EUTOPIA-TRAIN is an ambitious research initiative launched by the EUTOPIA Alliance, a network of six universities that have been awarded an Erasmus+ 'European Universities' pilot project. On July 24, 2020, the initiative was awarded funding under the Horizon 2020 call Support for the Research and Innovation Dimension of European Universities (SwafS)
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EUTOPIA brings together the University of Gothenburg, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, CY Cergy Paris Université, Univerza v Ljubljani, Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the University of Warwick, in fostering the emergence of a challenge-driven knowledge-creation community and capitalizing on their joint potential to promote innovation and societal impact.
"Our joint proposal, the EUTOPIA-TRAIN, should be seen as a compliment for the already ambitious research work within the EUTOPIA alliance. This does not mean that we should collaborate on everything, but part of the purpose of the project is to find where we strengthen each other and together can create positive synergy effects. With this funding we will be able to continue and deepen our collaboration", says Vice-Chancellor of the University of Gothenburg, Eva Wiberg and continues "We are now ready to speed up our collaboration and have been given the opportunities to go on the frontline of future collaboration models for higher education in Europe. We are eager to continue to take a curious innovative and brave approach to this important task and we expect to learn a lot from each other along the way so that we keep focusing on what makes us better together."
EUTOPIA-TRAIN aims to extend its challenge-led educational model to the development of its research and innovation (R&I) activities and tackle two main challenges:
To integrate pan-EUTOPIA research and innovation communities and to open up EUTOPIA research communities and structures to society, businesses, students, and policymakers.
The project intends to link the research communities of EUTOPIA with local and international needs of multiple stakeholders at the three levels of the formulation of research agendas, their execution, and the dissemination of results. The idea is to generate a cross-institutional strategy based on joint governance and common management structures. Among other actions, the project includes an Open Access metadata portal; a common Human Resources strategy and roadmap, and the creation of a EUTOPIA grants, legal and innovation office.
BY: Erika Danielsson
