Ulysseus European University, of which the Technical University of Košice is a part, is entering the next phase of its activities, in which it will be more diverse and complementary, more plurilingual and multicultural and richer in Education, Science, and Innovation.

On Monday 3 July 2023, the European Commission announced that Ulysseus is one of the European University Alliances selected for another 4 years of funding with a grant of €12.8 million. This decision reinforces the ten-year vision of our European University, definitively confirms the expansion to 8 partner universities and, last but not least, ensures the consolidation of the programmes and structures proposed during the first phase of the project.

“I am proud of our moving forward with the European University of Ulysseus and of our being able to work together in a fantastic team of wonderful people. This is a significant milestone in the history of our university and it proves something. Yes, this is the path to internationalisation, multidisciplinarity and excellence in our activities,” commented the Rector of the Technical University of Košice, prof. Ing. Stanislav Kmeť, DrSc.

The European Ulysseus University is becoming more diverse and is made up of eight partner universities, encompassing all types of higher education institutions that are firmly committed to the development of their regions and cities: five comprehensive universities (University of Seville, University of Côte d'Azur, University of Genoa, University of Münster and University of Montenegro), one technical university (Technical University of Košice) and two universities of applied sciences (MCI | The Entrepreneurial School® and the University of Applied Sciences of The Haaga-Helia).

This diversity of the universities, the countries and the regions helps to create a complementary, dynamic and versatile European University which, together with 158 associated partners, develops an agile, sustainable and proactive innovation ecosystem. This ecosystem aims to foster synergies between the four missions of higher education institutions: education, research, innovation and service to society, in order to address global, European, regional and local challenges.

In this new phase, supported by Erasmus funding, Ulysseus European University wants to go beyond the borders of Europe and establish branches in three non-European countries. In addition, Ulysseus will soon bring educational opportunities for young people in the form of the launch of the first joint study programme or the development of academic offerings.

The Future of European Higher Education

The European Commission's decision to support the continued funding of the Ulysseus European University is proof of the EC's firm commitment to invest in the future of the European Higher Education Area. By supporting initiatives that foster collaboration, excellence and innovation, the EC wants to strengthen Europe's knowledge base and ensure that Europe remains at the forefront of global research and education.

With the start of an exciting new chapter, Ulysseus European University is ready to consolidate its position as both a digital and a territorial European university and to become a catalyst for the introduction of new models, tools and legal frameworks that will accelerate the transformation of all universities in Europe.

Innovation Ecosystem

The Ulysseus Innovation Hubs are a central axis for the co-creation processes of transdisciplinary and challenge-based education linked to research and innovation, fostering community involvement and reinforcing European values. Following the addition of two universities as new full members, but also as a result of the readjustment of territorial strategies after the pandemic period and the subsequent European and national recovery plans, some regions have decided to reconsider their strategic position in line with their universities.

In this new phase, the Ulysseus Innovation Hubs are evolving, adapting to this new reality and adapting some of their themes to fit the new European innovation agenda. In the second phase of operation, the network of innovation hubs will comprise the following centres: Sustainable Energy, Transport and Mobility for Smart Cities (University of Seville), Robotics (University of Genoa), Ageing and Wellbeing (University of Côte d'Azur), Digital Transformation of Industry (Technical University of Košice), Entrepreneurship and Impact (MCI | The Entrepreneurial School®), Applied Artificial Intelligence for Business and Education (University of Applied Sciences The Haaga-Helia), Social and Environmental Sustainability (University of Münster) and Cybersecurity (University of Montenegro).

Technical University of Košice in Ulysseus

Technical University of Košice (TUKE) is one of the founding partners of the European Ulysseus University. Since 2020, it has been actively involved in its project teams and within the first phase of its operation (2020 - 2023) and is responsible for coordinating challenge-oriented education, research and knowledge transfer, the activities of the Ulysseus Innovation Hub for Digitalisation and has launched the Ulysseus Student Association. At the same time, TUKE is also involved in the working groups of all the other six work packages.

In the next phase of the Ulysseus European University (2023-2027), TUKE will be responsible for collaborative research and innovation activities across the alliance to intensify research efforts and jointly respond to the challenges related to Europe's digital and green transformation, as defined in Horizon Europe and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The activities will be divided into four parts: the first part will focus on building joint research and innovation teams, which will be formed based on research topics (cooperation between faculties and teams with the same focus) as well as on an interdisciplinary basis. The second part will be the preparation of proposals for research and innovation projects, joint publication outputs and the scouting opportunities for regular and systematic involvement of students in research activities and the use of research results in the educational process. These activities will be financially supported by the Small Grants Programme developed within the project. The third part of the activities will be aimed at supporting and promoting science among future HEI students, through an online scientific journal for HEI students in the partner regions. The last part of the activities will be aimed at raising the level of competences of the researchers of the partner universities through a series of free workshops on various professional topics.

The next phase of the Alliance will see the upgrade of the network of Ulysseus Innovation Hubs, both by expanding it with hubs at new Alliance partners and by changing the thematic orientations of the current hubs, in the context of the new challenges faced by the European Union and individual university partners. The Ulysseus Innovation Hub at TUKE (IH) will be oriented towards the digital transformation of industry. Thanks to the facilities of UVP TECHNICOM, it will be fully integrated into the university ecosystem of innovation and technology transfer. The IH will participate in activities to support business acceleration (TUKE Startup and TUKE Incubator) and, as part of the UVP TECHNICOM ecosystems, will play an important role in the development of the regional European digital innovation hub EDIH CASSOVIUM.

Ulysseus European University

The vision of the Ulysseus European University 2030 is to create an excellent and internationally attractive European university open to the world, focused on people and business for the citizens of the future. Our ambition is thus to contribute to the shaping of the European higher education and research area and thus the future of Europe.

Ulysseus is one of the 50 European universities selected by the European Commission as Universities of the Future. The Alliance is led by the University of Seville (Spain) and its partner universities are the University of Genoa (Italy), the University of Côte d'Azur (France), the Technical University of Košice, MCI | The Entrepreneurial School® (Austria), the University of Applied Sciences Haaga-Helia (Finland), the University of Münster (Germany) and the University of Montenegro (Montenegro).

More information about the Ulysseus European University: www.ulysseus.eu