COLOURful journey to Osijek, Croatia!
The joy of being part of the COLOURS European University Alliance does not lie in writing deliverables, performing tasks, or meeting milestones. The magic unfolds when we come together at our partners’ institutions, when we turn from colleagues into friends, when we start to build new networks across borders and academic boundaries, co-designing ideas across disciplines and institutions. 🌍🤝✨
This week, I had the pleasure of visiting Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek in Croatia. Our visit, on which I was joined by Laura Hölscher from our Coordination and Support Office at Universität Paderborn, was filled with enriching experiences and productive meetings, closely aligned with the vision of our COLOURful Alliance.
Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed with a delightful dinner hosted by Prof. Dr. Sonja Vila, Vice-Rector of UNIOS. Her hospitality set the tone for a week of meaningful interactions focusing on shaping the COLOURS Conference, to be held in Osijek on 24-25 October 2024.
Our trip to Croatia included a reception by Rector Prof. Dr. Vlado Guberac and a visit to the Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, who will offer their amazing building to be the main venue of the upcoming conference. Together with the UNIOS team, with the input of our COLOURS Student Vice President Nicolas THIEFFRY and other student representative, we reflected on how to create a welcoming, interactive, inspirational conference program, which leaves room for cross-cutting discussions plus multiple team- and governance-body meetings. 🏛️🗣️
A visit to a robotic-driven high-quality ham-production factory (one of our amazing Associated Partners), followed by an afternoon excursion to the Baranja region, including a visit to the Tikveš Educational Centre and Kopački Rit Nature Park, plus some wine tastings (which can be challenging when it’s 38°C outside🌞) illustrated our Alliance's emphasis to think and act outside of academic institutions, emphasizing the need to integrate cultural and environmental awareness and multiple stakeholders from our regions into our collaborations. 🌿🍷
During our visit, we were lucky to get-together with an engaged interdisciplinary COLOURS team from our spanish consortium partner Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. In multiple meetings with faculties, researchers and stakeholders they showcased the COLOURS Alliance's commitment to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative educational practices. Chapeau to the UCLM-team for achieving lots of great results, paving the ground for future collaborations! 🎓🤲🌟
Our visit concluded with a reflective farewell meeting, reinforcing the importance of our collaborative efforts. A heartfelt thank you to our gracious hosts at Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek! You made the spirit of our Alliance come alive and made us feel at home! We can’t wait to see you again at our COLOURful Conference! 💐👋 #COLOURSAlliance