The alliance comprises a distinguished group of institutions: Czech Technical University in Prague, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), École Polytechnique (l’X), Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), HEC Paris, IESE Business School, and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and is supported by industry and associated partners.
Reviewing Achievements and Defining the Future
The meeting was a blend of operational review, strategic planning, and vibrant exchange, designed to facilitate a "symphony in operations" across all work packages. The program included a diversity of workshops, interesting icebreakers, and was punctuated by music from an a cappella band, representing the diversity of the partner countries.
A key focus of the anniversary meeting was the evaluation of the project's significant achievements to date, including:
- The EuroTeQ Course Catalogue: This was highlighted as a major success, allowing students to easily enrol in selected courses at any partner university. It stands as the first fully functional distance learning tool in the European Union.
- The EuroTeQ Collider Program: Representatives discussed this project-oriented subject, which sees students solving real-world tasks assigned by the alliance’s industrial partners.
- The EuroTeQ Life Long Learning offering: The program is being piloted across various partner institutions equipping professionals with skills and knowledge needed to thrive in their respective industries.
Beyond these successes, discussions zeroed in on the future direction of higher education in Europe, with topics including:
- Life Long Learning: The need for new forms of education to support the continuous upskilling of practitioners throughout their careers.
- Microcredentials: This was identified as a very important topic, as the recognition of this type of education is an absolute priority within the EU's education policy.
- Scalability and Brand Recognition: The final day emphasized the need to retain EuroTeQ's core offering – A well rounded educational offering for students who have primarily technical backgrounds—while identifying strategies to improve its visibility and impact.
Setting the Benchmark: Visions for 2030
The intensive program brought many interesting perspectives on how to further address higher education in the European area and how to better involve universities in the transformative process currently facing both industrial and technological challenges.
A bold idea emerged: that the EuroTeQ alliance could work toward becoming the "Ivy League of Europe" by prioritizing quality over quantity in all its endeavours.
The meeting concluded with the presentation of visions for 2030, with the goal that all alliance processes should operate completely autonomously, yet in full accordance with the European Union Framework Program. The EuroTeQ alliance is not merely celebrating its past; it is firmly setting its foundation to become the model alliance among the European Universities alliances and their partners.
With a new buzz and a renewed sense of energy, the alliance partners departed Eindhoven, committed to working towards making the EuroTeQ alliance the defining benchmark of excellence in European higher education.