University West (Sweden) will host a research workshop aimed at intensifying scientific collaboration within the STARS EU Alliance. This event, taking place on 8 and 9 September 2025, will bring together prominent researchers from various European universities, including those in the alliance, to present, share and foster new networks and joint projects in two areas of excellence: Production Technology and Work-Integrated Learning.

Renowned for its focus on advanced production technologies and integrated learning methodologies, University West offers an ideal setting for an international meeting whose significance lies in the direct exchange of knowledge. Sharing experiences among researchers will help to promote synergies that drive innovation and academic development in key areas for industry and higher education.

Participants will have the opportunity to present their research lines over the course of the two-day meeting, during which potential partnerships will be explored and strategies discussed to address common challenges in various fields — from production technology, robotics, electrical engineering and artificial intelligence to health sciences and pedagogy, among others.

Programme and activities

The research workshop will take place on 8 and 9 September 2025 at the university’s campus in Trollhättan (Sweden). The programme will begin on Monday 8 with a lunch and an institutional welcome by Vice-Chancellor Mats Jägstam and Professor Per Assmo, Head of Internationalisation. This will be followed by presentations on the main research focus areas in Production Technology, including robotic welding, simulation, electrical and electronic engineering, as well as the doctoral programmes linked to these fields.

In the afternoon, STARS EU alliance partners will take the floor to present their research lines in a session designed to identify common interests and pave the way for new collaborations. The day will conclude with a campus tour, a networking session and an official dinner.

Tuesday 9 will be dedicated to the research environment in Work-Integrated Learning (WIL), with presentations focusing on artificial intelligence, information systems, pedagogy, health sciences and applied local development. The day will end with a discussion session on future collaborations within the alliance and a lunch featuring a showcase of international education programmes offered by University West.

The workshop is free of charge and includes meals. Participants may apply for funding through the ERASMUS+ programme to cover their travel and accommodation expenses, reinforcing the alliance’s commitment to accessibility and academic exchange.

This event also coincides with the annual EAIE conference in Gothenburg, making it easier for attendees to participate in both events and broadening networking opportunities across the European space.

For more information:

Information about WIL:https://www.hv.se/en/research/research-environments/area-of-strength-work-integrated-learning/

Information about PT: https://www.hv.se/en/research/research-environments/production-technology/

Hochschule Bremen (HSB) – City University of Applied Sciences is just one of eight universities of applied sciences (HAW) in Germany that is being funded by the EU to create a European University with partners, the STARS EU alliance. In mid June, the project team at HSB invited all university members to a dialogue intorducing the highlights of the project.

As it was explained during the meeting, a lot of initiatives has already been put in motion in recent months and years: New digital and analogue teaching formats are being practised and tested by the nine partner universities. Teachers and students are benefiting from this. New courses and degrees are in preparation – for example: the development of a double degree in the Master’s course in Construction and Environment (Infrastructure) together with the Portuguese partner university Polytechnic Institute of Bragança – funded by the DAAD programme HAW.International “Internationalising Practice in Civil Engineering” (I_PaCE).

Start-up funding for project ideas
In research, scientists have the opportunity to apply for start-up funding for project ideas with STARS EU partners. At the regular STARS EU conferences and working meetings, ideas can be developed and taken forward – for example on the topics of energy transition, circular economy, start-ups and innovation or health and how the nine universities can learn from each other. Bremen and the region therefore are benefitting from STARS EU.

At the information event in the foyer of the International Graduate School on Langemarchstraße at the Neustadtswall campus, STARS EU project coordinator Stefanie Eul (on the picture at speakers’ desk) and Vice-Rector for Studies, Teaching and Internationalisation Prof. Dr. Annika Maschwitz (on the photo with microphone) explained the project structures behind STARS EU and how you can get involved. It is pleasing to note that more than 50 HSB employees from all status groups are already involved in STARS EU. More are very welcome.

A delegation of deans from Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB) has visited the Cracow University of Technology on 16 and 17 April to meet their counterparts at the Polish institution. The purpose of the visit is to thoroughly examine the mutual offerings in the field of international partnership and to establish the details of further cooperation between the universities in the framework of STARS EU.

The intensive program has included meetings with the university authorities and visits to faculties such as Computer Science and Telecommunications, Environmental Engineering and Energy, Chemical Engineering and Technology

The Portuguese delegation of deans was composed by Nuno Ribeiro (School of Technology and Management), Adília Fernandes (School of Health), Sonia Nogueira (School of Public Management, Communication and Tourism), Pedro Bastos (School of Agriculture) and Carlos Teixeira (School of Education).

