The international art exhibition Voices of [h] eritage, displayed in La Capilla cultural space at the University of La Laguna (Spain), and Pedagogy as Art, Art as Pedagogy, recently held at the Silesian University in Opava (Czechia), are final results of the work developed within the framework of the combined intensive program (BIP) Heritage and Creativity for Inclusion, driven by the European alliance STARS EU through its Thematic Interest Group (TIG) in Arts and Creative Industries.

This program, aimed at teachers, researchers, and professionals in the arts, held its in-person meeting in Tenerife. Coordinated by Noemí Peña (ULL) co-leader of the Thematic Interest Group (TIG) Art and Creative Industries and Vice Dean of University of La Laguna’s Faculty of Fine Arts, it brought together participants from various countries in a hybrid work environment that combined online sessions with an intensive week of collaboration. The meeting allowed participants to explore the potential of cultural heritage and creativity as tools for fostering inclusion, particularly regarding the exchange of methodologies, experiences, and artistic practices.

In this context, Voices [ h]eritage is presented as the culmination of this collective process: an exhibition showcasing artistic results and highlighting the research-creation processes developed during the BIP. The works exhibited at La Capilla are the direct result of the projects and working dynamics developed during the meeting in Tenerife, and reflect diverse approaches to the concept of heritage, understood not only as a living space for interpretation, dialogue, and critical intervention.

The exhibition features projects that emerged from workshops, collaborative sessions, and cultural activities held during the program, addressing issues such as memory, identity, territory, and forms of cultural transmission. Furthermore, it serves as a space where artistic practice and pedagogy converge, demonstrating how learning can unfold through shared creative processes.

From Tenerife to Opava

As a continuation of the work developed within the framework of the TIG, the experience has led to a second exhibition, Pedagogy as Art, Art as Pedagogy, recently held at the Silesian University in Opava (Czechia), as part of the STARS EU Annual Conference.

The exhibition featured works from Albania, Brazil, France, Portugal, Spain, and the Czechia. The multimedia works were presented by Uendi Çerma from Aleksandër Moisiu University in Durrës (UAMD) in Albania; Marcus Ramusyo de Almeida Brasil from the Brazilian Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Maranhão (IFMA); Dominique Soucy from Université Marie et Louis Pasteur (UMLP) in Besançon; and from the Portuguese Instituto Politécnico de Bragança (IPB), the creative duo Carlos Casimiro Costa & Jacinta Costa, together with their colleague Tiago Fernandes. Noemí Peña Sánchez from Universidad de La Laguna (ULL) in Tenerife will also present her work.

The audiovisual pieces will be complemented by a collaborative photographic-poetic project by Jana Orlová from Silesian University in Opava (SUO) and Ana Lúcia Pinto from Instituto Politécnico de Bragança (IPB).

This exhibition presents the artistic work of teachers and researchers involved in the group, with works from different countries and institutional contexts, but this time from a perspective more focused on the relationship between pedagogy and artistic practice. Although both exhibitions are two interconnected manifestations of the same process—a pedagogical and artistic laboratory, and education in a space of critical experimentation—it is, in Voices of [h] eritage, where this process finds its first public materialization.

The University of La Laguna (Spain) hosted the live session of a BIP course on Machine Learning for Data Science for a week at the end of January. This is the third edition of the course and the first time the Spanish institution has hosted its in-person portion, specifically at its School of Engineering and Technology.

Around thirty students from institutions linked to this BIP attended: Hanze University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands), Hochschule Bremen-City University of Applied Sciences (Germany), Bragança Polytechnic University (Portugal) and the University of La Laguna itself, all part of STARS EU. Students from the Celso Suckow Federal Center for Technological Education in Fonseca (Brazil) also joined .

During the opening session, professors Juan Albino Méndez and Rafael Arnay, both from the Department of Computer and Systems Engineering at the University of La Laguna, presented the program for this week’s work, which focused primarily on mentoring practical projects developed in groups by the 32 participating students to be presented on Friday, January 23. Two seminars were also held: one on data analysis using Knime software and another on machine learning in energy systems.

