What we do

Find out more about what the E³UDRES² European University is all about.

CREATING FUTURE UNIVERSITIES, SHAPING SMART & SUSTAINABLE REGIONS

The higher education institutions working together in E³UDRES² aim to co-create outstanding ideas and concepts for future universities, set up formats and events introducing challenge-based education, bring together researchers for mission-oriented research, and serve as a platform for human-centered innovation. All these concepts are contributing to the vision of E³UDRES² creating a multi-university campus across Europe.

With the full name of E³UDRES² being "Engaged and Entrepreneurial European University for European Smart and Sustainable Regions", the main focus topics are already mentioned: Through its collective power, knowledge, experience and expertise, E³UDRES² aims to help small and medium-sized European cities turn into what we call "Smart & Sustainable Regions". These are regions that are future-proof, offer the best possible quality of life for its citizens, and stand for a progressive European society. Deeply embedded into those smart & sustainable regions, there's higher education institutions that also need to re-think the way they operate, how they educate their students, and what they stand for to be ready for the challenges the future holds - the Future Universities.

Challenge-based Educational Formats

Almost all E³UDRES² formats have one thing in common: They are based on real-life regional challenges that come for example from local businesses, university members, or engaged citizens. Working on these challenges, participants of the E³UDRES² events not only get to know people from around Europe, further develop their skills, and get the chance to work in interdisciplinary teams, but also actively contribute to solving the challenges European regions are facing.

Find out more about the E³UDRES² formats

Further Focus Areas

With the overarching themes of "Smart and Sustainable Regions" as well as "Future Universities", the E³UDRES² alliance aims to support European regions in making them innovative, future-proof places for all. In connection to these themes, E³UDRES² is focusing on four further topics:

Health, Wellbeing and Social Inclusion for Regions

Many urgent societal challenges arise from an ageing society, rural exodus and migration, as well as from substantial gaps between urban areas and rural regions. Technologies and innovation contribute to and serve the European values and their realisation in people’s life, ideally empowering and strengthening democracy. E³UDRES² aims to support in developing, highlighting and sharing good practices from its regions, addressing forms of neighbourhood support and the resiliency of small communities.

Digital Solutions and (Applied) Deep Tech for Regions

In line with the European Commission’s priority for “A Europe fit for the digital age”, this focus area deals with enabling and developing frameworks for several regional challenges. The development and deployment of these technologies in real products and services for society and economy, as well as the skills needed for people to use, implement and further explore them, are the key to overcoming regional challenges.

Resilient Economy and Innovation for Regions

In line with the European Commission’s priorities for “A European Green Deal” and “An economy that works for people”, this focus area addresses the challenges of developing and implementing infrastructures, living and working environments, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture and food production which are resilient, green, innovative, supported and enhanced by digitalisation, attractive for people, and strongly connected in a path of regional development. The full potential of the green and digital transition can only be exploited by designing and developing the future of different economic sectors with a strongly connected, overarching, interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach to education, research and innovation.

Creative Industries for Region’s Identity

In line with current European flagship activities like the New European Bauhaus, this topic reflects the fact that creativity is one of the most important key competencies of our time. Moreover, the role of cultural and creative spillovers as cross-sectorial innovation motors is widely acknowledged as a stimulant in society and the wider economy. Creative industries are not only important for region’s identity and the preservation of their cultural heritage, but they have been one of the first to experiment and adopt digital technologies as well. The particularly high number of self-employed people and SMEs in this sector, as well as the high affinity for remote work, co-working and other approaches of New Work offers numerous opportunities for S²-regions to strengthen innovation capacity and create future-oriented jobs.

Vision & Mission

The E³UDRES² Alliance is exemplary as an engaged and entrepreneurial European university that responds to the social, environmental, and economic challenges of the 21st century and is committed to sustainable development goals. It acts as a living laboratory for the society of the future in progressive European regions and connects research, innovation, education and service to the community.

Download the full Vision & Mission of E³UDRES² here
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the "E³UDRES² Universe"

The collaboration of higher education institutions in the E³UDRES² Alliance has already led to the creation of many further projects, focusing on topics such as innovation and entrepreneurship or capacity building. Through these projects, E³UDRES² can further focus on specific challenges of its regions and support meaningful development.

E.I.N.S.

The E³UDRES² Entrepreneurship and Innovation Network for Smart and Sustainable European Regions focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation in higher education.