They were received, among others, by Andrzej Szarata, Rector of the Cracow University of Technology; Dariusz Bogdał, Vice-Rector for Science; Katarzyna Baron-Lisiakiewicz, head of the International Relations; Michał Bereta and Natalia Ryłko, Vice-Deans of the Faculty of Computer Science and Telecommunications; Stanisław Rybicki, Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Power; and Piotr Michorczyk, Dean of the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology.

On April 24 – 23, 2023, the School of Business Administration of the Silesian University in Opava (SU SBA), Czechia, played host to an exceptional event: the first edition of the STARS EU Staff Week. Held in conjunction with the International Week event of the SU SBA, the Staff Week brought together professionals from nine higher education institutions associated with the STARS EU Alliance. The event aimed to foster collaboration, share best practices, and establish new connections among engaged universities. With over 70 participants from 14 different countries and 20 foreign universities, the event was a resounding success.

Opening day

The opening ceremony commenced with a warm welcome from Tomáš Gongol, the newly appointed Rector of Silesian University. He highlighted the significance of the STARS EU Alliance as a strategic focus for the university and expressed his delight in hosting the event. Roman Šperka, the Dean of the School of Business Administration, followed with an informative presentation on the university and its hosting School. Jana Šimáková, the Vice-Dean for International Relations, extended a warm welcome on behalf of the organizing team, wishing all participants a productive and rewarding week in Karviná.

Rima Dijkstra, the alliance leader from Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands, shared an insightful overview of the STARS EU Alliance. Rima highlighted the alliance’s focus on addressing common societal challenges and themes such as demographic change, future competencies, industrial transition, and sustainability. The presentation also introduced the alliance’s cooperation structures, joint projects, and ambitious plans for the future, including e.g. the establishment of a “Technology Transfer Office” or “Future Lab”.

Daniel Stavárek, the Vice-Rector for Science and International Relations at Silesian University, delivered an informative presentation on the European Universities Initiative. He discussed the benefits of EU Alliances, the challenges associated with funding and governance, and emphasized the need for coordinated efforts and improved financial support for alliance activities.

One of the highlights of the day was an interactive world café session facilitated by Rima Dijkstra. This session encouraged participants to engage in lively discussions. The characteristics of a European University and ways to contribute to its establishment were explored. Ideas for increased student mobility, harmonized quality management systems, and more opportunities for lifelong learners were among some other topics discussed. The session sparked creative thinking and fostered a sense of shared STARS EU vision among all the participants.

Following up on the word café, Niels Hexspoor from Palacký University in Olomouc, a member of the Aurora Alliance, shared his experience and insights. Aurora, established in 2016, is a consortium of 10 research-intensive universities dedicated to social impact and community engagement. Niels emphasized the importance of proper organization, student engagement, and building strong relationships within the alliance. He advised setting realistic targets, not forgetting to involve IT staff and always thinking of backup plans. He also stressed the need for a dedicated team who can work for the alliance full-time to ensure successful completion of tasks and reminded participants that the alliance is a long-term commitment, not just a project with an end date.

Working group meetings

During the STARS EU Staff Week, 5 working groups met to discuss important topics and explore opportunities for collaboration within the STARS EU Alliance. All working group meetings, including the Steering Committee meeting, were organised in a hybrid format, i.e. with the possibility to connect online via MS Teams.

The STARS EU officers group focused on integrating the alliance into member organizations, emphasizing the need for regular meetings and better internal communication. They also agreed to connect with the Communication managers group to explore joint activities.

The Strategy advisers group delved into strategy development, highlighting the significance of internationalization and European values. They shared concrete ideas on involving more colleagues in the alliance and emphasized the importance of top management support. Joint research projects, student and staff mobility, and utilizing platforms like BIPs were identified as key areas for success. Engaging students through podcasts, interviews, and social media was also suggested.

The E-learning experts group compared information and e-learning systems used by alliance members, acknowledging both similarities and differences in support structures and resources. They discussed the possibility of creating a shared platform for accessing courses based on different students’ identities and would like to focus on the concept of a virtual campus in the following discussions.

The Erasmus without paper group, comprising mostly international relations officers, focused on student and staff mobilities. They discussed the sharing of study courses and programs within the alliance and examined each university’s mobility system. The functionality of platforms varied among institutions, leading also to discussions on centralized and decentralized approaches to inter-institutional agreements.

Other speakers and cultural program

The event was enriched by the valuable contributions of other speakers. Diederich Bakker from Hanze University of Applied Sciences shared his expertise in teaching abroad and working with students from diverse cultures. How does cooperation between universities and innovation agencies help support entrepreneurship in regions undergoing transition? Adéla Píchová from the Moravian-Silesian Innovation Centre came to talk about this topic.

