SUNRISE stands for "Smaller (Strategic) Universities Network for Regional Innovative and Sustainable Evolution". All nine partner universities from eight European countries - Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Sweden - focus on the STEM disciplines of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology. The SUNRISE university alliance will strengthen the key strategic role of all partner universities in their regions, home countries and at European level along the core tasks of universities in teaching, research and knowledge transfer for society and the economy. The alliance is supported by 48 associated partners from the fields of business and industry, public institutions, education and training as well as science and technology.
In teaching, the SUNRISE universities will offer joint degrees, so-called double degrees or joint degrees, which enable students to complete top-class English or multilingual courses with an internationally recognized degree. In this way, they coordinate education at EU level and create innovative, internationally oriented study programs.
In , the partners in the alliance are pooling their capacities and developing interdisciplinary approaches for an environmentally friendly and sustainable society. Key elements of this include the joint promotion of young talent and reciprocal access to the research and technology infrastructure of all partners.
In terms of knowledge transfer , the SUNRISE universities aim to network the various regions with the industrial companies based there. In this way, they strengthen the transfer of innovation and technology and at the same time build up a network of communities of interest that includes players from all regions. All partner universities in the SUNRISE alliance are located in non-urban, rural areas, with such rural areas accounting for 80 percent of Europe’s surface area.
In the European university alliance SUNRISE, the participating universities are actively shaping the EU concept of the "triple transition" - social, sustainable, digital. By expanding flexible study programs, creating alternative learning pathways and enabling the free mobility of students and academics, SUNRISE aims to build bridges between local, regional and global communities, achieve excellence in research and development and strengthen knowledge exchange and collaboration across Europe.
Partner universities
- Technische Universität Ilmenau, Germany (coordination)
- "D¸emal Bijedic" University of Mostar, Bosnia, Herzegovina
- European University Cyprus, Cyprus
- Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy
- Mälardalen University, Sweden
- Polytechnic University of Viana do Castelo, Portugal
- Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy
- Université de Technologie de Compiègne, France
- University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszów, Poland
Opening ceremony of the SUNRISE university alliance
14.01.2025 TU Ilmenau, Humboldtbau, Gustav-Kirchhoff-Platz 1, 98693 Ilmenau09:30 Opening ceremony
11:45 a.m. Group photo
12:00 p.m. Interview opportunity with the following people, among others:
- Prof. Kai-Uwe Sattler, President TU Ilmenau (Coordination of the SUNRISE University Alliance)
- Prof. Jens Müller, Vice President for International Affairs and Transfer at TU Ilmenau and Coordinator of the SUNRISE University Alliance
- Prof. Martin Hellström, Rector of Mälardalen University, Sweden
- Prof. Ulrike Tappeiner, President of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy, and youngest member of the TU Ilmenau University Council
- Georg Hein, doctoral candidate at TU Ilmenau and member of the Student Council of the SUNRISE university alliance
14.01.2025 TU Ilmenau, Ernst-Abbe-Zentrum, Ehrenbergstr. 29, 98693 Ilmenau
13:00 Reception
Greeting by Christian Tischner, Minister for Education, Science and Culture of the State of Thuringia
Prof. Jens Müller
Vice President for International Affairs and Transfer
+49 3677 69-5015
vpi@tu-ilmenau.de