We are pleased to announce that Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin has joined the prestigious ATHENA consortium of European Universities (Advanced Technology Higher Education Network Alliance). Together with other universities from all over the continent, UMCS will carry out activities in the field of advanced technologies in higher education.
The ATHENA Consortium of European Universities operates on the basis of partnerships of higher education institutions within the European Union, through various cooperation agreements they are able to carry out activities that benefit students, scientists and society. This cooperation strengthens the academic exchange, among others by running joint study programmes, projects and trainings.
There are currently seven universities affiliated within the ATHENA network:
- Politécnico do Porto, Portugal (project coordinator)
- Hellenic Mediterranean University, Greece
- Universität Siegen, Germany
- Univerza v Mariboru, Slovenia
- Universita Degli Studi Niccolo Cusano Telematica Roma, Italy
- Université d’Orleans, France
- Vilniaus Gedimino Technikos Universitetas, Lithuania
In May 2022, UMCS and the Spanish University of Vigo joined the network after various consultations. UMCS engaged with the consortium from November 2021, and in February 2022, after a meeting of the of the Rectors of the universities it was decided, UMCS will join ATHENA network.
The activities carried out by the ATHENA consortium aim to shape the digital transformation of societies as well as to support the development of sustainable and secure digital economies. ATHENA is recognized for high-quality standards of international education, adapted to the needs of the global market, taking up social and environmental challenges and creating European research priorities. Through these activities, the consortium ensures the highest employment standards, influencing effective changes in the professional careers of students. Focusing on skills and research that drive digital transformation in Europe, innovative pedagogical, research and development approaches, the inclusion of the social dimension of cooperation with local communities and the pursuit of excellence through intensive international cooperation, such activities have paved the way for ATHENA to build high-quality standards in the European Education Area.
It is worth adding that among Polish universities, UMCS is the twelfth institution associated in this type of consortium.
The group of Polish universities already implementing projects under other consortia of European universities also includes:
- AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow: UNIVERSEH
- Poznań University of Technology: EUNICE- European University for Customized Education
- Silesian University of Technology: EURECA-PRO The European University Alliance on Responsible Consumption and Production
- Warsaw University of Technology: ENHANCE- European University of Technology Alliance
- University of Silesia: Transform4Europe- T4E: The European University for Knowledge
Entrepreneurs - University of Gdańsk: SEA-EU European University of the Seas
- Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań: EPICUR The European Partnership for Innovate Campus
Unifying Regions - Jagiellonian University: Una Europa
- University of Opole: FORTHEM Fostering Outreach within European Regions, Transnational Higher Education and Mobility
- University of Warsaw: 4EU + European University Alliance
- Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń: YUFE Young Universities for the Future of Europe
Polish universities among “European Universities” – read more
The possibility of participating in this type of initiative is a great opportunity for UMCS to develop internationalization of higher education (by making study programmes more attractive), as well as research and transfer of knowledge and technology, focused on the social needs and conditions of the region. The cooperation with eight universities from all over Europe offers a range of opportunities for students, such as study exchanges, participating in internship programmes at foreign universities, obtaining joint diplomas or obtaining certificates for various partial qualifications (so-called ‘microcredentials’). For academic teachers, it is an opportunity to collect good practices from foreign partners institutions, as well as to undertake research internships or study visits. The ATHENA initiative will cover the entire Alma Mater, and all UMCS employees will be able to take advantage of the activities carried out in the consortium.
Source: press release, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin
