ENU is a founding member of the alliance
Edinburgh Napier University is celebrating a successful bid by a Europe-wide group of institutions to support ambitious collaboration, education, and research – with a focus on developing sustainable urban areas of the future.
ENU is a founding member of the Urban Research and Education Knowledge Alliance (U!REKA), which was established in 2016. It has now been named among 20 alliances – from 65 applications involving 250 institutions – to be selected by the European Commission for the 2023 European Universities Initiative.
The bid, which was submitted in January and entitled U!REKA SHIFT (Sustainable, Human, Inclusive, Future-proof Transition), aims to establish a long-term strategic and structural collaboration to integrate our education and research into a European University with a specific focus to contribute to a sustainable, human, inclusive and future-proof transition to Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities.
The bid received strong feedback from the European Commission: "The alliance being a consortium of universities of applied sciences, thus more practice-oriented, exhibits a strong interconnection between teaching, practice and research.
“The goals are fully in line with the European Strategy for Universities. Goals of the European Green Deal, and the EU mission on 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, are also embedded in the proposal."
Naomi Graham, Vice Principal International at Edinburgh Napier University (pictured) said: “We are delighted to hear our application has been successful, meaning the U!REKA network will become a fully funded European University Alliance.
“This development and will bring new opportunities to deepen ties with our existing partners and explore new innovative ways to collaborate across teaching, research, student and staff mobility.
“Many colleagues from across Edinburgh Napier have been involved in U!REKA over the years and this is exciting news for the University.”
Dr Mona Roman, Innovation Director at U!REKA's Helsinki-based partner, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, who coordinated the U!REKA SHIFT proposal said: “I feel honoured and thankful for the great U!REKA collaboration to develop the bid and the excellent review comments we received.
“This gives us a strong foundation to deepen the U!REKA network into a fully-fledged European University Alliance.”
The funding for implementing the work packages in the proposal will begin from January 2024.