The event also featured an engaging social and cultural program. Participants enjoyed a visit to Marlenka cake factory in Frýdek-Místek, explored the Leaning Church of St. Peter of Alcantara, took a tour of Karviná, and even had the opportunity play golf. The memorable gala dinner was held at Petrovice Chateau nearby Karviná.

For a detailed programme, photo gallery, reports and more information about the event please visit go.slu.cz/intweek.

We look forward to meeting again for the next STARS EU Staff Week planned for 20-24 November 2023 in Bremen, Germany!

Last week, Aleksandër Moisiu University in Durrës at Albania (UAMD) welcomed a delegation of Hanze University of Applied Sciences, from The Netherlands (HUAS), which is the leader institution of the European University Alliance STARS EU, which also involves other seven universities from different countries within the EU.

During their visit, representatives from HUAS followed and evaluated the capacities of UAMD and discussed various topics for the continuation of fruitful cooperation in the future. The meeting’s agenda included a round table with strategic business partners at the Albanese centre.

Experiences were also exchanged and the current situation was analyzed with UAMD representatives in the thematic interest groups, cooperative and decision-making structures of the EU STARS Alliance, and future cooperation agreements were planned.

STARS EU stands for the STrategic Alliance for Regional Transition. Nine higher education institutions are part of this European University: Hanze University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands), University West (Sweden), Bremen University of Applied Sciences (Germany), University of La Laguna (Spain), Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (Portugal), Silesian University in Opava (Czech Republic), Cracow University of Technology (Poland), University of Franche-Comté (France) and Aleksandër Moisiu University of Durrës (Albania).

With only ten days left until the deadline for the Erasmus+ 2023 European Universities call, the STARS EU Alliance partners have met in Crakow (Poland) to finalise the work started several months ago on the design of the application for funding. The Cracow University of Technology, with its Vicechancellor of Research, Dariusz Bogdal, as respresentative and organizer, held this Steering Comitee meeting during two intensive days of working, 19th and 20th of January.

Fort he first time, the Erasmus+ 2023 European Universities call is open for participation as full partners in the alliances to higher education institutions from all Western Balkans countries, and STARS EU is proud to apply with the Aleksandër Moisiu University of Durrës (Albania). Moreover, this is the first time that our French partner, University of Franche-Comté (France), participate in the call as a full integrated partner.

The Steering Comitee has dedicated these two intense days of work to review the actions carried out during these years of the Alliance; to adjust the actions to be developed in the new four-year period, marked by this call, to the objectives; and to update the ongoing tasks to the incorporation of the new partners.

The new call also offers the opportunity for STARS EU to renew energy and introduce new work packages, in line with the experience acquired, the needs generated by regional realities and the guidelines set by the EU in its policies and objectives.

During this meeting, professor Valeriy Yaschuk, from the department of General Physics at the Nationa Taras Shevchenko University from Kyiv, an associated partner of STARS EU, presented his university’s key figures and the results of his team’s recent research on biological physics, more concretely on telomers structure and function.

The members of the STARS EU alliance plan to keep a strong collaboration with this university and with Prof. Yaschuk’s team in the context of the TIG on Healthy Ageing. They also expressed their sympathy to their Ukrainian colleague for the current situation in his country and conveyed to him their best wishes and their desire for a prompt termination of the war.

The spirit of the STARS EU alliance is strongly Europeanist, of public service, by accelerating the transition to a green and digital model for making our future sustainable, following the 2030 Agenda and always having citizenship at the centre of its actions.

This new Erasmus+ call for proposals will continue the rollout of the European Universities initiative with a record total budget of €387.2 million.

The European Universities’ work encompasses all higher education institutions’ missions of education, research, innovation and service to society. These alliances have diverse models of systemic, structural and sustainable transnational cooperation which reinforce the quality, performance, attractiveness and international competitiveness of higher education across Europe, for the benefit of their students and staff, while promoting our democratic values.

The city of Bragança, (Portugal) hosted a Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) on Embedded Systems Applications from 9th to 13th of January, in which students from three STARS EU partners, the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB, Portugal), the Hanze University of Applied Sciences (HUAS, The Netherlands), and the Bremen University of Applied Sciences (HSB, Germany), together with the University of Oradea (Romania), met physically and shared this formative experience.

The teaching partners of IPB, HUAS and HSB, and from CEFET-RJ (Brazil) enabled the students to assemble and program robots with the aim of developing a prototype to perform a competition. Using a challenge-based learning methodology in STEM, students were motivated while enhancing their creativity and problem-solving skills as it could be proved.

