Strengthening regional partnerships is one of the key ways the ChallengeEU Alliance ensures that its work creates tangible impact in local communities across Europe. These partnerships bring the Alliance’s mission closer to reality by connecting higher education institutions with the people, institutions, and industries that shape their surrounding ecosystems. In June, this commitment took a meaningful step forward during a special meeting at Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz (FHNW) in Switzerland.
The ChallengeEU team, together with FHNW President Prof. Crispino Bergamaschi, had the pleasure of presenting the Alliance’s current initiatives to a group of associated partners from the Northwestern Switzerland region.
The meeting sparked engaging discussions and laid the foundation for exciting future collaborations. Topics ranged from the evolving needs of students and early-career professionals, to major challenges and opportunities in digitalisation, robotics, artificial intelligence, and diversity. A particularly meaningful part of the exchange focused on the topic of neurodiversity and how schools and employers can better support individuals with diverse cognitive profiles.
Initial ideas for joint projects and synergies are already emerging, and all participants shared a strong interest in shaping initiatives that are creative, sustainable, and truly future-oriented.
This meeting clearly demonstrated the added value of close cooperation between universities and their regional environments — a core principle of the ChallengeEU Alliance. We are excited to continue these conversations and turn them into concrete, impactful action.
