Ever more Polish general and technical universities create alliances with higher education institutions from other European countries as part of the European Universities Initiative. How does this affect their plans and what opportunities does it create for scientists and students?

The University of Silesia will host scholars from Trieste and Kaunas as visiting professors. Their involvement is the result of cooperation between the University of Silesia and higher education institutions from seven EU countries, with which the Silesian university has formed the ‘Transform4Europe – T4E’ consortium. The consortium operates as part of the European Commission’s European Universities Initiative.

University of Silesia as leader in European consortium’s projects

Although the members of the alliance have only begun to create a common educational offer and opportunities to use their research infrastructure and participate in academic life, it is already known that the Polish university will be the leader in two projects. The aim of one of them is to find solutions that will guarantee the multilingualism of T4E members.

‘In today’s world, it is difficult to imagine using only one language. In order to better understand each other, to carry out research, and to increase the employability of graduates, multilingualism is essential. As a border region, Silesia has always been multilingual. Moreover, we have the fantastic School of Polish Language and Culture, which is authorised to test and certify the command of Polish as a foreign language. We have dynamic philological units, as well,’ explains Jacek Szymik-Kozaczko, the University of Silesia’s spokesperson. The objective of the second project will be to prepare joint study programmes in selected fields of study. ‘In practice, this will mean that a student will be studying at different academic centres, although on a common T4E campus,’ says the spokesperson.

Silesian University of Technology: new opportunities to internationalise research and studies

The Silesian University of Technology (SUT), located in the same region, likewise joined the European Universities Initiative and became part of the EURECA-PRO consortium. Together, the partners want to look for sustainable consumption and production solutions.

‘The consortium is in the process of defining the research subject matter, but it is fairly clear already that it will include, among others, circular economy, recovery and processing of mineral resources, management of mineral resources, recycling, control of production processes, and shaping responsible consumption behaviours,’ says Prof. Marek Pawełczyk, vice rector for science and development. He emphasises that the participation in the consortium would open up new opportunities to internationalise research and studies. The plans include joint research missions, joint student groups formed by students from participating universities, summer schools, and doctoral student visits to all the consortium universities.

Jagiellonian University: common European University, common values

Two universities located in Kraków are partners in European consortia, as well. Last year, the Jagiellonian University in Kraków (JU) became a member of Una Europa.

‘Una Europa is not a network, it is a common university, a common space for development, and common values created by eight leading universities,’ says Hanna Gemza from the university’s International Relations Office. Since its inception, the consortium has been working on the development of several dozen innovative forms of education and mobility. They are created in virtual institutes bringing together academics from the Una Europa thematic areas. So far, the Jagiellonian University has, among others, coordinated the creation of the ‘Future UniLab,’ i.e. a ‘living laboratory’ – a forum for discussion and scientific cooperation in Europe. And now JU scientists are going to launch the Una.Resin project, which aims to create instruments enabling research cooperation or sharing infrastructure and resources. In turn, the ‘DIGITALIZED! Society in the Era of Digital Revolution’ project will entail research on how the digital revolution is changing society.

As the university emphasises, participation in Una Europa opens up new opportunities for the JU staff and students to travel abroad. ‘The current pandemic situation also gives us the opportunity to test new solutions. Students can take part in a pilot virtual mobility project in the winter semester of the academic year 2020/20201,’ Hanna Gemza explains.

AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow: European cooperation on space technologies

This year, AGH University of Science and Technology (AGH UST) became another participant of the European Universities Initiative. Together with four universities – from France, Germany, Luxembourg and Sweden – it created the ‘European Space University for Earth and Humanity UNIVERSEH.’

‘Thanks to gaining the status of a European University, AGH UST is able to cooperate with the other network partners on developing space industry technologies. The consortium will educate, but also conduct research in such areas as telecommunications, climate, and sustainable development of the space sector. The universities will work in fields related to space engineering and space-related business, social sciences, medicine, and art,’ explains Anna Żmuda-Muszyńska, AGH UST spokesperson.

Warsaw University of Technology: modern, international education of engineers

Two Warsaw universities have become co-founders of alliances of European universities. Warsaw University of Technology (WUT) became a part of ENHANCE. Formed by seven technical universities, this consortium will focus on three main issues: digitalisation and artificial intelligence, sustainable cities and communities, and climate action. The solutions developed by the alliance will be later tested by associated partners, e.g. city authorities, NGOs, and businesses. WUT was entrusted with the task of designing the transformation of the education model.

‘Apart from that, the university will be responsible also for the virtual unit whose aim is to create and support the implementation of innovations in the educational process. The unit will, among other things, generate ideas, carry out research and analyses of modern methods of educating engineers, as well as offer training on this subject for academic teachers, students and administrative staff. Warsaw University of Technology will also coordinate tasks related to student participation in the design of the teaching process,’ says Izabela Koptoń-Ryniec, WUT spokesperson.

Participation in the alliance is meant to benefit not only scientists but also students. They will be able to attend online courses and activities prepared by members of the alliance, create international project groups, or take part in workshops and summer schools. ‘Ultimately, every student of Warsaw University of Technology and every partner university is going to gain international experience in the form of mobility, be it physical or virtual,’ the WUT spokesperson adds.

University of Warsaw: over 100 European projects

The 4EU+ Alliance is a consortium that was co-founded by the University of Warsaw (UW) last year. It entails a total of six universities implementing more than 100 projects under four so-called flagship programmes.

‘Teams consisting of academic teachers, students and PhD students from various universities of the 4EU+ Alliance are awarded grants in internal contests. The grants are used to establish educational cooperation and carry out joint projects,’ says Diana Pustuła, head of the UW Office for International Research and Liaison. One of the projects, TRAIN4EU+, starts next year. Its aim is to develop activities that will help strengthen instruments to support research and innovation. This includes improving cooperation with businesses and non-profit organisations or using the concept of open science for promotion purposes.

University of Gdańsk: cooperation helps win grants

Another example is the University of Gdańsk (UG), which together with five other universities created ‘The European University of the Seas’ SEA-EU. Thanks to the participation in the consortium, the UG received a grant to develop solutions that will facilitate cooperation between universities and the economic environment.

‘In the reSEArch-EU project, the main tasks carried out by the University of Gdańsk will include developing a virtual Technology Development Centre to analyse management practices concerning intellectual property rights. Another objective is to build a training programme in the form of Spin-Off Competence Lab to develop awareness of and competence in entrepreneurship among researchers. Finally, we want to create a platform integrating the activities of scientists and business in the field of innovation development as well as test the model of (Marine) Science Shop – an entity that connects the university with its (mainly social) environment and proposes solutions to local problems,’ explains Prof. Anita Oniszczuk, vice-rector for IT development and promotion.

More about the European Universities Initiative and the list of universities participating in alliances HERE

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