This BIP on Machine Learning in Data Science is worth 6 credits, corresponding to 60 hours of work, both in-person and online. During this practical week, students developed a hands-on Machine Learning project using real data provided by the instructors. They applied the methodologies described during the online instruction to develop a model that solved the proposed problem.

The course has been designed to explore different Machine Learning techniques , from basic concepts to advanced methods, and learn how to apply them to analyze complex datasets and extract meaningful information.

At the end of the course, students should be able to, among other objectives, discern what type of solution should be used; establish a chronological and functional view of AI techniques and their connections with other sciences; know the main models and implement them to solve practical problems; understand the limitations and advantages of computational intelligence techniques; and adapt AI techniques to specific case studies, for example, Pattern Recognition problems.

In addition to the aforementioned Juan Albino Méndez and Rafael Arnay from ULL, the teaching was provided by Uta Bohnebeck (Bremen); Rui Pedro Lopes (Braganza); Meriecke Bouma and Remi Thüss ( Hanze ); and Eduardo Bezerra (Fonseca), many of whom also traveled to Tenerife to tutor the face-to-face work .

STARS EU will keep its call for innovative academic offers permanently open. The call is addressed to teaching staff at member universities who are interested in contributing to the development of a shared European curriculum within the alliance. Selected proposals may be incorporated into the joint academic offer planned for 2026.

The call is open to both new courses specifically designed for this initiative and existing courses from current curricula that can be shared — with or without adaptations — among partner universities. One key requirement is that courses are taught in English or can be easily translated.

Proposals may target bachelor’s or master’s programmes at different levels and may be submitted in online, hybrid or blended formats. These include methodologies such as Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), guest lectures delivered by invited faculty, Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs), as well as other innovative formats that combine online and face-to-face learning.

STARS EU particularly values proposals that promote interdisciplinarity, international collaboration, strategic and systems thinking, global awareness, sustainability, and interaction with regional and interregional stakeholders.

Participation and selection

Interested staff should contact their home university or the STARS EU coordinator at their institution and complete the online form with the basic information about their course proposal, available on the STARS EU website. Once all submissions have been received, the alliance universities will assess the proposals and select the courses that will form part of the first joint academic offer in 2026.

Selected proposals will become part of a large-scale European initiative aimed at strengthening the internationalisation of higher education and will gain access to a network of universities across nine European countries. In addition, they will receive didactic and methodological support from the STARS EU Curriculum Lab during implementation, as well as potential financial support or additional resources from their home institutions.

STARS EU is announcing part of its academic offer for the 2025/2026 year, with the launch of 13 Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) – short training courses combining virtual learning with in-person teaching that foster innovative, collaborative learning in an international context. This edition includes highly topical themes such as generative artificial intelligence, sustainable architectural design, mobile programming, emotional education, and the development of video games linked to cultural heritage.

Targeted at both students and teaching and research staff from the alliance – as well as from other universities – the BIPs are organised by various partner institutions and aligned with STARS EU’s priority areas (Digital Transformation and Social Value and Well-Being). The programmes will take place between October 2025 and June 2026.

The search functionality for BIPs (Blended Intensive Programmes) within the STARS EU website has been optimised to enhance user experience. With the introduction of specific filters—such as organising university, subject area, delivery mode, and target group—users can now access the academic offer more easily and efficiently. This improved system enables students and staff to quickly identify and select the programmes that best match their interests and academic goals.

Students at one of the activities organized at the BIP Future LabCamp, hosted by the Krakow University of Technology (Poland).The academic offer for students includes programmes such as Climate Responsive and Sustainable Building Design, focusing on sustainable architectural solutions and energy strategies; Digital Manufacturing, which promotes hands-on learning using digital manufacturing tools; and Game Development with VR & AR, centred on creative experiences in the development of virtual environments with a local and social approach.

Virtual reality, mobile tech and video games

Other offerings include Heritage in Video Games, aimed at the creation of educational games that interpret local cultural heritage; Game Development with VR & AR, which explores the creative development of immersive experiences using virtual and augmented reality technologies; and Mobile Programming and Technologies, focused on mobile apps for Android/iOS, data security, and programming with Flutter.

