The new campus unifies spaces, services and advantages for the entire university community 

The rectors and presidents of the nine universities that make up the European alliance STARS EU have signed today (Tuesday, November 25) at the University of La Laguna, the STARS EU Campus Charter, a common commitment to build an integrated European campus that facilitates studying, teaching, research and working together for students, faculty and staff throughout the alliance.

The alliance is working to co-create a long-term European campus that links education, research, and innovation, and contributes to the development of its regions by promoting mobility, joint training programs, collaborative research projects, and cooperation with local stakeholders. Other objectives of this initiative include fostering innovation, lifelong learning, inclusion, and sustainability.

This was stated today by the rectors present at the signing of the agreement: Francisco J. García Rodríguez, rector of the University of La Laguna; Dick Pouwels, rector of the Hanze University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands); Konrad Josef Wolf, rector of Hochschule Bremen City University of Applied Sciences (Germany); Orlando Rodrigues, rector of the Polytechnic University of Braganza (Portugal); Tomáš Gongol, rector of the Silesian University in Opava (Czech Republic); Mats Jägstam, rector of the University West (Sweden) and Shkëlqim Fortuz, rector of the Aleksandër Moisiu University in Durrës (Albania).

Along with them, and representing the vice-rectorates of the alliance, were also present Samir Jemei, Vice-President of International Extension, Art, Culture and Scientific Communication of the Marie and Louis Pasteur University (France) and Katarzyna Bizon, Vice-Rector of Education and International Cooperation of the Technological University of Krakow (Poland).

The signing ceremony took place within the framework of the STARS EU working meeting hosted by the ULL from November 25 to 26, 2025. The international working meeting brought together 170 people (academic staff, students and administrative and service staff) from the nine European higher education centers to advance the development of the strategic lines and objectives of the alliance.

Unique European campus

The signed Campus Charter envisions a single campus with multiple locations, comprised of physical spaces at each university, such as learning and meeting areas, laboratories, and innovation hubs. The expanding digital campus will offer shared services, virtual and blended learning opportunities, and shared tools for research and innovation.

The goal is for any student or staff member to be able to move, study, teach, and work easily across any of the nine institutions, as if they were part of a single European university. To make this possible, STARS EU will develop a common signage system that will make spaces recognizable throughout the network; a single digital access point with single sign-on; and shared open science and mobility platforms. These tools aim to strengthen a common European identity and a sense of belonging among the entire university community.

The signing of the Campus Charter thus confirms the will of the nine universities in the STARS EU alliance — integrated into the European Universities Initiative (EUI) to build a cohesive European ecosystem, capable of connecting talent, knowledge and innovation on a transnational and regional scale.

Nearly 200 people from nine universities affiliated with the STARS EU alliance have met from today, Tuesday, November 25, until tomorrow, the 26th, at the University of La Laguna to participate in the working meeting to advance the objectives of this ambitious project that encompasses education , research , mobility and local development.

Picture gallery

During the ceremony, representatives from the various partner universities gave brief presentations on the milestones achieved in different areas of work during the first two years of activity. They also outlined the objectives for this working meeting held at the University of La Laguna. The event was introduced by José Sigut, the alliance coordinator at the ULL, and the first speaker was Marieke Steenbergen from Marie & Louis Pasteur University. Speaking on behalf of the alliance’s steering committee, she provided an overview of the alliance, which comprises nine universities located in non-capital regions facing similar local challenges. Together, they represent a community of 150,000 students, 15,000 professors, researchers, and staff, across 75 faculties.

She explained the organizational structure of the alliances and some of the objectives achieved in this two-year period, such as the mobility of more than 4,300 people to date; the creation of common undergraduate degrees, of which 14 are currently under discussion; the launch of 40 BIP courses, half of which have already been delivered; the design of 36 micro-credentials; the launch of the Technology Transfer Office to share the scientific infrastructures of the nine universities; the launch of seed grants to prepare proposals for competitive European calls; and the launch of three Living Labs to encourage impact on local regions.

