EU4DUAL: FH JOANNEUM is partner in the development of the “First Dual European University”
Together with eight European universities, FH JOANNEUM will form the first Dual European University in the project "EU4DUAL - European University Alliance For Dual Education" from January 2023. The aim of the alliance is to strengthen the cooperation of universities with each other, their cooperation with the economy as well as the student exchange in the EU area. FH JOANNEUM is the only Austrian university in the project.
The Dual European University (EU4DUAL) is an alliance of universities under the consortium leadership of Mondragon University from Spain and other European universities, including FH JOANNEUM. As a global reference for high-quality dual study programs, EU4DUAL aims to disseminate dual study, intensify international exchange, and contribute to tackling climate change, decarbonization, and digitalization through joint projects. Among others, the partners will work together to develop and accredit a structure and quality management system in accordance with ISO 21001:2018 (international quality standard for any type of educational institution) and ISO 29993:2018 (standard for learning services beyond formal education) for the Dual European University. Other key topics include research on the three major societal challenges of "Healthy Living," "Green Economy," and "Future of Work," as well as the expansion of European student mobility.
"FH JOANNEUM was a pioneer in the development of dual study programs in Austria. Participation in the EU4DUAL project underlines its great expertise and leading role in this field. The cooperation with universities from all over Europe will provide important research findings on the major topics of our time and offers another opportunity to increase the international visibility of Styria as a business and research location," says Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, Regional Minister for Economics and Research.
Karl Peter Pfeiffer, Scientific Managing Director of FH JOANNEUM: "FH JOANNEUM launched the first dual degree program in Austria in the winter semester of 2002 with 'Production Technology and Organization'. Today, we have four dual bachelor’s and two dual master's degree programs at our university. Dual study means that students already work in companies during their education and thus learn from both worlds: university and business. We see that this form of education is more relevant today than ever before. We are very pleased that FH JOANNEUM, with its 20 years of know-how in dual education, has been able to qualify for the important Europe-wide education project EU4DUAL. The Alliance Dual European University is the consistent continuation of the idea of dual education in the tertiary education system."
In February 2023, the official EU4DUAL kick-off will take place at Savonia University in Finland. After that, the focus will be on the nine project work packages: FH JOANNEUM leads the work package "Quality and Sustainability Management" and has the co-lead in the work packages "Academic Coordination of Grand Innovation Challenges" and "Promoting New Learning Pathways", which deals with the flexibilization of curricula and the topic "Micro Credentials".
About EU4DUAL
EU4DUAL is funded by the European Union in the Erasmus+ program through the program line "European Universities". The project starts on January 1, 2023. The total budget is 18 million euros for four years, and FH JOANNEUM accounts for about 3.2 million euros. The project is supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF). In addition to FH JOANNEUM, the DHBW Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (Germany), Savonia University (Finland), ESTIA Institute of Technology (France), John von Neumann University (Hungary), PAR University College (Croatia), MCAST Malta College of Arts, Technology and Science (Malta) and Koszalin Technological University (Poland) are participating. The EU4DUAL consortium leader is Mondragon University (Spain).