The future of European Universities discussed in Cracow

Representatives of the Cracow University of Technology took part in the 2^nd European Universities Conference, which took place on September 4-5, 2024 in Cracow, Poland.

The event, organized by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System, the National Agency of the Erasmus+ Program and the European Solidarity Corps, with the support of Erasmus+ InnHUB Innovation Centers, was dedicated to sharing experiences in the field of European Universities.

Within the European Higher Education Area there are currently 64 European Universities operating, the aim of which is, among other things, to harmonise education, so that students can complete part of their studies at any university in the Alliance, and employees can move to teach at universities that are part of the Alliance or work in the same capacity as they do at their home university.

“The participation of the Cracow University of Technology in the STARS EU Alliance is associated with enormous challenges resulting mainly from differences in the education systems in individual countries. During numerous discussions, we develop common solutions so that projects implemented with international partners bring real benefits, first and foremost for students, but also for the scientific and teaching staff of our university,” says Ewa Siekierzyńska, an expert at the Cracow University of Technology Project Support Centre.

The Cracow conference addressed the issues of good practices, experiences and challenges for Polish universities participating in alliances. The two-day event filled with numerous panels, discussions and presentations was attended by: Dr. Joanna Żelazny and mgr Ewa Siekierzyńska from the Project Support Center, mgr Katarzyna Baron – Lisiakiewicz and mgr Daria Majka-Sitko from the International Cooperation Department, vice-rector for science dr hab. inż. Magdalena Niemczewska – Wójcik, prof. PK and the STARS EU coordinator on behalf of the Cracow University of Technology – prof. dr hab. inż. Dariusz Bogdał, vice-rector for science at the Cracow University of Technology in the term 2020-2024, as one of the panelists during the session “New EU trends in strategy building –  Future-ready learning University”.