The U!REKA Shift project aims for long-term strategic cooperation on integrating education and research. The project focuses on a sustainable, humane, and inclusive transition towards climate-neutral and smart cities. The universities will collaborate in education, jointly develop new fields of study at the bachelor, master, and doctoral levels, offer courses for students and the public, and prepare mobility for students and staff. They will also cooperate in research and development in three joint research centres. “I am delighted that we have been included among the selected European universities that have succeeded in this programme. So far, only the four largest Czech universities have been included,” says Igor Ivan, Vice-Rector for Strategy and Cooperation, who led the preparation of the project.
The VSB-TUO project also promotes the Moravian-Silesian Region and the Statutory City of Ostrava, which, together with the Moravian-Silesian Innovation Centre, is an associated partner of the consortium. “As the U!REKA project deals mainly with three areas, namely smart and sustainable cities, the transition to a circular society and innovative models of governance and citizen engagement, it was important for us to get involved and share our experience and knowledge with other cities across Europe,” explains Andrea Hoffmannová, Deputy Mayor of the Statutory City of Ostrava for education, innovation and digitisation. The city management wants Ostrava to become closer to the world, people and nature by 2030. “We see it as a confident European city that will attract young, talented and hard-working individuals,” adds Andrea Hoffmannová, who believes that VSB-TUO can help the city achieve its goals through the U!REKA Shift project.
The U!REKA Shift project was prepared by the U!REKA consortium, which, in addition to VSB-TUO, consists of universities from Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Finland, and Portugal. The project will start on 1 January 2024 and will run for four years. The Alliance was founded in 2016, expanded in 2019 and now includes approximately 123,000 students and 11,000 employees. European Universities initiative is an ambitious project that will lead to the universities of the future. The initiative aims to promote European values and identity as well as revolutionise the quality and competitiveness of European higher education. For more information about the consortium, please visit www.ureka.eu.