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On the Path to the First European University

The first “European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation” supported entirely by universities is founded on the Upper Rhine

Freiburg, Dec 09, 2015

On the Path to the First European University

Caption see text. Photo: Service de communication Université de Haute-Alsace

On 9 December 2015, the Universities of Basel, Freiburg, Haute-Alsace, and Strasbourg and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology signed the founding documents for the trinational European Campus. The universities have thus broken new ground in cross-border cooperation in Europe: The alliance is the first “European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation” (EGTC) to be supported entirely by universities and the second to be based in Germany – namely in Freiburg. “It is a model project that is unique in the European research area. We will create common structures everywhere where we see the opportunity to derive an additional benefit. Our researchers, students, and employees will have unique possibilities for cooperation at their disposal. Our international visibility will be significantly enhanced.” says Prof. Dr. Hans-Jochen Schiewer, president of Eucor – The European Campus and rector of the University of Freiburg.

The goal is to enable the member universities to use the EGTC as a central instrument for European Campus projects. The European Campus concentrates the research and teaching potential of the Upper Rhine universities. A full 15,000 researchers profit from cross-border innovation and knowledge transfer, and 115,000 students can study in a trinational environment. As a university alliance with its own legal status, the universities can submit funding proposals as a single entity and draft a common plan for strategic development while retaining their autonomy. Also planned are joint professorships, joint administrative personnel, and joint service departments.

The European Campus was created against the backdrop of longstanding cooperation between the universities on the Upper Rhine. In 1989 they teamed up to form an international network called Eucor (European Confederation of Universities on the Upper Rhine). By establishing the European Campus, the five universities aim to take this cross-border cooperation in research and teaching to a new level in order to gain a key advantage in the international competition for the best minds and ideas.

The founding documents will now be submitted to the Freiburg Regional Administrative Authority. The EGTC can take up its work officially upon the ratification of the documents by the responsible authorities in Germany, French, and Switzerland. The universities plan to hold a central opening ceremony in spring 2016.

Further information:
www.eucor-uni.org

Caption:
From left: Prof. Dr. Alain Beretz, President of the University of Strasbourg; Prof. Dr. Andrea Schenker-Wicki, Rector of the University of Basel; Prof. Dr. Alexander Wanner, Vice President of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology; Dr. Christine Gangloff-Ziegler, President of the University of Upper Alsace; Prof. Dr. Hans-Jochen Schiewer, Rector of the University of Freiburg. Behind them is Janosch Nieden, Coordinator of Eucor – The European Campus.


Contact:
For Eucor – The European Campus in general:
Janosch Nieden
Central Coordinator of Eucor – The European Campus
Phone: +33 (0)3 68 85 82 93
E-Mail: janosch.nieden@eucor-uni.org

For the University of Freiburg:
Florence Dancoisne
Local Coordinator of Eucor – The European Campus
Phone: +49 (0)761/203-9655
E-Mail: florence.dancoisne@io.uni-freiburg.de

 

Printable version (pdf) of the press release.