Challenges were divided into robot manipulators and mobile robotics based on real competitions form the Portuguese Robotics Open. The Embedded Systems Applications BIP will continue for its 2 nd edition the next September 2023 enlarging the participation of teachers and students to other STARS EU partners.

The University West has held the second of the online seminars that STARS EU has organized, with a monthly periodicity, in order to showcase the objectives and first results within each of the Thematic Interest Groups (TIGs) which center the research activities of the alliance. This second seminar addressed the aims of the Arts and Creatives Industries, and you can see its recording following this link or directly in the embebed video below.

The seminar included a presentation by the Arts and Creative Industries TIG by the TIG leader Antonio Meireles (IPB). On the development so far, participants in the TIG but not least the planning for the future of the TIG.

This TIG has already developed a joint common ground for the participants in it and also a strategy for the development further. Not least was time a crucial discussion point at the seminar as a factor for creativity and possibility of development (in this TIG and in general).

The seminars are an important part in the joint ongoing development of the STARS EU alliance and to enlight the existing competence and research capacity already in place. But also to understand the connection between TIG’s and the possibilities that might have. And to find research solutions that yet not are being addressed.

The third TIG Seminar is scheduled on 7th February, about Energy Transition.

November 21 and 22 were the dates of the end-of-year physical celebration of the STARS EU Steering Committee at the headquarters of the Portuguese partner of the STARS EU, the Plytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB). The highlight of this meeting was the in-person presentation of the two new STARS EU partners: the University of Franche-Comté (France) and the Aleksandër Moisiu University of Durrës (Albania). For all the partners, it represents an addition of great wealth to the Alliance and its contribution is promising.

The central subjects of the meeting were two. On the one hand, the activities carried out so far by the partners in the STARS EU action program were reviewed in detail, with special interest in learning about the stakeholders involved in each partner, their impact and their prospects for future development. The full list of actions carried out or underway generated great satisfaction and pride among SC members, showing all partners a broader dimension of the impact that STARS EU is producing in each one. The future is hopeful and the spirit to continue and increase the efforts was highly strengthened.

Secondly, being the fundamental objective of the meeting, the evaluation received for the 2022 candidacy was reviewed in detail, which achieved a magnificent score (85/100), but was not enough to obtain financing. The strengths and weaknesses expressed in said report were reviewed and a long debate was held to analyze them, with a constructive, critical and highly demanding spirit in the objectives set by STARS EU itself, and collecting the suggestions for improvement indicated by the evaluators.

Based on this analysis, the alliance has already begun to draft the financing candidacy proposal for 2023, a call already published and which ends next January 31. The construction machinery of the proposal is already underway, the weekly meetings of the SC are the management engine and the permanent review of the objectives, the work packages, the scheduled tasks, the associated indicators and the measurement of their implementation and impact they are the fundamental axis of the coordination of the SC exercises from the governance of the Alliance.

Schedule of the meeting

21st November

• 09:00 Part #1 (morning). Meeting IPB: a visit to IPB and city facilities to know better IPB research and teaching focus areas and the IPB vision to STARS EU structures and thematic interest groups, guided by principals and R&D coordinators.
• 12:00 Lunch
• 13:30 Part #2 (afternoon). What will happen at STARS EU next semester? The Steering Committee meets to validate and to ensure the dissemination of the STARS EU actions for the 2nd semester 2022/2023 (BIP, STAR Talks,STAR Weeks, etc.)
• 19:30 Dinner

22nd November

• 09:30 Part #3 (morning). Taking over Europe: Steering Committee meets to prepare the European Universities 2023 call.
• 12:30 Lunch
• 13:30 Part #4 (afternoon). ReTaking Europe: Steering Committee meets to prepare the European Universities 2023 call.
• 19:30 Dinner

​Last Tuesday 31 May and Wednesday 1 June it was time for the Launching STARS EU conference! The conference on 31 May was a great success, bringing together partners from 8 different European countries for the first time. It was great to finally be able to shake hands and look each other in the eye after all these months and years of only seeing each other online and working together intensively. Everyone was cheerful and eager to attend the two-day conference.

