Eucor – The European Campus – growing and fruitful
The European Campus was opened at a ceremony held in 2016. Since then, the alliance of the Universities of Basel, Freiburg, Haute-Alsace, and Strasbourg, and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has worked closely together in various thematic working groups and implemented many measures that ease trans-boundary study and research in the Upper Rhine region.
In the presentation of the project results “Eucor – The European Campus: Cross-border Structures”, representatives of business, science and politics found out about the progress made at the European Campus:
All five universities have consolidated their cooperation with the approval of a joint strategy plan for the years 2019-2023, which sets out forward-looking measures in the areas of research, innovation, and teaching. Four thematic concentrations guide cooperation on the European Campus: Quantum sciences and technology, personalized health – precision medicine, sustainability, and European identities. The European Union (EU) is already funding a European Campus project in the area of quantum science with its 4.2 million euro grant for the international Quantum Science and Technologies (QUSTEC) doctoral training program.
In addition, instructional offerings, such as two German-French courses of study and trans-boundary activities for Master’s and doctoral students, have been introduced. What is more, the alliance has held several intercultural continuing education sessions and dedicated itself to the question of how to simplify student and research mobility in the tri-country area. In 2017, the European Campus launched the “Seed Money Project” – its first, major funding instrument for initiating new, trans-boundary research and teaching projects. Funding volume from January 2018 to December 2020 totals to almost one million euros.
Prof. Dr. Hans-Jochen Schiewer, President of Eucor – The European Campus is pleased about the successful cooperation of the last years and the support of politics: “We thank for the great support we receive from Paris, the region Grand Est, Basel and Baden -Württemberg or Berlin. The Ministry of Science in Stuttgart has promised us four bridge professorships. During these days and weeks, we are defining the specific structure of the professorships to be set up between the sites in Karlsruhe and Strasbourg, Karlsruhe and Mulhouse, Freiburg and Strasbourg, and Freiburg and Basel. ”
However, the scientific and political partners of all three countries won’t stop at this point; they confirm their intention to the further development of Eucor – The European Campus.
All results of the cooperation can be found here.
Photo: Michel de Mathelin (vice-président Valorisation et relations avec le monde socio-économique, université de Strasbourg), Brigitte Klinkert (présidente du conseil départemental du Haut-Rhin), Sophie Béjean (rectrice de l’académie de Strasbourg), Jean Rottner (président du conseil régional du Grand Est), Hans-Jochen Schiewer, Conradin Cramer (Regierungsrat, Erziehungsdepartement Basel-Stadt), Volker Ratzmann (Staatssekretär und Bevollmächtigter des Landes Baden-Württemberg beim Bund), Andrea Schenker-Wicki (Rektorin, Universität Basel), Thomas Hirth (Vizepräsident für Innovation und Internationales, KIT)