Mar 02, 2023

Kickoff meeting M2BRIDGE

In February 2023, the kick-off meeting for the DAAD education and mobility project M2BRIDGE: "Towards a Sustainable Cooperation in Teaching and Research in Lightweight Engineering and Multi-Material Design", took place in Dresden.

The project aims to build the strategic framework for a sustainable and long-term cooperation partnership between the TU Dresden and the University of Patras (UoP) - in general and in the field of engineering sciences in particular - and to bundle the individual research activities. Dealing with global challenges such as climate protection and resource efficiency requires good networking and cooperation among EU members, especially with regard to the jointly legislated goal of a "Sustainable Europe by 2030". In the context of consumption reduction and the conscious use of limited resources, lightweight engineering and multi-material design are key technologies for important solutions. For efficient cooperation between the EU states, however, resilient international networks are needed - in these, as in other fields - that give special importance to young scientists in order to ensure the sustainability and long-term nature of the cooperation. Based on the history of cooperation between the Institute of Lightweight Engineering an Polymer Technology (ILK) at TU Dresden and the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Aeronautics (MEAD) at UoP, M2BRIDGE will initiate new research projects, expand joint teaching and implement various measures to strengthen institutional cooperation over the next three years.

TU Dresden invited its project partner UoP to a meeting and discussion of the main project goals and concrete measures for 2023 in Dresden, at the ILK, on February 8^th-9^th, 2023. For UoP, the project manager, Prof. Vassilis Kostopoulos and the project coordinator, Ass. Prof. Angelos Filippatos were able to participate in situ. The hybrid format of the kick-off also enabled Ms. Kirsten Bönninghausen to join in and a fruitful discussion, as being DAAD officer for cooperation projects in Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia (P23) and contact person for the funding programme "Higher Education Partnerships with Greece 2023 - 2025" (HSP GR 23).

At the project meeting, the work programme for 2023 was defined. The main topics were: (a) the planning of study, teaching and research stays of German and Greek students, doctoral candidates, graduates, junior researchers and university teachers at the partner universities; (b) the development and implementation of joint teaching formats with a strongly integrated digital component; and (c) a Joint PhD Programme of the respective departments. Furthermore, the date for the next partner meeting in October 2023 - this time in Patras - was set and the presentation of the project to the students and staff of the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Aeronautics (MEAD) at this year's "Day of Cooperation" at UoP was unfolded.