Three years after the kick-off of the European University on Responsible Consumption and Production (EURECA-PRO) in 2020, the university alliance has now secured European Commission (EC) funding for the second project phase from 2023-2027. The alliance will continue making headway towards becoming the centre of excellence in Europe for education and research on responsible consumption and production as well as moving towards the long-term goal of creating a virtual and integrated European campus until 2040.
EURECA-PRO is an alliance uniting nine universities from Austria, Germany, Greece, Poland, Belgium, France, Spain and Romania including technical and comprehensive, research-led universities. All share a long-standing history of cooperation and together they cover a wide array of interdisciplinary topics. The systematic implementation of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) in society is at the core of EURECA-PRO’s mission and vision. Its interdisciplinary composition and international expertise are an ideal breeding ground for innovation covering technological, ecological, policy, economic and societal aspects and their transfer into society and industry. EURECA-PRO’s ambition is to provide education that teaches the complexity of systems and fosters cooperation across expertise fields and borders that can generate solution-based approaches to reducing CO2 emissions and the targets of the EU Green Deal. In order to reach that goal EURECA-PRO combines teaching, research and innovation with flexible study programmes across universities, focusing on sustainability, academic excellence and the strengthening of European values.
The pilot project phase from 2020-2023 laid the foundation for the international and interdisciplinary cooperation among researchers, staff and students across the partner universities to build a strong and strategic university alliance. It introduced new study programmes on Responsible Consumption and Production and established research groups and 6 lighthouse missions as well as an international renowned conference on RCP. In early 2023, the EURECA-PRO team submitted the proposed vision for the future of the alliance to the EC, and today, we celebrate the news of the confirmation for funding for phase 2 through Erasmus +.
During the next project phase from 2023-2027 the alliance will build on past achievements and will focus on deepening the collaboration with external stakeholders from industry and politics as well as society. With its future initiatives such as the setting up of multiple joint degrees, the Doctoral School, Project Factory, and Lifelong Learning Academy, EURECA-PRO will continue to promote innovative teaching, interdisciplinary research, scientific innovation and knowledge transfer to society.
On EURECA-PRO
The EURECA-PRO Alliance consists of Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria), Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (Germany), Technical University of Crete (Greece), Universidad de León (Spain), Silesian University of Technology (Poland), University of Petrosani (Romania), University of Applied Sciences Mittweida (Germany), Hasselt University (Belgium) and University of Lorraine (France).
These 9 partners joined forces to enable students and staff to study, teach and research in the field of responsible consumption and production with the long-term goal of a joined virtual and integrated European campus until 2040.