Tuesday 31 May, Conference

On the first day, the conference was opened by the president of Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Dick Pouwels. Then the other presidents and rectors of the 7 universities in the Alliance had their turn to address the conference. The 7 other universities that are part of the Alliance are: Polytechnic Institute of Braganca, Portugal, Bremen University of Applied Sciences, Germany, University of La Laguna, Spain, Silesian University in Opava, Czechia, University West, Sweden, Cracow University of Technology, Poland and Atlantic Technological University, Ireland

Of course, the origin of the STARS EU Alliance was explained by project leader Rima Dijkstra, and there was room for an inspiring speech given by Prof. Dr. Jelly Zuidersma. This was followed by all six presentations of the Thematic Interest Groups (TIGs) with the following themes: Digital Transformation, Healthy Ageing, Energy Transition, Circular Economy, Arts & Creative Industries, Entrepreneurship & Innovation. At the end of the first day of the conference, the STARS EU commission meeting took place and there was room for an entertainment programme ‘exploring Groningen’.

Wednesday 1 June, Parallel meetings

The second day of the conference consisted mainly of parallel meetings in each field. In total, there were 11 different meetings on this day. These ranged from the Steering Committee meeting in the morning to the six TIGs meetings, the Regional Transition Accelerator meeting, expert group meetings, the students meeting and the challenge lab meeting. On this second conference day we have even formed a STARS EU Student Board consisting of students from the 8 partner universities. We believe it is very important that students are involved from the beginning and are heard about the developments for this new future-oriented European university. Below are a few summaries of what was discussed in the different meetings.

The Energy Transition group held its second meeting within the STARS EU alliance. This meeting has had a mixed format, face-to-face and online, due to the fact that previous commitments of several partners did not allow all of them to attend in person. After a brief introduction to the different areas of interest of the partners, it was analyzed the possibility of collaborating through a “Blended Intensive Programme” [1] belonging to the Erasmus call to enhance the mobility of students, staff and faculty, as a starting point for inter-university collaboration. It has been agreed to maintain regular contact, to define the different aspects of this program and to look for common areas where an effective collaboration in terms of research can be carried out.
[1] https://wikis.ec.europa.eu/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=40706342

The Healthy Ageing group brings together multidisciplinary expertise in areas such as nutrition, neuroscience, nursery, physiology, sports science, the built environment and digitalisation from across the STARS EU alliance. The multidisciplinary approach ensures that we are well positioned to discuss and address the societal challenges to healthy ageing.’ The group met today to discuss the priorities for our work together. We had previously set out our short, medium and long term agenda over the next year and at our next meeting we are going to review our undergraduate and postgraduate programme provision. Once these are mapped we will begin discussing the development of a blended intensive programme in healthy ageing. The group also discussed Erasmus Plus opportunities and how we can collaborate on a submission.

The TIG for Entrepreneurship and Innovation met to discuss their plans for collaboration. Options include developing networking sessions for students; best practice sessions for faculty to share tools for innovation; a shared research platform for joint publications between our universities; and developing a BIP (Blended Intensive Programme) to provide short-term international opportunities in our respective university locations. According to Dr Meghann Drury-Grogan, Head of Department of Enterprise and Technology in the School of Business at ATU and member of this TIG “We had an engaging discussion about options for not only developing working sessions for both students and faculty, but how we can interact with the other TIGs. Innovation is a pillar of much of the work across the consortium rather than a stand-alone initiative. It is exciting to represent ATU with our European colleagues and enhance our role in building entrepreneurship capabilities in the West of Ireland!

Arts and Creative Industries meeting started welcoming the new partners into the team, getting everyone acquainted and in touch with the concept, structure and aims of this TIG. We had the opportunity to address three actions that have being developed: a network database, a blended intensive program fostering creativity, directed to staff within the STARS EU Alliance and a mobilising research project towards cultural contextes in dialogue. Acknowledging the need to further discuss these matters, there was an ample consensus regarding the positive connections and outcomes that Arts and Creative Industries can bear into the Alliance, foreseeing a very interesting future ahead of us.

As TIG Digital Transformation we spent time looking back (how the subthemes were organized) and forward (adapting the TIGs for our new partners). Major focus points were: 1) tying our work better to other application domains and other TIGs, 2) more focus on educational technology and challenge-based learning, and 3) how to connect other researchers to our subthemes. Furthermore, we discussed Blended Intensive Programs as a means to get to know each other better.

At the end of the second conference day, we closed the programme with a boat trip through the canals of Groningen and dinner in Garnwerd aan Zee, a small village just outside Groningen city.

To summarise, these were two very useful and fruitful days, during which we heard from and exchanged a lot of information with each other, and we can now move forward with our plans for the future-oriented European university: STARS EU. Next year in March 2023 the conference will take place at the partner La Laguna on Tenerife, Spain.

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Were you not able to attend the conference on 31 May? You could watch the conference via the following link: http://www.kaltura.com/tiny/0xrif