A delegation led by Manfred Heublein and Andrea Steiner-Cardell traveled to the University of Pavia (Italy) to attend strategic meetings designed to involve the JKU into the EC²U Alliance’s activities. The JKU delegation also included Prof. Claudio Biscaro, PD Dr. Georg Krammer, Mag. Stefan Pawel, and Prof. Iris Groher. The trip was a testament to both universities' commitment to strengthening partnerships, sharing best practices, and promoting the EC²U Alliance's goals, particularly in the areas of lifelong learning, doctoral education and digital education. The week-long visit sought to strengthen relations and foster an inclusive, dynamic European educational community by working closely with student representatives.

Claudio Biscaro welcomes the initiative and remarked: "We’re not only creating opportunities that will improve educational quality and choices, we are giving our university’s researchers unique options. Being a part of this international alliance is truly exciting."

Focusing on Lifelong Learning and PhD Education
As the appointed leader of a lifelong learning pillar within the Pan-European Alliance, the JKU has a pivotal role when it comes to coordinating and driving activities related to lifelong learning, micro-credentials (MC), and joint doctorate education programs. The university will be responsible for the effective oversight of MC initiatives, defining applicable courses, ensuring inter-university access, creating MC content, and defining credit transfer regulations. The goal is to create a solid foundation and, as part of the EC²U alliance, support lifelong career development.

Manfred Heublein, head of the delegation, remarked: "Our visit to Pavia was not only insightful regarding Work Packages, it also boosted the JKU delegation’s sense of team spirit and consolidated the ties to our EC²U family."

Advancements in Digital Education
The visit also focused on the ongoing progress at the EC²U Connect Center, a central hub for tools and resources in support of meeting the Alliance's objectives. The primary objective includes creating innovative parameters in support of digital education and strengthening the Alliance's capabilities in this critical domain. Stefan Pawel expressed his enthusiasm: "The EC²U alliance is an ideal opportunity to connect to other universities and learn from each other. In terms of IT infrastructure, we also received very valuable input from members at the University of Pavia."

Student Involvement
As part of the partnership, the team met with student representatives to discuss the Ambassador program, an initiative to reinforce just how important student involvement and feedback is when it comes to building the Alliance's student-centered programs.

Upcoming Activities in the Planning Stages
Following a week of in-depth discussions, the meetings’ outcomes will be instrumental to the JKU’s ongoing involvement in the EC²U Alliance. The collaborative efforts between the JKU and the University of Pavia reaffirms the Alliance's commitment to creating a vibrant and integrated European campus. Georg Krammer praised both universities’ commitment and added: "It has been inspiring to see just how the spirit of these European universities is starting to take shape and how it will serve to promote common European educational goals."

About the EC²U Alliance
In an effort to foster collaboration, mobility, as well as innovation in higher education, the EC²U Alliance (European Campus of City-Universities) brings universities from different European cities together. By working together, the EC²U aims to create a pan-European campus across geographical borders, giving students and employees various opportunities to pursue a diverse and enriching educational experience.

Click here to learn more about the EC²U.