Work packages and TIG

Next, representatives from the STARS EU work packages briefly introduced their progress to date: package 2, (Regional Transition Acceleration); package 3 (Curriculum Lab) which is responsible for academic innovation and the teaching offer; package 4, (Challenge Lab), which is responsible for research in the alliance; package 5, related to physical and virtual campuses, which during the meeting in Tenerife will present examples of the visual elements available to identify the spaces of the alliance in each institution; package 6, in charge of mobility; package 7, which addresses the sustainability model of the alliance not only referring to environmental aspects, inclusion and equality, but also financing and governance; and the 8th, on communication, dissemination and open science.

There was also a summary presentation of the nine thematic groups of interest ( TIG ) on the different subjects that structure the research and training proposals of the alliance: energy transition, arts and creative industries, entrepreneurship and innovation, sustainable industry, circular economy, digital transformation, healthy ageing, lving spaces, and inclusion and social justice.

Local authorities

Local goverments representatives were also present at the event, who highlighted the great opportunity that having one of its universities in a European alliance like STARS EU represents for the Canary Islads, a type of inter-university collaboration structure promoted by the European Commission to increase the competitiveness of the community academic system.

The rector of the host institution , Francisco García , emphasized that, above scientific and academic considerations, the alliance is a space that underscores the importance of the European values of “ unity, diversity, knowledge, and solidarity”. In his address, he highlighted the role that institutions in the outermost regions can play within the European context. He also emphasized that the alliance’s work focuses on aspects such as inclusion , sustainability, and the digital transition, all essential for providing the necessary skills for the new generation of the 21st century to thrive in an increasingly changing and competitive society , promoting mobility and collaborative work.

During his speech, the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, also emphasized the status of the outermost regions within the European Union at a time when these regions are being questioned within EU institutions: “The outermost regions are not a burden. We are a strategic opportunity for Europe, and this is the best example. We are territories that contribute to cohesion, that expand Europe’s borders, that connect continents, and that offer innovation , talent, and proven scientific capacity. Projects like the one that brings us together here today are the best example. That is our commitment: that the Canary Islands be known for what it knows, for what it researches, and for what it contributes to the world.”

For her part, the president of the Tenerife Island Council, Rosa Dávila , expressed the council’s commitment to research , for which a budget of 200 million euros has been allocated, and also addressed the issue of the outermost regions. “ We are facing profound transformations influenced by the energy transition , digitalization , job automation , artificial intelligence, demographic challenges , and the need to diversify our economic models . In this context, universities play an irreplaceable role. You are engines of knowledge, spaces for critical thinking , laboratories of innovation , and meeting points between academia , the public sector , and the productive sector . ”

Regarding the First Deputy Mayor of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Badel Albelo, he highlighted the role of the local university in adapting to a changing socio-economic context that demands agility. “ From the City Council, we highly value this internationalization strategy because it will allow the University of La Laguna (ULL) to continue attracting talent and to remain committed to scientific innovation . The challenges we face in healthcare and the economic diversification that our islands need for balanced development require a strong public university to drive it forward, and this alliance will allow us to work in that direction.”

The University of La Laguna (Tenerife) is hosting the working meeting to advance the different work packages of the European project that our alliance is developing until 2027. Some 180 people from the eight continental academic centers have confirmed their attendance , and around twenty local participants will join them in the sessions.

The opening ceremony will take place on Tuesday, November 25th at 8:45 a.m. in the main auditorium (Paraninfo), with the participation of the Rector of the University of La Laguna, Francisco J. García ; the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo; the President of the Island Council of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila ; and the Mayor of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, as well as representatives from the various working groups of this European project. Following this ceremony, the working sessions will be held over two days at the Higher School of Engineering and Technology .

This meeting will also be the first time that seven of the nine rectors of the alliance have met, so the occasion has been used to sign the Campus Charter, a document that reflects their joint commitment to the development of a cohesive, accessible and innovative campus that transcends borders, is inclusive, ecological and digital.

Furthermore , the university rectors will also meet with the Minister of Universities, Science, Innovation and Culture of the Canary Islands Government, Migdalia Machín , to personally present the opportunities for local development that participation in STARS EU entails. This meeting , as well as the presence of regional authorities at the opening ceremony , represents a significant boost to engagement with local stakeholders in Tenerife.