In the area of social value and well-being, students will be able to explore two different domains. On one hand, Emotional Education, a programme addressing emotional intelligence, neuroscience, and practical strategies such as dance, music, and virtual reality. On the other, Theories in Translator Training, a BIP through which participants will learn about translation and intercultural interpreting, with a strong focus on critical text analysis.

Focusing more on business, the new programme also includes Business Simulation and Financial Analysis – business simulation and financial analysis, including the preparation of strategic reports – and Management Decisions and Business Simulation, a training course on strategic decision-making in areas such as marketing, finance, and human resources.

AI and knowledge transfer

Among the programmes aimed at academic staff are BIPs such as Critical Thinking in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence, focused on critical thinking, the foundations of AI, and its ethical implications; Job It Up! aimed at employability, personal development, and transversal skills; and Knowledge Transfer Academy, which explores the role of universities in innovation and technology transfer to society.

The programmes offer between 3 and 6 ECTS credits and allow participants to apply for Erasmus+ funding to cover travel and accommodation costs. This format reinforces the alliance’s commitment to a more inclusive, accessible higher education system that is closely aligned with the challenges of the 21st century, as outlined in the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

According to the alliance, “BIPs are a strategic opportunity to promote interdisciplinary learning and strengthen the bonds between our university communities.” With this new edition, STARS EU reinforces its commitment to education that combines academic excellence with pedagogical innovation and social impact.

Interested individuals can find full information and registration contacts at starseu.org/upcoming-bips/.

Students from Portugal, Spain, Germany and Poland have been able to benefit from an innovative and practical learning experience, thanks to their participation in an international business simulation, organized within the framework of the BIP (Blended Intensive Programme) of STARS EU, which has just ended. This training activity, organised by the Alliance partner, Bremen University of Applied Sciences (HSB), previous virtual work with an intensive face-to-face phase, thus favouring dynamic, flexible training adapted to the European context.

In this BIP, STARS-EU students participated in a business simulation game that reproduces real situations that usually occur in the business world. To do this, they organized themselves into management teams, made strategic decisions, applied methods of analysis and forecasting, and competed with each other in a highly realistic environment. This methodology, based on the principle of “learning by doing”, allows theoretical knowledge to be transferred to the practical level and strengthens skills such as leadership, communication, decision-making and teamwork.

Under the title ‘Doing Business in Europe as Team Challenge’, the event took place with around 30 students in the summer semester of 2025 in Bremen and online. In addition to the students from the alliance’s partner universities (Bremen University of Applied Sciences (HSB), Bragança Polytechnic University, University of La Laguna ), the University of Gdański (Poland) – one of HSB’s oldest cooperation partners – also participated.

The BIP was divided into two phases: a virtual phase and a physical mobility week in Bremen. During the virtual mobility phase, students took part in four online sessions in which the thematic focus areas were presented – including international accounting, legal and cultural frameworks and team building.

 

Working in simulating companies

This first phase was concluded with a group presentation. In the physical phase, the students worked intensively in their simulated companies, took part in a company visit and an excursion to Hamburg and attended interactive seminars. Each team presented its final results at the end of the week. The final event was the award ceremony for the team that achieved the highest profit and the best planning accuracy under challenging conditions.

With the BIPs, teachers gain a deeper understanding of the European higher education landscape, so ‘BIPs offer a unique opportunity to integrate internationalisation into the curriculum without the need for long-term mobility,’ says Prof. Dr Stefan Veith from Faculty 1 – Business and Economics at HSB.

He organised the BIP together with his colleague Prof. Dr Martina Röhrich at HSB who thinks that this format enables students to work in different teams on real-life problems and broaden their academic and intercultural perspectives. For lecturers, BIPs offer a platform for innovation in teaching, cross-institutional collaboration and a deeper understanding of the European higher education landscape.

For the students, it’s an opportunity to communicate more in English, as well as the enriching chance to work with students of different nationalities,” says student Maria Inês Teixeia from Bragança Polytechnic University (Portugal). “The BIP offered a wonderful mix of learning and spending time together”. Similar opinion has got Diego Morera Pérez, from the University of La Laguna: “I thought it was great to be able to improve my English through this teaching format. I have gained more confidence in communicating with people in English”.

