Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe funding experts from international relations and research offices at EC2U Universities have gathered at the University of Poitiers to exchange good practices on funding opportunities and European project management as well as to join forces to foster greater synergies between education and research within the EC2U Alliance. 

Experts were welcomed by Noëlle Bonnet, Vice-Rector for the Executive Board, Governance and Partnerships at the University of Poitiers. She notably underlined that the Staff Training Week "arrives at a crucial moment in the development of EC2U” and that synergies between education and research “are a condition for long-term sustainability, both for European University Alliances and for the projects that will shape our future". Additionally, Ludovic Thilly, EC2U Coordinator General, also introduced the EC2U long-term strategy to the participants for a sound understanding of what’s ahead of us.

The programme included plenary and parallel sessions to allow for common spaces for exchanges but also for experts to discuss specific practices and actions to be developed in their related field. Plenary sessions were notably focused on sharing information about institutional funding programmes at Partner Universities which can support the development of joint EC2U projects.

In addition, Horizon Europe parallel sessions, on the one hand, included in particular discussions on AI use in research and data management in research projects. Specific discussions were also focused on identifying tools to increase research collaborations across EC2U Universities.

On the other hand, Erasmus+ parallel sessions focused on the involvement of stakeholders in Erasmus+ projects and on how to specifically involve non-academic partners in joint project applications. Experts also looked at the different funding opportunities available to foster EC2U joint projects, whether there are European funds or international funds.

In the joint sessions, EC2U Virtual Institutes were clearly identified as the main EC2U structure in which to increase the synergies between education and research. Some examples of joint projects submitted thanks to the EC2U consortium were presented. Moreover, the EU-CONEXUS alliance also presented their COFUND project as an example of good practice.  Information about the next European funding phase (2028-2034) was also presented in order to prepare our alliance for future funding opportunities.

These presentations were very useful for participants to identify specific mechanisms to foster greater synergies between education and research in EC2U. They allowed experts to identify concrete action points and steps to take to reinforce our collaborations in the next months as well as in the next years. As a main takeaway, a participant noted that this Staff Training Week allowed for "more understanding of the work within EC2U […] and how we can support each other in our work to develop competences and common projects both at our own institution and within the Alliance".