President Prof. Dr. Rosenthal

Within the framework of the Horizon 2020 programme, the European Union supports ‘European Universities’, alliances of higher education institutions that aim to pool the strengths and diversity of European research and teaching in new structures—a European campus. The aim of the initiative is to strengthen the performance of the European higher education system and to promote common values and a European identity among the younger generation and thus strengthen the united Europe. The cities and regions of the participating universities are also to be included in the alliances. We talked to Prof. Dr Walter Rosenthal, President of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, about the challenges and opportunities of this EU programme.

Professor Rosenthal, the corona crisis has led to a return to national solo efforts in many countries. Can the universities escape this trend or even oppose it?

Universities have a duty to oppose this trend for their own sake. Science thrives on exchange and is only able to find answers to global questions as part of the worldwide flow of knowledge. Diseases such as corona but also the climate crisis are exemplary global challenges that can only be overcome through joint research and the exchange of knowledge.

When it comes to research and teaching, the University of Jena focuses strongly on international cooperation. In recent years, it has again massively expanded its global network with renowned research institutes and universities such as TU Delft, Berkeley or the Hebrew University. The EU’s European Universities programme now builds on European cooperation and aims to specifically promote it.

The vision of a “European campus” is conjured up in this context. What steps are necessary so that it doesn’t remain a vision?

Country-specific legal regulations and structures of the educational landscape still hamper the free exchange of students, teachers and researchers. One of the objectives of the European Universities is to develop models to overcome the existing barriers, and these models will then be tested for their transferability. 

EC2U (European Campus of City-Universities)—this is the name of our alliance—allows us to test new models, for example in joint study programmes and degrees. One challenge is to promote and make visible the existing diversity and at the same time to standardize processes.

Ultimately, however, it is also up to politics to shape the legal framework within the EU in such a way that it can become a common campus without borders.

EC2U intends to involve the cities and regions; the University of Jena will take the lead in coordinating a package of measures within the alliance. How can this integration be successful?

Our topics are suitable for bringing the European partners together, because we take up selected UN Sustainable Development Goals that the cities are already addressing: Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education, Sustainable Cities and Communities.

By the way, we already have good experience in cooperating with cities. In 2016, our University jointly with the City of Jena signed the Poitiers Declaration, in which a large number of universities and their cities or regions, including the cities of our partners in the alliance, commit themselves to cooperation.

We have been able to enlist the City of Jena, Jena Wirtschaft, the European Information Centre in Erfurt and of course our Jena Erasmus Student Network as associated partners for our EC2U consortium.

Which measures are coordinated from Jena?

We have developed a set of measures titled "Science with and for Society" that connects scientists, students and citizens as well as stakeholders from business, schools, politics etc., gathers their input, informs them, involves them and designs joint projects.

The topics are very tangible: In cooperation with the economy, we strive to promote the career entry of graduates and support start-ups in a European context. Together with the schools, we send students enrolled in teacher training to our European partner cities during their practical semester. Citizens, scientists and students come together in think tanks to solve European problems in a joint research effort. And these are just a few examples.

Traditionally, the University of Jena has many connections with Eastern and South-Eastern European universities. How can the cooperation with other European partners be shaped?

Yes, we have been maintaining many relationships with universities in Eastern and South Eastern Europe since the 1960s. These partnerships are solid and lively—we greatly appreciate the cooperation.

However, the European University calls for geographical balance in the consortium to represent and integrate the diversity of Europe, so that research questions can be answered with complementary expertise from all over Europe.

We can contribute our experience of working with partners from all over the world. Since the 1990s, we have been part of the COIMBRA Group, a network of 39 European universities. We also have a broad range of Erasmus partners—300 European universities—and 200 bilateral partnerships in over 50 countries worldwide. Our cooperation with the EC2U partners is already manifold.

Assuming that the goals of Horizon 2020 are successfully implemented—in what ways will the students and the University as a whole benefit?

The European University will increase the international visibility of our strengths.  We have taken a look: in the past ten years, more than 1,200 joint research papers have already been published together with our consortium partners, including many papers on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This is precisely where we will start and expand the joint research, for example via virtual institutes, in which teams of students and scientists jointly tackle societal challenges in a multidisciplinary approach.

Our attractive study programmes will be supplemented with complementary modules abroad, which can be studied in the framework of exchange or degree programmes. This will strengthen our profile as a place to study on the one hand, and the intercultural competence of our students on the other hand. The international experience gained through studies and internships with our partners will make our graduates even more sought-after on the national and international labour market.

And let's not forget: Europe is moving closer together in the consortium—as a committed "European University" we are working together on further improvements and quality assurance in the framework of the EU. For us, strengthening the European identity and our common values is already a value in itself.