Green Light for Numerous EU Projects
St. Pölten UAS Maintains International Network in Research and Higher Education Development
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The St. Pölten UAS is active in five new EU projects either as coordinator or as a partner institution. It is the first Austrian university of applied sciences to take over the coordination of a European University with a project volume of five million euros. Moreover, the St. Pölten UAS works together with universities from all over Europe as a project partner in the fields of rail technology, health sciences, social sciences, and higher education development.
Strategic Partnerships
International collaboration and the exchange of information, ideas and staff are of central importance for researchers, staff members and students at the St. Pölten UAS. In addition to the European University, all five projects submitted by the UAS this year were approved and have been subsidised by the European Commission within the framework of the Erasmus+ programme. Erasmus+ promotes not only student and staff mobility but also projects for the establishment of strategic partnerships, knowledge alliances and cooperations for innovation and the exchange of good practices.
“We see ourselves as an Engaged University, so international cooperation in research and higher education development obviously holds a special place for us. The approval of five Erasmus+ projects means that we have taken another important step towards the increasing internationalisation of our university”, says Gernot Kohl, Executive Director of the St. Pölten UAS.
Success for St. Pölten as University Location
“The submitted projects involve many areas covered by the St. Pölten UAS and take us one step further in our internationalisation efforts. Long-term strategic cooperations for the intensive exchange of knowledge, skills and experience play an increasingly important role in the further development of teaching, research, innovation and knowledge transfer in the European context”, emphasises Hannes Raffaseder, member of the Executive Board of the St. Pölten UAS. “The fact that all our submitted projects have been approved is both a confirmation and the best motivation for further activities with international partners.”
Subsidised Erasmus+ Projects of the St. Pölten UAS
INPRO
This year, the European Commission approved 30 out of a total of 217 submitted knowledge alliances. Knowledge alliances are cooperation projects between universities and companies that can apply for subsidies of up to one million euros. Under the auspices of Hanzehogeschool Groningen in the Netherlands, the project “INPRO - ¡nterprofessionalism in action!“ has the St. Pölten UAS participate in the development of interprofessional learning and teaching methods in health sciences and social sciences. The objective is to further improve the interdisciplinary collaboration in practice and education as well as patient care in the healthcare sector.
REPAIR
The project REPAIR aims at creating a framework and environment for the recognition of new working practices in the rail industry in order to anticipate changes of these processes and to keep the most important stakeholders up to date concerning these practices.
STAFFER
The “Skill Training Alliance For the Future European Rail System” pursues the target of developing concrete measures to cover the qualification demand in certain sectors of the rail industry. It carries out Europe-wide mobility programmes and work-based internships for students, apprentices and employees. STAFFER provides human resources solutions for all levels of the value chain in rail transport by adopting a holistic view of the sector.
STEMUP
The project STEMUP is designed to promote the development of skills and employability as well as the modernisation and improvement of the quality of education, training and youth work. STEMUP establishes the appropriate methods including the application of practice-oriented and creative tools to support the promotion of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).