EURECA-PRO Review Week 2024
A European Academic Landscape of the Future: In September 2024, around 150 representatives from nine universities across Europe gathered in Freiberg and Mittweida. Under the leadership of Montanuniversität Leoben, the European University Alliance EURECA-PRO (European University on Responsible Consumption and Production) aims to create a common European educational space, promoting cross-border, innovative forms of science.
Partner Universities Met in Freiberg and Mittweida
EURECA-PRO unites the expertise of European universities that focus on sustainability in both research and teaching. The alliance particularly emphasizes the 12th United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, which is to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. The university alliance includes TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Hochschule Mittweida, Hasselt University (Belgium), Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria), Technical University of Crete (Greece), University of León (Spain), Silesian University of Technology (Poland), University of Petroșani (Romania), and Université de Lorraine (France). Representatives of these universities regularly meet during Review Weeks to further develop their collaboration.
Volker Tolkmitt, Rector of Hochschule Mittweida, said:
"The Review Week is a highlight of our alliance's campus life. We are especially delighted that, for the first time, we were able to welcome our partners here in Central Saxony. Our high expectations for the meeting were fully met. We made important strides on our way to becoming an international competence center for sustainable consumption and production and had valuable personal exchanges – a key aspect of our collaboration."
The Program
The working groups focused primarily on joint study programs, research projects, and the establishment of a virtual campus. They also discussed how students could be more involved in the planning of the alliance. Montanuniversität Leoben was represented by a 13-member delegation, including Rector Peter Moser and Vice-Rector for Teaching and International Affairs, Thomas Prohaska.
Susanne Feiel from Montanuniversität Leoben, Strategic Director for International Relations at EURECA-PRO, highlighted the value of regular in-person meetings and the interaction between different European cultures:
“The past few days have impressively shown us that we are part of something larger, something lasting and forward-looking. Our personal meetings continually motivate us and remind us of what we are really working towards. During the week, we made significant progress in developing joint study programs and advancing the Virtual Campus. The motivation and commitment of our alliance to pursue these goals are clearly evident.”
The next meeting of the EURECA-PRO partner universities will take place in 2025 at Université de Lorraine in France.
About EURECA-PRO
EURECA-PRO was founded in 2020. The initiative was inspired by a speech from French President Emmanuel Macron three years earlier. With its core competence in “Sustainable Consumption and Production,” EURECA-PRO addresses the 12th of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. At the same time, the alliance brings people across Europe closer together. Joint study programs have already been developed, allowing students to seamlessly transfer between two or more EURECA-PRO universities through integrated semesters abroad.