ATHENS (Advanced Technology Higher Education Network) is a network of 14 European universities that was established in 1997 to organise twice-yearly intensive week-long exchange courses for students. Around 4000 students participate in this programme each year.
In the week of 18-22 March 2024, in cooperation with ICT, CTU organised 11 intensive courses within the ATHENS programme, which were attended by 197 foreign students from leading European technical universities. 10 courses were organized by CTU, 1 course by VŠCHT.
CTU is a very popular destination for foreign students, as evidenced by their feedback:
Student Technical University of Munich: Taking part in the one-week course in Prague was such an amazing experience! Everything was well-organized, and Prague's beauty made learning and connecting with others even better. I'm thankful to the Athens network, CTU and all the people associated for this wonderful opportunity and for making it memorable for life.
Student Universidad Politécnica de Madrid: It's been incredibly insightful, with various companies delivering engaging talks, and Athens organizing enriching activities such as visits to the Technical Museum and a city-wide game exploration.
Student Budapest University of Technology and Economics: The Athens week was an amazing experience for me. I liked the European Dimension programs, especially the Prague discovery game. I really like the idea to create a group out of different nationalities.
In 2023, 364 international students came to CTU as part of ATHENS courses, 14 more than in 2022.
Of course, CTU students also have the opportunity to participate in the ATHENS programme and travel to partner universities. The March 2024 run was attended by 105 students (78 CTU + 27 VŠCHT) who went on 26 different courses in Thessaloniki, Paris, Istanbul, Lisbon, Trondheim, Milan, Delft, Munich, Bucharest, Madrid and Warsaw. ATHENS courses are intended for students of all CTU faculties. This program is very popular among students because it allows them to study at prestigious technical universities and offers the possibility of going away for a short period of time, which is very attractive even for students who do not dare to go for a whole semester. During the week-long programme, they will experience living in a foreign country, get to know the environment of a foreign university and make new contacts. For some of them, participation in the ATHENS programme is a stepping stone to further international trips.
To ostatně dokládají i ohlasy studentů na tento ojedinělý program, do kterého je zapojeno v ČR pouze ČVUT ve spolupráci s VŠCHT:
Student FS, kurz na Technical University of Munich: Athens je skvělá zkušenost a rozhodně to všem doporučuji.
Student FIT, kurz na Universidad Politécnica de Madrid: Celkovou zkušenost hodnotím vyloženě kladně! Nikdy jsem předtím na žádném zahraničním výjezdu na ČVUT nebyl…. každému, kdo jen trochu přemýšlí o výjezdu, bych program Athens rozhodně doporučil a budu na tento týden ještě dlouho vzpomínat!
Studentka FSV, kurz na Instituto Superior Técnico Lisboa: Bylo to skvělé…. Člověk může načichnout k jiné kultuře, jinému způsobu výuky během jednoho týdne a vyzkoušet si, jestli by měl třeba zájem jet do dané země na Erasmus nebo pracovní stáž.
This is also evidenced by the response of students to this unique programme, which in the Czech Republic involves only CTU in cooperation with ICT (the Institute of Chemical Technology):
Mechanical Engineering Faculty student, course at the Technical University of Munich: Athens is a great experience and I definitely recommend it to everyone.
Faculty of Information Technology student, course at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid: I rate the overall experience as a positive one! I have never been on a foreign trip within CTU studies before.... anyone who is even slightly thinking about going, I would definitely recommend the Athens program and I will remember this week for a long time!
Faculty of Civil Engineering student, course at Instituto Superior Técnico Lisboa: It was great.... You can get a taste of a different culture, a different way of teaching in one week and test whether you would be interested in going to a country for Erasmus or a work placement.
The next week of ATHENS courses will take place from 18-22 November 2024.
