During yesterday’s meeting (December 11, 2023), the heads of the member universities of Eucor – The European Campus reelected Professor Andrea Schenker-Wicki, President of the University of Basel, as Eucor President. Professor Thomas Hirth, Vice President Transfer and International Affairs of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), was confirmed in office as Deputy Eucor President. As specified in the statutes, the terms of office of the President and her Deputy are three years. Eucor’s goal in the next years is to establish the Upper Rhine region as the world’s leading innovation ecosystem for life sciences.
In her first term as Eucor President between 2021 and 2023, Andrea Schenker-Wicki paved the way for the new strategy period from 2024 to 2030. The President of the University of Basel has initiated the Biocampus project to enhance the international visibility of the Upper Rhine region as a leading region of innovations in health and medical technologies. “A recent benchmarking study reveals that the Upper Rhine region can compete on an equal footing with innovation centers like Boston (USA), Cambridge (UK), or the Île de France (FR),“ Schenker-Wicki says. ”In international comparison, we are presently reaching the by far highest added value in life sciences, in terms of both absolute and per capita values. By means of the Biocampus project, I now want to pool existing strengths and enhance the international attractiveness of this trinational region.”
Science in Dialog with Society
It is the defined goal of Thomas Hirth, KIT’s Vice President Transfer and International Affairs, to push knowledge and technology transfer across national borders. “Collaboration with partners from science, industry, and civil society is a central aspect of the Eucor strategy,” Hirth says. As a member of the science pillar of the trinational Upper Rhine Metropolitan Region, Eucor – The European Campus plays an active role in the exchange of know-how in the region. “The challenges of the future can only be solved jointly – in constant exchange with all parties involved and across borders,” Hirth points out.
Eucor Strategy 2030
The turn of the year will mark the start of a new Eucor strategy period. The seven-year strategy plan reflects the wish of the heads of the five member universities to continue and stabilize collaboration in research, academic education, and transfer.
More Information on the Eucor Strategy 2030
The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts Will Fund Eucor for Another Seven Years
For the implementation of the new Eucor strategy, the two Eucor universities in Baden-Württemberg, KIT and the University of Freiburg, are granted funding in the total amount of about EUR 5.5 million by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts. KIT receives about EUR 2.8 million. Funding is aimed at pushing research collaboration in Eucor’s thematic focus areas of quantum science and technologies, sustainability, precision medicine, and European identities. Support also covers graduate schools and the networking of early-stage researchers, collaboration projects in higher education, digital networking of learning and campus management systems, student activities, and innovation and transfer.
About Eucor – The European Campus
Eucor – The European Campus is a trinational alliance of five universities on the Upper Rhine in the heart of Europe. These are the universities of Basel, Freiburg, Haute-Alsace, Strasbourg, and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Eucor pools the competencies of 17,000 scientists, 9,900 doctoral researchers, and 120,000 students in the border region of France, Germany, and Switzerland. The goal of Eucor is to establish a scientific space with a clear profile and international outreach.
More Information: https://www.eucor-uni.org/en/
Contact for This Press Release
Dr. Sabine Fodi, Press Officer, Phone: +49 721 608-41154, Email: sabine fodi ∂does-not-exist.kit edu
Viviane Schmidt, Communication, Eucor – The European Campus, Phone: +49 761 203-4282, Email: presse ∂does-not-exist.eucor-uni org
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.