PIONEER Alliance: TH Köln and Avans strengthen their partnership

A delegation from TH Köln visited Avans University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands in November 2023 to exchange experiences. Now the return visit has taken place, but under new circumstances: The PIONEER Alliance is now a funded project with the aim of establishing close cooperation in the areas of research, teaching, and transfer. One of the goals is to develop joint degree programs.

Exchange for the further development of both universities

The current meeting served to identify common interests and goals within the PIONEER Alliance, to familiarize both universities with each other, and to strengthen the exchange on a personal level. After two introductory presentations in which Prof. Dr. Sylvia Heuchemer and Susanne Glaeser gave a closer look at TH Köln and the Center for Teaching Development, the focus shifted to various aspects of university development: the institutional structures of research and teaching, the recruitment of teachers and researchers, and strategies for successful collaboration with external partners in teaching and research.

Varied program with visits to the Cologne Cobots Lab and the KISD

This was followed by various program items in small groups, such as strengthening mobility programs, a visit to the Cologne Cobots Lab on the Deutz campus, and a visit to the Cologne International School of Design (KISD). In addition, the current status of the PIONEER Alliance's Ecosystem Co-Creation work package and fundamental issues relating to the university alliance were discussed.

”It was a great honor for us to welcome our colleagues from Avans University of Applied Sciences to TH Köln. The exchange brought our universities closer together and highlighted the great potential for collaboration in teaching and research. Avans University is a valuable partner for TH Köln. We look forward to intensifying our cooperation within the PIONEER Alliance and beyond. Thank you very much for visiting TH Köln”, said President Prof. Dr. Sylvia Heuchemer.

The president of Avans University of Applied Sciences, Marjan Hammersma, was also pleased with the meeting: “The visit to TU Köln was very useful and inspiring for us. It is valuable to learn from each other, on substantive themes regarding education and research, and on how a university of Applied Sciences should develop in order to remain relevant for future students and society. These are questions that are essential to all European universities of Applied Sciences. The exchange with TU Köln contributes to Avans' ambition to grow into a knowledge institution that matters. Many thanks to the colleagues in Köln for sharing their knowledge and the interesting conversations.”