During the meeting there will also be an exhibition with physical examples of the work developed by work package 5.2 on corporate image on physical campuses, so that the alliance members can see in situ the examples shown by the approved project to consider application in their respective centers.

This is the alliance’s third face-to-face working meeting, following the one held in Trollhättan ( Sweden ) in 2023, which served as the project’s launch, and in Bremen (Germany) in 2024. These meetings are in addition to the alliance’s annual conferences held in spring, which the University of La Laguna hosted in 2023 after the one held in Groningen ( Netherlands ) the previous year , and which have subsequently been held in Besançon ( France) and Durrës ( Albania).

Bragança Polytechnic University hosted two BIPs addressing current challenges through an innovative approach

STARS EU is promoting digital creativity and sustainability through two Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) that brought together more than 60 European students and lecturers from different disciplines and nationalities in Portugal. Organised by Bragança Polytechnic University (IPB), both programmes – which included virtual sessions prior to the in-person mobility – highlight the potential of transnational collaboration to address contemporary challenges from a creative, sustainable, and interdisciplinary perspective.

The first programme, “Heritage in Videogames”, held at EsACT-IPB from 3 to 7 November 2025, focused on the use of videogames as a tool to reinterpret and preserve European cultural heritage. Participants from IPB, University West (Sweden), Marie and Louis Pasteur University (France), and Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes (Spain) combined research, digital storytelling, and interactive design to create prototypes inspired by local traditions, symbols, and places. Visits to key sites such as the Olive Oil and Olive Museum, the Ecoteca and the Arts Station provided creative material for their projects, which incorporated both tangible and intangible heritage elements.

Sustainable architecture

The second programme, “Climate-Responsive and Sustainable Building Design”, took place at ESTiG-IPB during the same dates and centred on climate-responsible architectural design. Students from Hochschule Bremen (Germany), Cracow University of Technology (Poland), Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek (Croatia) and IPB worked on a real case study – Berlin’s LIDO urban development project – to develop sustainable proposals that respond to today’s environmental needs.

The final models, built using recycled and recyclable materials, are on display at the ESTiG Library as a demonstration of the programme’s practical and applied approach. This edition was supported by the GICoS – Sustainable Construction Research Group.

Beyond their academic dimension, both BIPs offered an opportunity to strengthen intercultural exchange, enhance students’ digital, creative and transversal skills, and foster international networks among learners and teaching staff.

In addition to the participation of students from the STARS EU partner universities, both BIPs also received students from Croatia and Spain.

The introductory Game-based workshop on digital literacy and inclusion for Educators will be held on November 27 in Tenerife

STARS EU is promoting a face-to-face workshop that will take place on November 27, 2025, within the framework of the Project Meeting that the alliance will hold on the island on the 25th, 26th and 27th. The initiative, aimed at the alliance’s faculty and academic staff, will offer practical strategies to design and facilitate sessions based on gamification and inclusion in the university environment.

The activity, organized by the University of La Laguna, will be taught by Madelon van Oostrom, professor at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences, sociologist and PhD from ULL, with an outstanding career in educational innovation.

With a capacity limited to 30 participants, the workshop will be delivered in a highly participatory and collaborative format. The organisation by working groups will make it possible to promote experimentation, the exchange of good practices and direct transfer to teaching.

The meeting will take place on November 27, from 12:00 to 14:00 hours, on the first floor of the Agustín Arévalo Tower (Ficread room) of the University of La Laguna.

For more information, visit: Interactive Workshop on Digital Competence

If you are interested in participating, click here: Registration.

Bragança Polytechnic University (IPB) represented the STARS EU Alliance at the Forum of Portuguese Higher Education Institutions in European University Alliances (FOR.UE.PT), an event that brought together more than 60 representatives from universities across the country to discuss the challenges and opportunities of higher education internationalisation in Europe.

