A joint European campus that offers completely new opportunities for cross-border study and interdisciplinary research and promotes sustainable development and prosperity in the region: This is the vision of the European university alliance SUNRISE - for "Smaller (strategic) Universities Network for Regional Innovative and Sustainable Evolution" - which unites nine universities from all parts of Europe and is coordinated by TU Ilmenau. On January 14, the presidents, academic leaders and students of all participating universities came together at the university to celebrate the official start of the joint journey together with Thuringia's Minister of Education, Science and Culture Christian Tischner and the university community.
Transfer
Global cooperation for excellence and regional development: European university alliance SUNRISE launched
From Sweden in the north to Cyprus in the southeast to Portugal in the far west - and Ilmenau in the middle: The partners of the SUNRISE alliance come from eight European countries in all parts of Europe. All universities focus on the STEM disciplines of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology and are similar in size and location in non-metropolitan areas: "All universities play an important role for these regions," emphasized host Prof. Kai-Uwe Sattler, President of TU Ilmenau, in his opening speech.
Through intensive interdisciplinary exchange and strategic cooperation, the university president said, not only do the universities themselves want to reposition themselves in terms of study, teaching, research and innovation, but also strengthen economic development in the regions and help shape a social, green and digital society - building on European values: "Promoting precisely these values is all the more important in times when right-wing populists and extremists are gaining more and more influence in Europe, endangering our values of freedom and democracy."
Key initiative for the regions
"SUNRISE is characterized by its work in and for the regions as an alliance of smaller universities," explained Christian Tischner, Thuringian Minister of Education, Science and Culture, at the event: "SUNRISE has the great opportunity to act as a driver of innovation in the regions. This is also an invaluable asset in terms of recruiting and retaining skilled workers. As Thuringia's Science Minister, I am proud that two of the only 64 university alliances in Europe are coordinated by Thuringian universities. The TU Ilmenau is taking on responsibility in an important European university network. This is a huge success for Thuringia."
Educating a new generation of responsible students
Studying in Ilmenau and taking courses in Sweden or Bosnia-Herzegovina, completing a multilingual double degree in Ilmenau and Italy, jointly developing innovations for a sustainable future on virtually connected research platforms and training a new generation of students to become responsible professionals and members of society who are committed to the well-being of their fellow human beings: To ensure that this vision becomes a reality as soon as possible, the SUNRISE committees and working groups came together immediately after the opening ceremony and on the following day to begin their joint work - including the International Student Council made up of students and doctoral candidates from all universities.
During a tour of the university's laboratories, scientists also explored opportunities for collaboration on topics such as sustainable mobility, green electronics, precision measurement technology and human-machine interaction, for which TU Ilmenau can not only offer its expertise, but also an excellent infrastructure with the Center for Micro and Nanotechnologies (ZMN), the Thuringian Energy Research Institute (ThEFI) and the Thuringian Center for Innovation and Mobility (ThIMo), amongst others.
But not jus the scientists: All staff members and 62,500 students of the Alliance, each and every one of them, is invited and and should contribute to making the SUNRISE vision a reality: global collaboration for excellence and real change. This was the message and common understanding of the SUNRISE operening.
Partner universities
- Ilmenau University of Technology, Germany (coordination)
- "Džemal Bijedić" University of Mostar, Bosnia, Herzegovina
- European University Cyprus, Cyprus
- Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy
- Mälardalen University, Sweden
- Polytechnic University of Viana do Castelo, Portugal
- Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy
- Université de Technologie de Compiègne, France
- University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszów, Poland
Since January 1, 2024, the European Union has been funding the development of the alliance for four years with 14.4 million euros, of which TU Ilmenau will receive 2.1 million euros.
Impressions
