uni'wissen 01-2015

first step into the future is to find a legal form for the European Campus. In order to apply for fund- ing together, whether from the German Research Foundation, the Swiss National Science Founda- tion, the French National Agency for Research, or the European Commission, the European Campus must be registered as a legal entity. “But we can’t build this bureaucratic bridge over the Rhine all on our own: We need the backing of government and society in all three nations,” ex- plains Schiewer. In July 2014, Baden-Württemberg’s minister president Winfried Kretschmann and the Alsa- tian regional council president Philippe Richert issued a joint statement signalizing their support for the “creation of a ‘European Campus’ on the Upper Rhine, with the goal of building up a sci- ence and research area without ‘walls and bor- ders’ and with international attraction, appeal, and visibility.” The State of Baden-Württemberg is providing 130,000 euros in funding for the pro- ject. The Region of Alsace is contributing 60,000 euros and has promised to supply an additional 60,000 euros over the Initiative d’excellence (IDEX), the French version of the German Excel- lence Initiative. The decision in September 2014 to accept Switzerland as a partially associated member in the European Commission funding program “Horizon 2020” will also make it easier for the partner institutions in Basel to participate in the European Campus. A suitable legal form has been found: The Eu- cor universities are currently in the process of founding a European Grouping of Territorial Co- operation (EGTC). “There has never been a le- gal entity of this kind combining five universities across national borders,” emphasizes Schiewer. “The Eucor universities are establishing a Euro- pean Campus – with its own identity and its own funding opportunities. At the same time, they will not relinquish the qualities that make each of them unique. We are creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.” www.eucor-uni.org “We are creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.” Pioneers on the Upper Rhine: The Universities of Freiburg, Basel, Mulhouse/Colmar, Strasbourg, and Karlsruhe (from left) are creating the European Campus. Photos: Peter Mesenholl, University of Basel, Giséle Jactat/GC Emotions, University of Strasbourg, KIT 7uni wissen 01 2015 7uni wissen 012015

Seitenübersicht