The Rector of Politecnico di Torino confirmed as President of the European university network CLUSTER

Politecnico hosted the 14th Workshop of the Sino-European Engineering Education Platform (SEEEP) and the General Assembly of the European university network CLUSTER, for three days of strategic decision-making that concluded with the unanimous re-election of Rector Stefano Corgnati as president of the Network.

As regards SEEEP, which is also the focus of one of CLUSTER’s ‘vertical’ working groups, the Chinese and European delegations met for parallel sessions of presentations and discussions on nuclear energy, robotics and AI, and renewable energy. Following a series of speeches, including one from the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, the SEEEP partners signed a new Memorandum of Understanding covering the next five years. The agreement strengthens academic relations between Europe and China through the partnership between the universities involved, promoting new opportunities for cooperation in education, research and international mobility, and consolidating activities already underway in strategic areas such as sustainability, engineering and innovation.

As regards CLUSTER’s other ‘vertical’ working groups, dedicated to the European Alliances and sub-Saharan Africa, the work currently being carried out has shown, on the one hand, that it should be possible to identify areas – particularly within STE(A)M – where CLUSTER could carry out work that complements that undertaken by the Alliances themselves; on the other hand, that the topic of Africa is clearly one of the most compelling within CLUSTER, and that it should be possible to draw best practice from the partners’ strategies, which could then be tested through the development of a few dedicated joint projects.

These have been crucial days for determining the Network’s next steps. The General Assembly formally approved the redefinition of CLUSTER’s mission and vision, with particular emphasis on the values of multiculturalism, reaffirming the central role of shared experiences, and deciding on seed funding for a series of projects aligned with the Network’s strategic ‘vertical’ trajectories.

CLUSTER then celebrated the inclusion of a new university: the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, one of the UK’s leading universities, with a strong focus on technological innovation and a robust ecosystem to support it.

As a final, crucial step, our University was re-elected to the Presidency, reflecting the commitment shown and the results achieved during the first term of office.

“With its re-election to lead the network, Politecnico continues to strengthen its leadership role within the international community. The revision of CLUSTER’s mission and vision, the signing of a new memorandum with our Chinese partners and the inclusion of a new university in the network confirm our joint efforts to generate knowledge, share research and innovation infrastructure, and tackle growing global challenges. We are delighted by the unanimous appreciation of our commitment to promoting lasting, global scientific and cultural collaborations – said Rector Corgnati – As chair, I will continue to promote greater synergy among European universities, encouraging the definition of common positions to be presented to the European Commission, whilst at the same time strengthening research and training initiatives across ever-wider geographical areas, building on the work already undertaken during my first term in two strategic areas: China and Africa.”

“CLUSTER remains an exemplary model of trust, strategy and collaboration, and Politecnico is proud to have been confirmed as its leader. The strong relationship developed among the network’s members over the past 30-plus years reinforces our commitment to the three vertical priorities relating to European Alliances, sub-Saharan Africa and China. The future seed funding, which will be provided by CLUSTER for the development of projects with medium- to long-term prospects across its vertical priorities, with the support of the horizontal working groups (communication, mobility and projects), gives us hope that concrete results will emerge from this collaboration in the near future”, concluded Professor Roberto Zanino, who has been confirmed as CLUSTER’s Secretary-General to support the Presidency, alongside Coordinator Marta Pognant.