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Ent-r-e-novators

The Ent-r-e-novators project aims to bridge the gap between entrepreneurs, researchers, educators and innovators.

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UASHome

UASHome aims to support Universities of Applied Sciences on their way to becoming central drivers for Digital Health innovation. The project strives to build a regional and European innovation community filled with entrepreneurial minds in the sphere of Digital Health.

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Accelerate Future HEI

Accelerate Future HEI will develop and test acceleration services, to equip Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with the skills and capacity to drive institutional transformation towards becoming more entrepreneurial and innovative institutions over the next four years.

➝ Find out more

How E³UDRES² is organized: Our Teams and Work Packages

Individuals from all E³UDRES² partner universities work together across all disciplines to achieve its missions and fulfill its visions. In line with its core principles, E³UDRES² attaches great importance to co-design and co-create the proposed desired multi-university together with all members, associated partners and other relevant stakeholders. Therefore, all members are involved in all research and administrative actions to a comparable extent. Every institution in E³UDRES² takes responsibility for specific tasks and goals the alliance wants to achieve together.

At the moment, the work within E³UDRES² is shared among ten teams (internally called "Work Packages"), handling various tasks and working on different topics:

The team working on General Management and Coordination guarantees effective project management by ensuring that the coordination aligns with the defined project plan for the alliance, activities are carried out within the planned budget, and deliverables are timely prepared, in addition to overseeing general project management responsibilities.

In this team, the focus is on implementing a E³UDRES² Multi-i-Campus for flexible learning. This involves providing Joint Learning Provisions, including Joint Degrees and Micro-credentials, offering E³UDRES²-labelled shared lectures, and establishing a E³UDRES² Mobility Model for the alliance.

The team working on the topic of "Smart Learners" primarily aims to cultivate entrepreneurial minds and innovation competences in Smart Learners through diverse learning formats, including I Living Labs, Hackathons, International Engagement Circus, and E³UDRES² European internships.

The goals of this team include establishing Joint Doctoral Programs and Joint Applied Research Centres of Excellence, revising the E³UDRES² Research strategy, restructuring the 4 E³UDRES² Research Networks with newly defined Focus Areas, and contributing to capacity development with a focus on engaging students in research activities.

This group aims to co-create a cross-European network of regionally anchored Open Innovation Hubs, fostering regional innovation ecosystems and connecting them across Europe. Through their work, the team wants to strengthen entrepreneurial mindsets and innovation capacities, contribute to entrepreneurial education, innovation, research, and management, along with influencing policies on both regional and European levels.

This team is responsible for establishing the E³UDRES² Think Tank for Future University, analyzing policies, tracking trends, and envisioning the E³UDRES² European University's future while working on the collaborative development of long-term strategy, joint governance, and sustainable business models with staff, students, and stakeholders, including integrating Higher Education Institutions with associated partner status from the Western Balkans and Ukraine.

The team working on "Capacity Building" focuses on enhancing capacity building in partner universities, including associated partners from Ukraine and the Western Balkans, by establishing a virtual Joint Support Centre. The responsibilities of the team further involve creating networking formats for Best Practice exchange among E³UDRES² partners, offering training programs to enhance skills relevant to alliance objectives, and providing diverse training and formats to develop European civic skills, deepen understanding of the EU's political context, and increase intercultural competencies at partner institutions.

One of the crucial priorities for an enhanced and better integrated cooperation, open and flexible learning and recognition of achieved results requires a well-prepared quality assurance and management system, considering a feasible approach to a joint system or to (joint) studies accreditation. Within the scope of the responsibilities of this team, the development of a methodology to assess the influence of E³UDRES² and its partners in their respective regions is a key focus area.

Green transition of European HEIs is only possible by using the tools of digital era in research, teaching, and innovation. The objective of the team "Digitalisation and Infrastructure" is to enable and deepen the integration of E³UDRES² alliance collaboration by developing it on a strong digital foundation. With the help of digital capabilities and infrastructures, the geographically widespread E³UDRES² alliance can operate and continue to develop its learning, teaching, research, and innovation activities, as well as the participation of stakeholders.

The task of the individuals working on "Interaction, Impact and Dissemination" is to ensure E³UDRES² is known throughout the individual institutions and beyond, as well as sustainabily anchored within the institutions. This team also works on everything marketing-related, manages our E³UDRES² social media channels, monitors impact, collaborates with campus media and produces merchandise and graphics for the alliance.

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