The BIP was financed with Erasmus funds totalling 6,000 euros and it was the Erasmus Office of the International Office of Hochschule Bremen, which provided support with the organisation.

The first edition of the BIP FutureLab Camp ended just a few days ago with the presentation of a range of concrete solutions in the fields of urban development, infrastructure, identity and promotion for the city of Zakliczyn (Poland). The closing event was attended by 26 students from the Cracow University of Technology (Poland), Bragança Polytechnic University (Portugal), Marie et Louis Pasteur University (France) and Hanze University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands) — members of STARS EU — as well as about a dozen academics and another European institutions.

The diversity of specialisms — architecture, computer science, management and art history — has been one of the key assets of this Blended Intensive Programme (BIP), which started in the first quarter of 2025 (in person) and continued until June (online).

Using posters and panels, the students (in person and online) presented three specific urban concepts for Zakliczyn that promote local development and boost the expansion of tourism in the area, which is home to resources such as the Dunajec River, Zakliczyn Market Square, examples of sacral architecture, the ruins of Melsztyn Castle and the Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Centre in Lusławice.

Students’ proposals

Some of the suggestions put forward by the students highlight ideas for the pedestrian bridge, with visualisations and physical models, the design of a new website and possible internet infrastructure solutions intended for tourists visiting Zakliczyn. Alongside these contributions, the marketing plan designed for the municipality, a key result of this BIP, is a very important document: a total of 130 pages encapsulating exhaustive analysis and original ideas to showcase the potential of this charming city.

The concepts proposed by the students received praise from the Mayor of Zakliczyn, Dawid Chrobak. “The collaboration between Zakliczyn and Cracow University of Technology began with the idea of designing a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the Dunajec River, connecting the castle ruins in Melsztyn to Zakliczyn. That was the starting point. However, the students developed extensive, professional marketing and urban planning documents that go far beyond the initial goal of enhancing the tourism potential of Zakliczyn and nearby towns. We plan to present the results — i.e., the concepts of the bridge and public spaces — to the local council and community,” said Mayor Chrobak.

Evaluation by the authorities

At the event, which took place in the Faculty of Architecture, the “high quality” of the work carried out by the architecture students of CUT, as well as their fellow students from the partner universities, was highlighted. The students worked on urban solutions aimed at uncovering the identity of a small but beautiful town with a rich past, outstanding cultural heritage and a strong musical tradition, particularly in the context of the Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Centre.

The architectural task consisted of designing a bridge to connect Zakliczyn with Melsztyn Castle. The students from the University of Bragança developed marketing strategies, with spatio-temporal solutions based on a city game, explained the academic supervisor, Dr hab. inż. arch. Kinga Racoń-Leja, Prof. PK.

The Mayor of Zakliczyn stated that the suggested proposals will be implemented in the city and stressed “the enormous professionalism” of the students’ work, who, as supervisors involved in developing these concepts, will present their results to the authorities and the local community in the coming months.

For her part, the Vice-Rector, Dr hab. inż. Katarzyna Bizon, expressed her satisfaction with the result shown by the groups of students in their final presentations, filled with great creativity, and with the successful conclusion of an international collaboration project such as FutureLab.

An innovative pedagogical model

FutureLab Camp is not the first of the international educational projects in which students from CUT’s Faculty of Architecture are involved, within the framework of STARS EU. As part of the Thematic Interest Group (TIG) Living Spaces, these workshops have been underway regularly since last year, thereby boosting the internationalisation of the education process.

“This kind of project is filled with pedagogical value, but it also poses a challenge, both for the students and for the professors, as it requires considerable effort, collaboration in other languages and with groups from different cultures, and the ability to provide solutions that are relevant to external stakeholders,” stressed Dr inż. arch. Ernestyna Szpakowska-Loranc. The expert also explained that this edition presented an even greater challenge, as the work was carried out in interdisciplinary groups.

Future editions: France and Portugal

The agreements reached in STARS EU guarantee the continuity of this Blended Intensive Programme. The next meetings will take place in France in 2026 and in Portugal in 2027. “We have been working for months alongside our partners on the framework for the next edition, based on the experiences of Kraków and Zakliczyn, where we have demonstrated that working in interdisciplinary and international groups is effective and brings tangible benefits to all involved,” said Adam Sadło, leader of Task 2.5 in STARS EU.

