STARS EU Staff Week 2025: strengthening academic alliances for regional transformation

Around 80 academics and professionals from 15 universities across 10 countries — including France, Sweden, Portugal, Turkey, and the Netherlands — gathered for the second edition of the Staff Week at Silesian University in Opava. The event, held from May 12 to 16 at the School of Business Administration in Karviná, featured working meetings, strategic discussions, and thematic workshops aligned with the main initiatives of STARS EU.

Designed to strengthen the ties within the alliance, the central activity of this 5th International Week  placed special emphasis on the STARS EU (Strategic Alliance for Regional Transition), thus reaffirming the university’s commitment to collaborative innovation and internationalization in higher education. Key topics addressed included STARS EU priorities such as the development of the digital campus, traineeships, Living Labs, and joint programs.

The academic program featured lectures and workshops delivered in English to SBA students, focusing on educational innovation, curriculum internationalization, and regional development. Highlights included talks by Joaquim Leite (Bragança Polytechnic University, Portugal) on digital tools for corporate performance and citation strategies, and Ipek Eker (Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Turkey) on co-creative learning models.

Other engaging topics were presented by Roman Zajíc (MSIC), who analyzed the university’s role in regional innovation ecosystems, and Jos Beelen (The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands) together with Eva Janebová (Czech Mestenhauser Institute), who discussed embedding internationalization into curricula through both formal and hidden teaching pathways.

The event welcomed participants from the STARS EU Steering Committee, the Regional Transition Accelerator, the Curriculum Lab (joint courses, BIPs, degrees, micro-credentials), and the Co-Creation Campus, as well as from Thematic Interest Groups (TIGs) on Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Digital Transformation.

Immersive cultural experiences

Beyond academic exchange, the event offered immersive cultural experiences, including a guided tour of the city of Karviná and a visit to POHO Park—an innovative project transforming a former mining area into a hub for education and community engagement. Networking continued in more informal settings and concluded with a gala dinner, closing a week of meaningful connections.

Roman Šperka, Dean of the Faculty, emphasized that the International Week aimed to connect educators from different countries to share teaching practices, explore joint research, and develop new forms of collaboration. Particularly noteworthy was the students’ direct interaction with international lecturers, which enriched their academic experience.

The STARS EU Staff Week once again demonstrated the value of international cooperation in higher education. It strengthened institutional ties within the alliance and brought fresh perspectives to the teaching and research environment. With enthusiastic participation from faculty and more than 100 students, the event reaffirmed the university’s active role as a driver of European regional transformation through education and innovation.