2023, the focus areas and research networks of E³UDRES² will include the topics "Health, Wellbeing and Social Inclusion", "Digital Solutions & (Applied) Deep Tech", "Resilient Economy & Innovation", and "Creative Industries for Regions' Identity". In addition, four new joint degrees and two new doctoral programmes will be launched. "With established formats such as the I Living Labs, Bootcamps and Hackathons, we promote close exchange between students, researchers and teachers on an international and interdisciplinary level," states Raffaseder, revealing the continuation of these student-centered formats. Entering the next phase of the alliance, E³UDRES² will also 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.
The E³UDRES² team would like to once again 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. We look forward to the exciting activities and developments ahead.
Find the official statement from E³UDRES² on the approval of the funding here.
