A hundred delegates meet at the Ulysseus-Da Nang Forum to strengthen international collaboration

On 24-25 October more than 80 representatives of Ulysseus European University – with delegates from the University of Seville (Spain), the University of Genoa (Italy), Université of Côte D’Azur (France), Technical University of Košice (Slovakia), MCI | The Entrepreneurial School® (Austria), Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Finland) and the University of Montenegro (Montenegro) – met in the University of Da Nang (Vietnam) at the Ulysseus-Da Nang Education Research Innovation forum for Smart Cities (UDERIF).

This international event took place only four months since the signing of the MoU at the University of Genoa (Italy). Back in June 2023, rectors and representatives from the current member universities of Ulysseus, new full members for the next Erasmus + call – University of Münster and University of Montenegro- and representatives of the University of Da Nang signed a MoU aiming at establishing cooperative relations in the fields of education, research, and other interested activities between all parties.

At the opening ceremony, Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu, President of the University of Da Nang, on his speech addressed his audience and stated that all universities acknowledged “the value of educational, cultural, and scientific exchanges between their respective institutions”. The start of this collaboration means the future exchange of lecturers and students among all parties and also potential joint research projects and collaboration on key global challenges such as smart cities, sustainable education, green and clean energy, among others.

Carmen Vargas, General Coordinator of the alliance, followed the words of the President of Da Nang University by introducing Ulysseus to the delegates of the forum. During her presentation she explained the objectives and achievements of the alliance since its foundation. Additionally, all Ulysseus partner universities played an active role and introduced individually each of their higher education institutions.

The round of presentations started with Prof. Miguel Ángel Castro, rector of the University of Seville (Spain), coordinating university of Ulysseus. He underlined the importance for European Universities not to limit themselves within their European boundaries but to swim abroad from their regions and extend their arms to other institutions in Asia, Africa and Latin America. He also emphasized the role of researchers in Ulysseus where they are the real protagonists, as shown in this international forum.

His presentation was followed by speeches of Dr. Siegfried Walch, Head of Department & Studies at MCI | The Entrepreneurial School® (Austria); Prof. Renata Dameri, Vice-rector for Internationalisation and Mobility of the University of Genoa (Italy); Prof. Jeanick Brisswalter, President of Université Côte d’Azur (France), Dr. Salla Huttunen, Vice-President of Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Finland); Prof. Peter Mesároš, Rector of Technical University of Košice (Slovakia) and Prof. Sanja Pekovic, Vicerrector of the University of Montenegro (Montenegro).

Governing council

During the Forum in Da-Nang, Ulysseus celebrated its last Governing Council meeting. This meeting was an opportunity to analyse the facts and figures of Ulysseus phase one, as well as a starting point to set the agenda for the Alliance from November, when it will include the University of Münster and the University of Montenegro as full members.

UDERIF Research Workshops

More than 90 researchers from Ulysseus and the University of Da Nang participated in seven workshops during the Ulysseus-Da Nang Education, Research and Innovation Forum for Smart Cities. This research activity is part of the international collaboration goals of the project COMPASS: Leading Ulysseus to become a European University excellence model through Research and Innovation which aims at boosting strategic collaboration with other institutions outside the alliance, making Ulysseus a world-wide European University model for Research & Innovation.

At these workshops, researchers discussed the latest research trends in key global challenges and hot topics in the field of education such as Smart Education (AI in Education and Green Cities); Higher Education Internazionalization and Sustainable University; Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Sustainable Tourism and Digital Economy; Culture, Art, and Heritage; Sustainable Energy, Robotics, and Environment and Data Science.

About Ulysseus

Ulysseus is one of the 50 European Universities selected by the European Commission to become the universities of the future. Led by the University of Seville together with five other universities in Europe (the University of Genoa, Italy; Université Côte d’Azur, France; the Technical University of Košice, Slovakia; MCI | The Entrepreneurial School®, Austria; and Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland), the project will allow students, researchers and graduates to move freely between universities, carry out internships in companies and start high-impact research projects.