The European Commission has decided to award a €14.3 million grant to PIONEER, the European partnership which Avans University of Applied Sciences has been part of since 2022. This funding enables PIONEER to join the ranks of more than 60 European universities. “We are taking international cooperation in higher education to the next level.”
Avans joined PIONEER in 2022, teaming up with institutions from Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Czechia and Switzerland. By playing an active role in this alliance, Avans seeks to underline the importance of European cooperation.
Huge boost
Acting president of the Executive Board Jacomine Ravensbergen explains the significance of the decision: “The major societal challenges do not stop at the border. In addition, students are increasingly expected to operate in an international context in their education and future profession, while the world of research is international by its very nature. International cooperation is only increasing in importance.”
Ravensbergen is convinced that the funding represents a huge boost for this kind of collaboration. “The European Commission’s decision opens up a wealth of opportunities for collaboration to enrich our educational capacity and research potential. For example, by aligning our research lines and professorships with those of our partner institutions. That’s a great way to fast track our research and increase our scope and effectiveness. Beyond that, of course, it enables us to learn from each other across the board.”
The ten partner PIONEER institutions share one focus in particular: collaboration on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, which centres on creating inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities.
More information
For more information about PIONEER, visit the website.