*The student selection process of the next edition will begin  in June 2025 at all STARS EU universities.

This week, the University of La Laguna is hosting the in-person portion of a course on smart grids and blockchain in energy, promoted within STARS EU, coordinated by Professor Benjamín González of the Department of Industrial Engineering. For this reason, 15 master’s degree students from three partner universities in the alliance—the Krakow University of Technology (Poland), the Hochschule Bremen – City University of Applied Sciences (Germany), and the Polytechnic University of Bragança (Portugal)—in addition to the enrolled local students, traveled to the School of Engineering and Technology, where the course is held.

The Director of the Internationalization Secretariat, Judit Mendoza, welcomed the new students, inviting them to enjoy the experience and take advantage of the opportunity to exchange ideas and expand their knowledge. Also present at the opening were two professors from the Portuguese institution: Ângela Ferreira, the founder of this course, which is in its second edition this year (2025), and José Lima.

Ferreira herself explained that “smart grids” are electrical infrastructures with a high degree of digitalization, capable of supporting real-time operations and combining monitoring and automatic control actions to help preserve system integrity. “They are very important today; we saw this with the recent blackout that affected Spain and Portugal, so the idea of ​​this course is to explore tools for understanding, designing, operating, and optimizing modern electrical systems that integrate digital technology, communication, and renewable energy sources.”

During her opening remarks, Ferreira conducted a roundtable discussion in which the students introduced themselves and shared their personal and academic interests. At that point, she expressed her satisfaction with the fact that a third of the attending students were female, an encouraging indicator given the low female presence in so-called STEM degrees.

Visits, presentations and collaborative projects

Benjamín González introduced the content of these in-person sessions, which will run until Thursday, May 29th. These sessions will include a visit to the facilities of the Institute of Renewable Energy Technology (ITER) and the host school’s laboratories; the presentation of initiatives such as the European project on energy communities, Satcomm; the technical master’s degrees from the University of La Laguna; and the development of collaborative group work by students, which will be presented together.

This course follows the format of the Blended Intensive Courses (BIP) of the Erasmus+ initiative, in which students receive intensive, online instruction on a very specific topic from instructors from all the universities involved. Smart Grids, which began in February, is now being held in person on the University of La Laguna campus. The course is also part of one of the thematic interest groups (TIG) that articulate STARS EU’s activities, the Energy Transition group, led by the University of La Laguna, with Benjamín González as coordinator.

A total of 34 students and 12 faculty members from seven European universities participated in the BIP Sustainability and ESG program that took place between April and May, culminating in an Intensive Week held from May 5th to 9th at the Bragança  Polytechnic University of (IPB), within the framework of the STARS EU consortium. The partner institutions included the Bragança Polytechnic University (Portugal), University of La Laguna (Spain), Hochschule Bremen (Germany),  Krakow Polytechnic University (Poland), University Aleksander Moisiu (Albania) and Silesian University in Opava.   (Czech Republic).

The program aimed to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of sustainable business practices and highlight the role of entrepreneurship and innovation in transforming how companies operate. Participants explored the impact of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) factors on corporate performance, analysed sustainability strategies adopted by organisations from different countries, and developed sustainability reports with recommendations for improvement.

In addition, six company leaders contributed to the program by sharing their real-world experiences and launching practical challenges to the student groups. These challenges formed the basis of the final project, which culminated in a pitch session where participants presented their solutions. The entrepreneurs were actively involved in evaluating the proposals, promoting a constructive and collaborative learning environment.

This BIP fostered international collaboration, critical thinking, and the exchange of knowledge, while reinforcing the importance of integrating sustainability and social responsibility into the core of business strategies today.

The University of La Laguna is actively participating in a research project that the STARS EU alliance of European universities, of which the university is a member, will soon launch to improve the capacity of elderly patients with poorer health and limited digital literacy. The initiative, called STARS- Health, is led by the Hanze University of Applied Sciences, along with the University of La Laguna, the University West, the Polytechnic University of Braganza, and the Silesian University in Opava .

