Silesian University in Opava (SUO), Czechia, and Bragança Polytechnic University (IPB), Portugal, have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen academic, scientific, and pedagogical cooperation between the two institutions.

The agreement was signed by Orlando Rodrigues, President of IPB, and Tomáš Gongol, Rector of SUO, during an institutional visit of the Czech delegation to Portugal held between 26 and 30 April 2025. The delegation also included representatives of the SUO’s School of Business Administration in Karviná, led by Dean Roman Šperka.

One of the most important outcomes of the visit is the preparation of the School of Business Administration in Karviná for its first-ever double degree program. The new program, “Master in Product and Process Innovation”, currently undergoing the accreditation process, will allow students to obtain two diplomas in cooperation with the Portuguese partner institution. The first students could enroll as early as September 2027.

During the visit, the delegation participated in meetings with representatives of IPB schools, research centers, and innovation structures, including CeDRI, UNIAG, Brigantia EcoPark, MORE CoLAB, and the AquaValor Water Technology Transfer Center. Discussions focused on student and staff mobility, applied research, Living Labs, innovation, entrepreneurship, and practice-based learning methodologies.

“IPB makes full use of its regional context. Local challenges are transformed into opportunities for cooperation, research, and innovation. They build multidisciplinary teams, precisely the kind of approach that is needed,” said Rector of SUO, Tomáš Gongol. Dean Roman Šperka highlighted the shared educational vision of both institutions: “We are creating new opportunities for study programs taught in English while building on the Team Academy concept.”

The cooperation further strengthens the growing collaboration among STARS EU partner institutions and supports the alliance’s commitment to internationalization, innovative education, academic mobility, and regional impact across Europe.

On January 28, Bragança Polytechnic University (IPB) – a partner institution of the STARS EU European University Alliance – celebrated the 43rd anniversary of its foundation with a formal ceremony held in Chaves, Portugal.

The event brought together members of the academic community, institutional representatives, national and international partners, alumni and guests, highlighting IPB’s journey as a public higher education institution firmly committed to regional development, innovation, internationalisation and people-centred education.

A key moment of the ceremony was the Opening Lecture, delivered by Henrique de Barros, Professor of Epidemiology and President of the Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto, who challenged the academic community to reflect on entrepreneurial attitudes as drivers of healthier lives and societies.

During the ceremony, IPB awarded its Honorary Medals, recognising strategic partnerships at the national and international level. The International Honorary Medal was awarded to the University of Vigo (Spain) in recognition of its long-standing contributions to cross-border academic and scientific cooperation.

The celebration also marked 10 years of the Double Degree Programme with CEFET/RJ (Brazil), a flagship example of sustained international collaboration and academic mobility.

Excellence in education and research was further recognised through Alumni Career Awards, Merit Scholarships, academic prizes, and distinctions for applied research with territorial impact, reflecting IPB’s strong connection between higher education, innovation and regional transformation.

As a STARS EU partner, IPB’s 43rd anniversary highlights the alliance’s shared values – transforming regions and empowering people through education, research, and innovation across Europe.

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 .

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.

The STARS EU Alliance received the prestigious International Medal of Honour from the Polytechnic University of Bragança (IPB), one of its partners, during its 42nd anniversary celebrations. This recognition highlights the role of the alliance in strengthening the European Higher Education Area, promoting European values and identity, as well as promoting collaboration between institutions across borders.

The award was presented by Fernando Alexandre, Minister of Education, Science and Innovation of Portugal, and Orlando Rodrigues, President of the IPB, in recognition of the important contributions of the STARS EU Alliance to innovation, research cooperation and excellence in higher education.

This distinction, which was collected by Dick Pouwels, coordinator of STARS EU and President of Hanze UAS, reaffirms the IPB’s deep commitment to international partnerships and recognises the STARS EU Alliance as a driving force in promoting global perspectives, enhancing student experiences and supporting European educational initiatives.

The ceremony, which was attended by several dignitaries, featured a keynote speech by Elisa Ferreira, former European Commissioner.