EuroPIM

The "EuroPIM - European Partnership for Project and Innovation Management" project , funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), aims to further develop and expand existing relationships with four European universities into strategic partnerships. The partner universities include KU Leuven (Belgium), KTU Kaunas (Lithuania), NTNU Trondheim (Norway) and the University of the Basque Country Bilbao (Spain).

The partnerships are based on the joint Master's programs in project and innovation management as well as the corresponding research in these areas. In addition to the European Master in Project Management (EuroMPM) and the Master Embedded Systems for Mechatronics (ESM), the research focus PIMES and the Institute for the Digital Transformation of Application and Living Domains (IDiAL) at Fachhochschule Dortmund are also involved as additional partners.

The strategic goal of the project is to achieve a more intensive and sustainable collaboration through cooperation in the area of Master's education and by focusing on the inherently international and interdisciplinary topics of project and innovation management, which offers significant added value for all five participating universities. This added value for the Master's programs is reflected in the exchange opportunities and synergies resulting from the range of joint modules and teaching formats. The partnerships will be intensified through the development of cooperation formats such as summer schools, block weeks, workshops, projects, e-learning, case studies, conferences, etc. Jointly supervised theses and doctorates are also intended to strengthen the partnerships. Above all, this will intensify teacher and student exchanges, strengthen communication with the partners as well as contact opportunities and establish a regular exchange.

The central event of the partnership is the annual Dortmund International Research Conference with the subsequent Summer School. Further workshops and block weeks enrich the annual academic calendar. In addition to teachers and students from Dortmund, teachers, researchers and students from the partner universities also take part. Workshops and block courses are also held at the partner universities. Students and lecturers from the partner universities in Kiev, Zaporozhye and Ternopil (Ukraine) have been supported in a further, supplementary DAAD program (Eastern Partnerships) since 2017.

Six-month long-term visits by students, lecturers and doctoral students are also carried out as part of the project.

The funding volume amounts to 625,000 euros. Funding is provided for short and long-term visits by students, lecturers and staff from the five universities to cover travel and accommodation costs, conferences and publications, the organization of summer schools, workshops, etc. as well as material resources.

In a competitive process, a two-year extension of the project (until December 31, 2020) amounting to EUR 250,000 was acquired in 2018. The focus of the work during this period will be on the digitalization of virtual collaboration and doctoral training. In 2020, a further extension was approved until 31.12.2021.