Teachers and researchers at TU Dresden are involved in three newly launched "Connected Communities" of the European University Alliance EUTOPIA. In these collaborative teaching networks, universities from the EUTOPIA alliance jointly develop innovative teaching formats with an interdisciplinary and international perspective - often at the interface of science, society and practice. The topics of the selected Connected Communities range from mental health and sustainable construction to digital transformation in the humanities.

Prof. Dr. Philipp Kanske and Dr. Annika Konrad from the Chair of Clinical Psychology were selected as leads for the TU Dresden Connected Community "United Minds". In this role, they work closely with partners such as the University of Warwick (UK), the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium) and the University of Babeș-Bolyai (Romania). Their aim is to promote interdisciplinary exchange and develop courses that deal with the topics of trauma, resilience and mental health. Their role as leads underlines the collaboration within a recognized network that focuses on the development of practice-oriented teaching.

Sustainable materials and innovative construction methods are the focus of "I4SC - Innovations for Sustainable Construction", where Prof. Viktor Mechtcherine, Marko Butler and Shravan Muthukrishnan from the Institute of Construction Materials are partners. In collaboration with CY Cergy Paris Université (France, lead), NOVA University of Lisbon (Portugal) and the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), they are creating application-oriented learning opportunities for students in the field of sustainable construction practices.

In the project "DigIn - Connected Community for Digital Initiatives", Prof. Alexander Lasch represents TU Dresden in the European dialog on digital methods in the humanities. Here, lecturers are working with the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain) and partners such as the University of Venice (UNIVE), NOVA University Lisbon, the University of Gothenburg (Sweden) and the Monash Prato Centre (Australia) to develop digital teaching approaches that give students access to innovative tools and techniques.

With their active contribution to these three projects, the teachers and researchers at TU Dresden are sending a strong signal for European cooperation in teaching, research and innovation within the EUTOPIA alliance.