Held at the University of Algarve (Faro, Portugal), the forum featured the participation of Luís Pais, Vice-President of IPB and member of the STARS EU Steering Committee, who emphasised the alliance’s commitment to interuniversity cooperation and to promoting a more connected, inclusive, and sustainable higher education system.

The FOR.UE.PT aims to coordinate common responses to the challenges faced by European university alliances, promote academic mobility, and strengthen the sustainable funding of international projects. It also serves as a platform for sharing best practices and fostering collaboration among Portuguese institutions that are members of European university networks.

The meeting included the roundtable “The Future of Europe – Skills Union and European Alliances”, moderated by Carla Ruivo, coordinator of the Erasmus+ Programme in Portugal, which addressed the role of universities in building a European Skills Union focused on talent retention, innovation, and inclusive education.

The discussion featured Manuel Heitor, former Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education and author of the report “Align, Act, Accelerate”; Daniel Aragão, President of FAIRe; and Rodrigo Carlos, President of the Academic Association of the University of Algarve.

Challenges of internationalisation

In the afternoon session, Cristina Perdigão, Director of the Portuguese Erasmus+ National Agency for Education and Training, presented “Challenges for Internationalisation – The Next Erasmus+ European Financial Framework”, highlighting Portugal as a European benchmark in the implementation of the Erasmus+ programme.

Following this, Vanessa Vargas, from CAPES (the Brazilian Federal Foundation for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel), delivered the presentation “Beyond Europe: Partnerships with Global Institutions”, reflecting on international cooperation beyond the European area, particularly with universities in Brazil and Latin America.

The forum’s conclusions underlined the need to strengthen communication and student engagement within the alliances, as well as to expand funding and reduce economic inequalities that still limit access to international experiences for many students.

The initiative, held at the Polytechnic University of Bragança, promoted dialogue on the role of technology in education and its social impact

The Polytechnic University of Bragança (Portugal) hosted the first edition of the Combined Intensive Programme (BIP) “Critical Thinking in the Age of Generative AI – A Transformative Learning Experience”, which brought together 35 participants from nine European universities, several of them from the alliance, to reflect on critical thinking in the era of artificial intelligence.

The programme, developed from 13 to 17 October within the framework of STARS EU, promoted the development of analytical, argumentative and ethical skills in the face of the challenges posed by AI in education and contemporary society. Through several interactive sessions, attendees explored tools such as ChatGPT and image generators, and discussed key issues such as transparency, privacy, misinformation, and fairness in the use of these technologies.

Organized by the Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Education and Development (CITeD), the BIP was structured in three complementary modules that combined theory with practice and interdisciplinary discussion. The participatory approach fostered intense collaboration between teachers and students, in an open and multicultural learning environment.

Immersive experience

Beyond the academic field, the program offered an immersive experience in the north of Portugal, with visits to the Graça Morais Contemporary Art Center, Bragança Castle, Casa da Seda – Science Center and Montesinho Natural Park, highlighting the connection between education, culture and territory.

This BIP brought together students and teachers from universities in nine European countries, including the STARS member institutions: Cracow University of Technology (Poland), University of La Laguna (Spain), Silesian University in Opava (Czech Republic), and Hochschule Bremen – City University of Applied Sciences (Germany). Beyond the alliance, participants came from the University of Vigo (Spain), University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava, and University of Oradea (Romania), Kajaani University of Applied Sciences – KAMK (Finland), Budapest University of Technology and Economics (Hungary), and the University of Zadar (Croatia).

STARS EU will explore how Joint Programmes — degree programmes jointly designed and managed by universities from different countries — can strengthen international collaboration and open new opportunities for both students and academic staff.

The online workshop, led by several experts from member universities, will guide participants through all stages of developing and implementing a Joint Programme, from defining the initial concept and selecting partners to completing formal approval procedures. Its aim is to provide teaching staff and programme directors with a clear and practical understanding of the entire process.

In addition to theoretical insights, participants will receive practical information about the support services and resources available within STARS EU to facilitate the creation and management of such collaborative programmes.

The workshop (Thursday 23 November, from 14:00 to 15:30 h CEST) will also include interactive components, allowing participants to discuss specific questions, share experiences, and address the challenges associated with transnational academic cooperation.

