Who we are

It was late autumn in 2017 when EU leaders met in the swedish city of Gothenburg to outline a vision for education and culture in the European Union. Long discussions held at this summit resulted in the idea of strenghtening and enabling mobility and exchanges for young Europeans and establishing a network of so-called European Universities. The overall aim of these European Universities is to open up the world to young Europeans: Not only by enabling them to cooperate across languages, borders or disciplines, but also because it is necessary to address societal challenges and skills shortages faced in Europe.

Following this initiative, a large number of universities all over Europe started creating ties with other higher education institutions. As a result, to date, this synergy led to the establishment of 41 European universities – one of them being E³UDRES².

The idea of E³UDRES² as a European University had been initiated by St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences (Austria) in fall 2019, with the aim to create an "engaged, European, entrepreneurial University as driver for smart and sustainable regions.” The future members of the E³UDRES² consortium were then invited specifically based on their motivation to elaborate and contribute to the project and pass on the values and strategic goals of E³UDRES². As a result, on October 1st, 2020, the time had finally come and E³UDRES² celebrated its official launch.

With a multidisciplinary international team, E³UDRES²’ core topics of research revolve around the foundation and establishment of Future Universities, as well as the transformation of their environment and local communities into smart and sustainable regions. Scientists and educators with different backgrounds and experiences from all partner universities of E³UDRES² are currently actively conducting research and novel approaches in the areas of circular economy, human contribution to artificial intelligence, and wellbeing and active aging. E³UDRES² pools knowledge, core competences and skills and shares resources of the following six higher education institutions:

Higher education institutions in E³UDRES²

E³UDRES² is formed of six higher education institutions located all over Europe:

St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences (lead)

Located in the city of St. Pölten, Austria, St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences is a key player in the domestic higher education landscape. With about 3,400 students and 350 staff members, STPUAS has become part of the structural change the city of St. Pölten has gone through - from traditional industrial region into a knowledge hub, with a rising number of SMEs.

Find out more about St. Pölten UAS here.

Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal

The Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Portugal, is the alliance’s representative from the south-western end of Europe. With 7,000 students and 800 staff members, the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal aims to contribute to the Setúbal region’s sustainable development through the education of its population, research and development applied to the regional challenges, knowledge and technology transfer activities, provision of services to the community, and dissemination and promotion of science and culture.

Find out more about the Politechnic Institute of Setúbal here.

Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences

The headquarters of the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Hungary, are located in the town of Gödöllö (35,000 inhabitants) about 35 km north-west of the capital Budapest in a suburban area, creditably teaching agriculture and related life sciences. The institution has gained experience in a number of projects based on its educational, research and advisory potential which can contribute to the success of collaborative work between European universities.

Find out more about the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences here.

UC Leuven-Limburg University of Applied Sciences

UC Leuven-Limburg University of Applied sciences' 5 faculties and 8 campuses are distributed all over Limburg, the smallest province of Belgium. UC Leuven-Limburg focuses strongly on their students' wellbeing and their employability after they graduate.

Find out more about UC Leuven-Limburg UAS here.

Politehnica University Timișoara

The Politehnica University of Timisoara, Romania has been around for over 100 years - it is an institution that focuses on advanced research and education, having around 15.000 students and 10 faculties. Today, it is one of the traditional Romanian schools and is recognized nationally and internationally both through the work of generations of teachers and the outstanding work of prestigious academics.

According to tradition, the mission of UPT resides in meeting the competence requirements of the societal environment by providing superior training at undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels. Bearing fundamental values, the university mission reflects at the same time concern for the future of society, by tracing its development at local, regional, national, and international levels.

Find out more about the Politehnica University Timisoara here.

Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, Latvia is a state educational institution located in the Vidzeme region. The institution was founded for promoting the economic, political and social development of the Vidzeme Region - which it surely did! Apart from higher and further education possibilities, the university has become an essential partner in solving the development issues of the dynamic Vidzeme Region and the city of Valmiera. The university is well known for its international profile, qualified staff and a balanced link between theory and practice.

Find out more about Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences here.

Want to meet the people involved in E³UDRES² in the different institutions? View the full E³UDRES² Team here.

Associated partners

E³UDRES² is supported by nine associated partners from all partner countries, all of which provide expertise and know-how in the context of E³UDRES², give feedback on concepts and ideas, support the dissemination and sustainability of the alliance as well as co-host events.