The main objective of STARS-Health is to help older patients understand and use digital services to prevent and manage health conditions, empower patients, and improve communication with their caregivers. All these measures are ultimately aimed at reducing inequalities in access to healthcare, the ultimate goal of STARS- Health , a European-funded project with a total budget of nearly one million euros.

To achieve the stated goals, as explained by the project researchers at the University of La Laguna (ULL), Ángel Acebes Vindel, professor in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, and Sara Darias -Curvo, professor in the Department of Nursing, an application called FindMyApps, originally developed for people with mild dementia, will be redesigned and adapted for older adults with lower health and digital literacy (LHDL). In addition to this application, the project addresses the development of training programs for caregivers in primary, hospital, and community care settings.

In the integrated care process, it is essential to consider a series of specific care needs. That is why STARS- Health starts by identifying the needs of elderly patients with LHDL, as well as those of their caregivers; reviewing digital services designed for these individuals; redesigning and implementing FindMyApps; and providing specialized communication training for professionals specializing in the care of the elderly.

As the STARS- Health team at the University of La Laguna (ULL) explains, developed within the framework of the Healthy Aging Thematic Interest Group (TIG) of the alliance, its results will not only impact the health of older adults with low-grade dysplasia (LHDL), but will also help alleviate pressure on health centers and primary care facilities, as well as improve communication between patients and caregivers. «The goal is to promote secondary and tertiary prevention in primary, hospital, and community care for these individuals,» the ULL researchers emphasize.

Promotion of new prevention strategies

The initiative will also promote new prevention strategies and improve equity in access to healthcare, especially for residents of rural areas. Another benefit would be the potential reduction of pressure on the healthcare and social services system, resulting from improved performance and job satisfaction among caregivers thanks to the use of support tools.

It’s important to recognize that caregivers support patients in managing their own health through the use of digital tools, such as apps, health portals, and monitoring devices. Many of these caregivers and patients struggle to find, understand, or use health information in digital media, so they need an integrated and effective healthcare system that guides them from hospitals to community care services.

The fact that 42% of the European population has a low level of health literacy affects the quality of care, increases pressure on healthcare systems, and exacerbates inequalities, especially in rural areas. Recent data indicate that lower health literacy among patients is linked to a higher prevalence of chronic diseases, hospitalizations, and doctor visits, which puts pressure on secondary and tertiary prevention programs within the healthcare system.

The project’s research team, which includes five of the nine partners that make up STARS EU, is headed by Sandra Jorna-Lakke (Hanze ), the project leader and coordinator, along with Hans Hobbelen , from Hanze University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands); Margareta Karlsson , from the University West (Sweden); Rui Pedro Lopes , from the Polytechnic University of Bragança (Portugal); Sara Darias -Curvo and Ángel Acebes, from the University of La Laguna (Spain); and Yvetta Vrublova , from the Silesian University in Opava (Czech Republic), together with the Canary Islands Health Service of the Government of the Canary Islands, represented by Lilisbeth Perestelo – Pérez.

STARS- Health , which begins next April, will last three years and has received €912,060 in funding from the European Partnership for the Transformation of Health and Care Systems (THCS). This co-financed action is part of the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme for the period 2021-2027.

Teams of international students and a common goal: to develop the space and improve the tourist potential of the Małopolskie commune of Zakliczyn. As part of the FutureLab Camp workshops, 26 students from the Krakow University of Technology and foreign universities belonging to the European STARS EU alliance worked on Zakliczyn’s concepts.

The workshops, which took place in person at the Krakow University of Technology, involved students from the Krakow University of Technology, the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (Portugal), the Marie and Louis Pasteur University (France), and the Hanze University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands). The main task of the students was to define the problems related to tourism in Zakliczyn and to propose modern concepts to take advantage of the opportunities present in and around the city, including the reconstruction of the cycle-pedestrian bridge over the Dunajec River, which leads to the ruins of the castle in Melsztyn.

