E³UDRES², the alliance of European Universities in which UPT is a member, enters the next phase for 2023-2027

E³UDRES²

The European Commission has approved the continuation of funding with an additional 14.4 million euros for the E³UDRES² project, in which Politehnica University Timișoara has been a partner since the beginning. The primary focus of the next phase will be on consolidating existing collaborations and achieving deeper integration of activities among the nine partner institutions.

Launched in the autumn of 2020, the European project E³UDRES² (Engaged European Entrepreneurial University as Driver for European Smart and Sustainable Regions) has established itself as a consortium of six higher education institutions (St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, Austria; Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, Portugal; Politehnica University Timișoara, Romania; Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Hungary; UC Leuven Limburg, Belgium; Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, Latvia). It was later expanded with the inclusion of three more universities (Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Germany; Saxion University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands; JAMK University of Applied Sciences, Finland) that promote the development of small and medium-sized cities and their rural areas, transforming them into smart and sustainable regions, contributing to a prosperous future and improving the quality of life for a progressing European society.

Feeling responsible and recognizing the need to support cohesion and cooperation throughout Europe, the alliance also invited students and staff from three universities in Ukraine and three universities in Albania and Kosovo to join the activities as associated partners. This offers them an opportunity to experience and contribute to the alliance's initiatives and learn from each other.

The alliance brings together universities from nine European countries, along with nearly 40 regional authorities, entrepreneurs, and innovators from the respective regions who have contributed in the last year to identifying priorities. These discussions led to four main priority areas: "Health, Well-being, and Social Inclusion for Regions," "Digital Solutions and Deep Applied Technology for Regions," "Resilient Economy and Innovation for Regions," and "Creative Industries for Regional Identity." The alliance's main objective is to enhance learning flexibility and skill development by applying the "Talent Funnel" principle, providing over 50,000 students and learners from the regions with a comprehensive system of interconnected interdisciplinary formats oriented towards practical entrepreneurship in an international environment. These formats range from short learning "appetizers" to intensive learning and development events, hackathons, boot camps, various living labs, joint courses culminating in micro-credits, and European internships. User-oriented research and support for innovation capacity, start-ups, and regional linkages at both local and European levels represent another crucial foundation for future activities. Developing multiple joint centers of excellence in applied research and joint doctoral schools will increase the research capacity within the alliance.

In this new phase of the E³UDRES² 2.0 project, characterized by highly ambitious indicators, Politehnica University Timișoara will lead the "Research and Knowledge in Service of Users" work package and co-lead the "Talent Development" and "Digitization & Infrastructure" work packages.

All partner universities see the transformative potential of the initiative and have experienced enhanced collaboration capabilities in the last three years. While the first phase allowed the establishment of identity and common values and the consolidation of partnership, the beginning of the new phase will enable the construction of key structures and capacities for the alliance's long-term strategic integration. This includes building a common foundation for quality, the digital transformation of partner universities, joint strategic development, and even joint investments. The following years will bring a substantial expansion of activities and the range of engagements.

Therefore, all relevant stakeholders from the involved regions, students, academic staff, and other European partners are invited to join this exciting journey, aiming to contribute to a better life in European regions, prepare society to address future challenges with new skills and competencies, innovation capacities, and partnership networks in the future