Representatives of European university network CESAER discussed the future of technical education and organisational matters in Brno

On 23 and 24 April, Brno University of Technology hosted representatives of European universities at a meeting of the Task Force Learning & Teaching of the prestigious European research network of technical universities CESAER. On the agenda were questions about the promotion of technical education, the role and governance models of European university alliances, proposals for greater involvement of students in the activities of the association and discussions on industrial doctorates and other aspects of doctoral education. The meeting was held as part of the programme for the 125th anniversary of BUT.

Joint photo of the Task Force Learning and Teaching of the CESAER research network of technical universities. | Author: Václav Koníček

The rector of BUT, Ladislav Janíček, welcomed the guests from ten leading European universities. He started by addressing the issue of interest in technical and natural sciences in EU countries. "For technical universities, reflecting on the decline in interest in technical education is absolutely crucial. Let's share experience from individual European countries and discuss the context based on data," the Rector encouraged further debate on a topic that is crucial for the competitiveness and technological independence of the European Union.

The Task Force Teaching & Learning meeting then continued with a discussion on greater engagement of students from member universities in the association's proceedings. The inspiration comes from the positive experience of two editions of the CESAER Student Challenge, in which a team from BUT qualified for the second round last year with the project Healthy PA and whose final rounds were held at the association's General Assembly.

BUT Rector, Ladislav Janíček, addresses the issue of interest in technical and natural sciences. | Author: Václav Koníček

The remainder of the opening day's programme was devoted to a discussion on roles and governance models for European university alliances. What should future cooperation between alliance partners and alliances look like? How to set up legislative, economic or academic frameworks for this cooperation? As Roberto Zanino, member of the CESAER board of directors, pointed out, this topic will have a significant impact on the relations between the different alliances and their partners in the future. Sarah Fowkes, Project Manager of the European University Alliance ENHANCE, presented her experience on the topic. Roberto Zanino also recalled the document The governance models of the European University Alliances, produced by the European University Association in 2021. The Task Force discussed the possibility of addressing this issue from the specific perspective of technical universities.

Justyna Szostak, member of the CESAER board of directors, discusses on greater engagement of students from member universities in the association's proceedings. | Author: Václav Koníček

The following day, the meeting focused on issues related to the preparation of the workstream on European Doctoral Education in Engineering. It will tackle how to prepare doctoral students for the various roles they will take on beyond academia, as well as the issue of the involvement of industrial partners at all stages of doctoral education. Yvonne Kinnaird, Secretary of the CESAER Task Force Innovation, gave a presentation on the topic. She offered best practice examples of industrial doctorates as vehicles for innovation for the European industry.

On the same day, the Task Force published the CESAER White Paper “Engineer of the Future”, an overview on key trends in European engineering education.

“Brno University of Technology was the perfect host to mark the beginning of a two-year work plan, dedicated to shaping progress in the higher education landscape. We are now looking forward to welcoming our Members to the CESAER Annual Meeting hosted by the University of Strathclyde, on the theme: ‘Innovation Districts: from deeptech and entrepreneurship to inclusive innovation’,” said Sophie Ratcliff, CESAER's Adviser for Higher Education, summing up the meeting.

Representatives of the CEASER Task Force at the office of the BUT Rector. | Author: Václav Koníček

The upcoming CESAER Annual Meeting this October will focus on innovation, a key theme for technically oriented universities and also linked to the theme of last year's Annual Meeting, which was sustainability. In October 2023, 58 member universities from 28 countries gathered in Madrid. University representatives adopted a Declaration on contributions of universities of science and technology to sustainability. The member universities therefore accept their social responsibility. By their own example, they want to contribute to a future that is ecologically sound and socially and economically just.

The Brno meeting also included a special programme. The members of the Task Force got acquainted with BUT’s student associations and their projects - the TU Brno Racing student formula team, Chicken Wings, a student team that develops pilotless aircraft, the student initiative YSpace, which focuses on the development of space satellites, and StrojLab, the university's digital workshop, which presented a submarine designed for the exploration of flooded underground spaces. BUT students presented their creative activities in technology, architecture, design and the fine arts at BUT as a concept of challenge-based learning. The first day of the programme also included a visit to the CEITEC BUT university institute, which focused on in particular semiconductor laboratories for chip design and production.

StrojLab, the university's digital workshop, presented a submarine designed for the exploration of flooded underground spaces. | Author: Václav Koníček

The CESAER Task Force Learning & Teaching meeting was also a key preparation for the upcoming international conferences, which will take place in Brno on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of Brno University of Technology, which will deal to varying degrees with the topic of technical education in the European context. The General Assembly of the European University EULiST, of which BUT is a member, will take place in May, and the International Conference on Technical Education will be held in October.