CLUSTER’s intensive working sessions concluded at Politecnico di Torino, signing a new memorandum with the SEEEP partners, welcoming a new member university, and reaffirming the network’s presidency under Politecnico
Politecnico hosted the General Assembly and Steering Committee of the CLUSTER network for three days
of strategic decision-making, preceded by the Europe-China Technical University Presidents’ Dialogue Forum, which brought together representatives from 25 leading European and Chinese universities and marked the start of the 14th Workshop of the Sino-European Engineering Education Platform (SEEEP).
The delegations met to discuss presentations and initiatives aimed at strengthening their long-standing partnerships. Following a day of parallel sessions, a new SEEEP Memorandum of Understanding was signed, defining the framework for collaboration over the next five years. The agreement strengthens the partnership between the universities involved, promoting new opportunities for cooperation in education, research and international mobility, while
consolidating existing activities in strategic areas such as sustainability, engineering and innovation.
Within the framework of the European and Sub-Saharan African Alliances, the working groups confirmed their commitment to expanding shared initiatives such as joint degrees, research collaborations and exchange opportunities, demonstrating once again CLUSTER’s drive for internationalisation.
These have been crucial days in determining the network’s upcoming steps. The General Assembly has approved the redefinition of CLUSTER’s mission and vision, with a particular focus on the values of multiculturalism, reaffirming the pivotal role of shared experiences, joint projects, and strategies in enhancing the collective capacity to generate knowledge, promote progress, and create value for society.
CLUSTER then welcomed a new member university: the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, which will contribute enthusiastically to the network’s activities. As a final key step, Politecnico’s chairmanship was re-confirmed, demonstrating the commitment shown over the past year and the renewed energy that is already flowing into the activities of all the working groups.
“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 for this unanimous recognition of our commitment to promoting enduring, global scientific and cultural collaborations”, said Rector Corgnati, who has once again been elected president of the network.
“CLUSTER has proven to be a model of trust, strategy, and collaboration, and Politecnico is proud to be at the forefront of its current phase of expansion and internationalisation. The strong relationship forged between the network’s members over more than 30 years reinforces our commitment to the three key areas of focus: European alliances, sub-Saharan Africa and China. Our renewed presidency will reinforce the commitment forged during this promising phase, and will always be well supported by the horizontal working groups dealing with communication, mobility and projects. We look forward to fruitful outcomes in the future”, concluded Professor Roberto Zanino.
