EUNICE to expand its collaborations beyond European borders

On September 19-20, the University of Mons (UMONS) hosted the EUNICE General Assembly, marking a significant milestone in the European university network’s growth. A key highlight was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Mohammed VI University (Casablanca), attended by its rector, Hicham El Habti, symbolizing a new era of collaboration with non-European partners.

This assembly also witnessed a leadership transition, as Philippe Dubois (UMONS) passed the presidency of AISBL EUNICE to Abdelhakim Artiba (Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France), who will assume the role on November 1st for a two-year term. Pr. Minna Martikainen (University of Vaasa) will assume the vice-presidency. This handover represents a commitment to sustained progress in EUNICE’s mission.

An engaging exchange between the EUNICE Student Advisory Board and university rectors explored innovative ideas for the network’s future, highlighting the students’ active role in shaping the direction of EUNICE: “our 10 universities share a common DNA: they are keen to consolidate their international visibility, have strong local roots and place their students at the heart of their concerns”, remarked Dubois.

Towards European Degrees

Additionally, a workshop focused on EUNICE’s Excellence Programmes was held, bringing together joint degree program coordinators and vice-rectors for teaching from all partner universities. This was also an opportunity to attend a presentation by Ioana Dewandeler, Policy Officer for Higher Education at the European Commission, entitled “Blueprint towards a European Degree”.

“We put our focus on expanding transnational education and research through several key programs. First, the alliance is dedicated to enriching its course offerings by providing joint online and blended courses, which already engaged 2,500 participants in the last academic year. A major priority is the creation and implementation of joint European degrees, part of its Excellence Programmes strategy”, declared Artiba.

Bringing to life these innovative and unprecedented European Degrees would mean new opportunities for students to join a new type of degree awarded jointly by a group of universities across Europe and automatically recognised in the European Union.

The vice president Martikainen remarks also that, through EUNICE, “its partner universities and regions have access to a large pool of future-oriented teaching and research, fulfilling the needs of global competencies and providing new experiences. This collaboration not only enriches the academic experience for students and staff but also drives regional development through innovative projects that address local and global challenges”.

The General Assembly provided an opportunity to discuss the integration of EUNICE and REUNICE initiatives into the ongoing EUNICE4U project, set to continue beyond December 2024.

The EUNICE delegations took advantage of their stay in Mons to attend the UMONS’s solemn academic opening ceremony, where the importance of international collaboration in higher education and EUNICE’s lasting impact on partner universities were emphasized. This event celebrated both the start of the academic year and the ongoing success of this ambitious European university network.

The delegations also visited the MUMONS exhibition entitled “The Invisible Unveiled”, an opportunity to discover images from their respective universities.

Find out more about Eunice’s future president and vice-president below:

• President Abdelhakim Artiba

Pr. Abdelhakim Artiba is the current President of Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France. He obtained his PhD in Automatic and Computer Science at the Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France and his habilitation to direct research at the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1. Artiba has a strong academic background, both in France (Supméca-Paris, 2006-2009) and abroad, was full professor (Belgium and Canada, 2004-2007). He has been a visiting professor at prestigious universities such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, North Carolina State University, Iowa University and University of California (USA), and Edinburgh University (UK) and has also been involved in various projects in operations engineering and logistics in collaboration with industrial partners. He created and directed for more than ten years the CREGI (Center for Research and Studies in Industrial Management). He has written and co-authored more than 200 articles in different journals and prestigious international conferences.

• Vice-president Minna Martikainen

D. Sc. (Econ.) Minna Martikainen is the current Rector at the University of Vaasa, Finland. She has a rich academic background and extensive experience in developing employee well-being and strong international cooperation. Previously, Martikainen has been the Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Vaasa, the Vice-Rector for International Affairs at Lappeenranta University of Technology, and the Dean for Education at Hanken School of Economics, proving her track record within the main pillars of higher education institutions: education, research and international affairs.

She has held positions of trust in networks such as, Multinational Finance Society, Nordic Corporate Governance Network and the ACRN Oxford Academic Research Network. Her experience also includes board memberships and advisory roles in the corporate sector.