Productive EC2U Alliance Meeting at the JKU

The local coordinators convened at the JKU to share ideas.

F.l.: upper row: Otis Pioche-Dutheil (UP), Emilie Lana (GC), Diogo Gonçalves (UC), Alberto Forte (UNIPV), Filipe RochA (UC) , Rainer Palmstorfer (JKU WP7), Stefan Koch (Rector), Georg Krammer (JKU WP8), Alberta Bonanni (Vice-Rector), Alexander Freischlager (JKU-WP2), Stefan Pawel (JKU WP3), Liisa Järvinen (UTU) , Sophia-Marie Meyer (FSE), Christine Hinterleitner (JKU WP2), Ema Nau (GC), Andrea Steiner-Cardell (JKU-LC). untere Reihe: Miriam López (USAL), Petra Muschitz (JKU WP9), Lana Ivanjek (JKU WP5), Alina, Manfred Heublein (JKU LC), Elena Clemente (UNIPV), Lassi Yli-Muilu (UTU), Maria Buchmayr (JKU WP6), Adriana Estrada (JKU LC), Gregor Pechmann (JKU UniComm), Flora Dausque (UP). Abbrievations: GC: Global Coordination Team UC: University of Coimbra, Portugal USAL: University of Salamanca, Spain UP: University of Poitiers, France FSE: Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany UNIPV: University of Pavia, Italy UAIC: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iași, Romania UTU: University of Turku, Finland;; phot credit: JKU
F.l.: upper row: Otis Pioche-Dutheil (UP), Emilie Lana (GC), Diogo Gonçalves (UC), Alberto Forte (UNIPV), Filipe RochA (UC) , Rainer Palmstorfer (JKU WP7), Stefan Koch (Rector), Georg Krammer (JKU WP8), Alberta Bonanni (Vice-Rector), Alexander Freischlager (JKU-WP2), Stefan Pawel (JKU WP3), Liisa Järvinen (UTU) , Sophia-Marie Meyer (FSE), Christine Hinterleitner (JKU WP2), Ema Nau (GC), Andrea Steiner-Cardell (JKU-LC). untere Reihe: Miriam López (USAL), Petra Muschitz (JKU WP9), Lana Ivanjek (JKU WP5), Alina, Manfred Heublein (JKU LC), Elena Clemente (UNIPV), Lassi Yli-Muilu (UTU), Maria Buchmayr (JKU WP6), Adriana Estrada (JKU LC), Gregor Pechmann (JKU UniComm), Flora Dausque (UP). Abbrievations: GC: Global Coordination Team UC: University of Coimbra, Portugal USAL: University of Salamanca, Spain UP: University of Poitiers, France FSE: Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany UNIPV: University of Pavia, Italy UAIC: Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iași, Romania UTU: University of Turku, Finland;; phot credit: JKU

The European Campus of City-Universities (EC2U) Alliance is an association of eight European universities, now including the JKU since the end of 2023. Recently, local coordinators representing the partner universities came together at the JKU to hold an important meeting. Along with the Global Coordination Team, they will embark on a journey of partnership, innovation, and community outreach.

Working Together Towards a Brighter Future
Local coordinators and the global team dynamics: Local coordinators are the pivotal link between their home universities and the EC2U Alliance, ensuring seamless progress regarding activities and fostering communication with the global coordination team. It's this synergistic approach that is at the backbone of EC2U's mission, driving initiatives forward in an effort to transform the future of education in Europe.

Discovering Linz and the JKU Campus
The guests of honor explored the main JKU campus, the JKU MED campus, as well as the vibrant city of Linz, and engaged in insightful conversations with JKU Rector Stefan Koch, Vice-Rector Elgin Drda, and Vice-Rector Alberta Bonnani. Rector Koch and Vice-Rector Bonnani’s unwavering support made this week possible. The guests also met with the JKU work packages representatives to learn more about ongoing initiatives, and forged valuable new partnerships. The guests expressed their immense enthusiasm. Ludovic Thilly, the general coordinator, remarked: "Members of the global coordination team and the 'local coordinators' were delighted to be able to come together in Linz for the first time since the JKU joined the EC2U Alliance. These types of meetings are essential in support of managing and monitoring EC2U Alliance activities effectively. The local coordinators are the key to realizing the EC2U’s work plan and also serve as the main contact for students and employees at the eight partner universities. This meeting was not only an opportunity to launch joint management of EC2U activities, but also learn more about the JKU and the city of Linz first-hand."

Reinforcing Collaboration Efforts
The week's agenda included key discussions about future forum locations, budget planning, and the overall agenda, emphasizing EC2U's commitment to excellence and impactful action. The EC2U continues to pave the way in support of academic innovation and social progress across Europe by means of collaborative efforts and advising in a strategic capacity.

A Look Ahead Toward the Future
As the EC2U Alliance continues to forge ahead under the local coordinators’ commitment and the global coordination team’s leadership, we expect continued progress and accomplishments as we embark on a shared journey towards a better future. Stay tuned to find out more about EC2U's transformative impact on education and partnerships in Europe.

Click here to learn more about the EC2U.