The participants were divided into three working groups, led by: dr. hab. inż. arch. Kinga Racoń-Leja, Prof. PK, and dr. inż. arch. Ernestyna Szpakowska-Loranc, from the Department of Urban Planning and Architecture of Urban Structures at the Faculty of Architecture of the Cracow University of Technology, with the support of Professors Joao Pereira, from the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, and coordinators Lorene Keram and Robin Roche, from Marie and Luis Pasteur University.

Adam Sadło, who works at FutureLab PK and is the leader of the WP 2.5 working group within STARS EU, was responsible for cooperation with partners and coordination of the entire Blended Intensive Erasmus+ Programme. The format in which the participants of the FutureLab Camp – Blended Intensive Programme Erasmus+ (BIP) worked is intensive programs focusing on selected scientific issues, utilizing innovative teaching methods. Such activities are organized in collaboration with several (a minimum of three) universities affiliated with the Erasmus+ program. The BIP program consists of a virtual and a stationary part (BIP participants from different universities meet at one university).

Getting to know the local culture

The work within the FutureLab Camp began with a study visit to Zakliczyn, during which students met with Mayor Dawid Chrobak and representatives of local cultural institutions. After the presentation and discussion about the characteristics of the municipality and potential strengths to be utilized, the participants visited the Zakliczyn market square, the historic church, the ruins of the castle in Melsztyn, and the European Centre for Krzysztof Penderecki’s Music in Lusławice.

After acquiring a valuable dose of knowledge, the students began conceptual work. The teams consisted of individuals focused on various project aspects: architecture, IT management, international business, art, and culture. Such multidisciplinary collaboration allowed participants to propose unique and complex concepts.

The review of the current work results took place on February 28 of this year. It was attended by the rector of the Cracow University of Technology, Andrzej Szarata, the STARS EU coordinator at CUT, professor Dariusz Bogdał and the director of FutureLab CUT, Monika Firlej.” Working within the framework of Blended Intensive Programs is more than just learning through project activities. It is also an opportunity for intercultural exchange, which the European Commission encourages in its recommendations. We proposed an interesting program for the students, which also includes meetings after classes, joint games of bowling and billiards, visiting Wieliczka and Kraków, and experiencing the flavours of Polish cuisine. This is particularly important when building teams that, after the physical component, will continue to work together online until mid-June 2025”, says Adam Sadło from FutureLab PK.

On the last day of classes, Monday, March 3, the final presentations of the developed concepts took place. The special guest of the day was Kazimierz Dudzik, the director of the Zakliczyńskie Center for Culture. The expert declared that he would try to use some of the presented ideas in his work. The final presentations also took place under the watchful eye of experts from the Faculty of Architecture at the Cracow University of Technology – prof. dr. hab. inż. arch. Sabina Kuc, dr. inż. arch. Wojciech Wójcikowski, prof. PK, dr. inż. Stanisław Czernik, and dr. inż. arch. Agnieszka Wójtowicz-Wróbel, Vice-Dean for Student Affairs at the Faculty of Architecture.

Months of work ahead

The group work of the teams will continue for the next three months, and the detailed concepts will be provided to Zakliczyn for use by mid-June. “I am proud of the work our university students have done together with their foreign colleagues. I have known for a long time that multidisciplinary work on specific solutions for cities and businesses brings tangible results, as we deal with supporting such groups every day at FutureLab PK. Bringing the FutureLab idea to an international level is, for me personally, the greatest recognition of the work we have been doing with students and researchers at the Cracow University of Technology for six years”, summarizes Monika Firlej, director of FutureLab PK.

The agreement regulating the cooperation between the municipality of Zakliczyn and the Cracow University of Technology was signed in January 2025 by professor Andrzej Szarata, the rector of PK, and Dawid Chrobak, the mayor of Zakliczyn.  Everyone agrees that, thanks to its convenient location, Zakliczyn is an ideal place for investments, especially in tourism.

“We are very pleased with the potential that lies in the cooperation between our university and such a dynamically developing municipality. Especially with the opportunity this cooperation creates for students of the Polytechnic and our partner foreign universities. Workshops dedicated to Zakliczyn are another example of modern education that we promote at the Polytechnic, which is education through the implementation of projects with practical applications for local communities. These dedicated to Zakliczyn – as the mayor conveys – have a chance to inspire real changes in the municipality”, said the rector of CUT at that time.