EU funding for PIONEER

The European Commission's program aims to promote strategic partnerships in the higher education sector throughout the European Union.  "There is a growing awareness that the major challenges of our time affect us all, including all EU member states, and can only be overcome together," emphasizes Prof. Dr. Sylvia Heuchemer, President of TH Köln. "There are many points of contact that make it possible to pool knowledge, achieve more by working together and contribute to Europe's future viability. This is the aim of the PIONEER Alliance project. I am delighted that this has now been recognized and that we can use the associated funding to drive our project forward."

The PIONEER Alliance aims to jointly develop and share the expertise on cities and ecosystems available at the network's universities. The members of the consortium will focus on sustainable development and urban planning issues as part of the project over the period 2025-2028. They will focus on how to shape the future of inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities. The PIONEER network will bring together researchers, educators, students, innovators, business representatives, urban decision-makers and citizens to work on topics related to UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): Transforming urban spaces, nature in the city, energy in the city, instabilities, inclusion and health in the city, mobility, digital transformation and sustainable and resilient cities.

"Universities are key players in Europe's education, research and innovation landscape and in building a responsible future with their regional ecosystems," says PIONEER Alliance coordinator Sylvie Chevrier, Professor of Management and Deputy Vice-President for International Affairs at Université Gustave Eiffel in France. "Our goal is to educate future leaders and experts who have the skills and competencies to succeed in the 21st century and bring about change for the benefit of the entire local community and society in general," emphasizes Professor Chevrier. This requires an innovative approach in developing new forms of interdisciplinary education and scientific research collaboration between the participating PIONEER universities.

In addition to TH Köln, the PIONEER Alliance includes the following universities: Université Gustave Eiffel (Frankreich), Avans University of Applied Sciences (Niederlande), ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon (Portugal), Laurea University of Applied Sciences (Finnland), Huelva University (Spanien), IUAV – Università Iuav di Venezia (Italien), UTB – Tomas Bata University in Zlín (Tschechien), University of Zilina (Slowakei), Bern University of Applied Sciences (Schweiz).