If you are a member or STARS EU and want to register, click here

STARS Talks returns with a new session focusing on the advantages that STARS EU offers to academic staff, students, and local stakeholders. “Challenges and Opportunities of Integrating STARS EU Activities into Local Research and Teaching Activities” will take place tomorrow (Tuesday, 21 October) from 1:00 p.m. (CET). Martin Holi of Hochschule Bremen–City University of Applied Sciences will present it, and will discuss the integration of European cooperation initiatives into local academic practice.

During the session, Holi will draw upon more than two years of experience in various alliance projects, providing concrete examples of how teaching and research teams can connect European initiatives with the dynamics of their own institutions. Topics to be addressed include strategies for fostering interregional collaboration, linking research with European priorities, and creating synergies between universities and local actors.

The lecture is intended for teaching and research staff, students, and regional partners interested in deepening their engagement with STARS EU and taking full advantage of the opportunities offered by the European inter-university cooperation framework.

The event, to be held online in the form of an interactive webinar featuring a presentation and question-and-answer session, forms part of the monthly STARS Talks series—an initiative of the alliance’s Challenge Lab, designed to share good practices, promote academic innovation, and strengthen the connection between universities and their regions.

Following this first autumn session, STARS Talks will continue with talks scheduled for November and December: “The European Campus: A Living Laboratory” in November, and “Regional Innovation Strategies and Perspectives on Interregionalisation.”

Want to join? Click here

 

 

 

 

 

Under the theme “European Innovation Experience: a dynamic co-creative dialogue on how regional innovation boosts the Union of Skills and the twin transition”, three practical innovation labs from University West, Hochschule Bremen City University of  Applied Sciences and Hanze University of Applied Sciences —three of the nine partners that make up STARS EU— presented in Brussels concrete examples of co-creation workshops, robotics and virtual reality-based learning.

The STARS EU workshop, held as part of the activities programmed within the Workshop of the European Week of Regions and Cities, promoted by the European Commission (EC), highlighted that it is possible to develop skills (with and for students) capable of connecting education with industry to build more resilient regional ecosystems.

During the presentation, Felix Rohn, Policy Officer at the European Commission, underlined the need for Europe to strengthen its skills systems and collaboration through initiatives such as the Pact for Skills 2.0, which promote better coordination and faster adaptation to technological change.

Each speaker then presented practical examples of regional innovation and collaboration. The first to do so was the representative from Bremen University, followed by the Swedish and Dutch teams:

• Svenja Tams (Hochschule Bremen – City University of Applied Sciences) presented co-creation workshops with students designed to develop future-oriented skills. She invited stakeholders from regional career ecosystems to tackle the challenge: “How can we design strategic experiments that enable sustainable and human-centred futures in response to the talent challenge within our regional career ecosystem?” Her approach emphasised active collaboration between students, educators and industry partners, reinforcing the integration of skills development with real-world innovation.
• The Swedish team, Stefan Nilsson and Daniel Sjölie (University West), focused their presentation on training trainers using virtual reality (VR) in high-risk scenarios, such as threatening situations on trains. Their work, carried out in collaboration with government partners, is highly relevant for Work Integrated Learning (WIL), demonstrating how immersive technologies can enhance safety training, professional development and pedagogical approaches in applied education.

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  Rix Groenboom (Hanze University of Applied Sciences) showcased how the use of robots and artificial intelligence can detect crop diseases, illustrating collaboration with SMEs and regional foundations to address practical challenges in rural environments. His presentation highlighted pre-competitive collaboration at lower Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), where research and business partners worked together to ensure continuity and scalability within the innovation labs.

The session held today, as highlighted by STARS EU members, served to demonstrate how hands-on innovation labs, cross-sectoral partnerships and educational integration can help address Europe’s skills challenges while promoting sustainable, people-centred solutions across regions.

The success of this fully booked event reflected the strong interest generated by European cooperation in the field of skills and innovation. Participants agreed in valuing the dynamism of the workshop and its ability to link policy perspectives with tangible examples of innovation across European regions.