The Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble visits Politecnico

A delegation from the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (INPG), led by its President, Vivien Quema, who is also the current President of the European University Alliance Unite!, visited Politecnico.

President Quema, joined by Professor Gulgun Alpan, Vice-President for International Relations at INPG, met with Rector Stefano Corgnati, who was accompanied by Professor Roberto Zanino, the Rector’s Senior Advisor for International University Networks and Unite!’s Key Liaison Officer for Politecnico.

The meeting focused on a number of strategic issues for the future of Unite!’s governance, including the introduction of Unite! Vice-Presidents with Alliance-wide responsibilities, to support the Alliance’s transition from a pilot project to a programme. Other topics included the harmonisation of skills among representatives from the various universities within the Unite! Steering Committee, and the strengthening of synergies between Unite! and other international university networks with a regional focus, such as Magalhães in Latin America and the Caribbean and SEEEP in China, to promote the Alliance’s internationalisation. Discussions revealed a full convergence of views between the Unite! Presidency and Politecnico’s leadership on all the main issues addressed.

In parallel, the first informal coordination meeting for Work Package 3 (WP3) took place, chaired by Professor Eugenio Brusa of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (DIMEAS). It focused on consolidating doctoral training and strengthening the link between research and innovation, as part of the Unite! Erasmus+ bridge funding proposal for the two-year period 2026–2028, which was recently approved by the European Commission.

“The visit by the President of Unite! confirmed our shared vision for the future of the Alliance, with a focus on strengthening relations between its members”, said Rector Stefano Corgnati.

Professor Roberto Zanino adds: “We are very pleased that the Unite! Presidency has enthusiastically welcomed our proposals and intends to support them in future through the appropriate channels. We believe this is an excellent sign of the desire to ensure that the Alliance’s culture permeates the partner universities of Unite! ever more deeply. The meeting on WP3 also revealed a strong convergence of views with INPG, co-chair of the Work Package, This is even more significant given that the development of the Research & Innovation aspects within the Alliances still lacks ad hoc support from the European Commission.”