Three Words for EELISA:

Students, Connection, Education

How did you come to join the EELISA project?

In my role as co-president of Alias, the student association at ZHAW, I am honored to be a part of the student council of EELISA. Student engagement plays an important and crucial role within EELISA and our partner universities, and it deserves support from all parties.

What has it brought you so far?

In my role as co-president of Alias, I maintain connections with student associations at universities in Zurich (CH). Moreover, as a member of the Student Council, I engage in dialogues with European universities. These conversations are immensely fascinating and interesting as we delve into the challenges and benefits experienced by each participating party.

Why do you think people should join EELISA?

EELISA offers perfect networking opportunities, it offers a gateway to engage with a diverse and vibrant community of students, distinguished professors and dedicated researchers, opening doors to a world of exciting professional prospects. Moreover EELISA is a journey of exploration and growth, where the exchange of ideas and experiences transcends borders and enriches the educational journey.

Three Words for EELISA:

Learn, Create, Collaborate.

How did you come to join the EELISA project?

ZHAW is co-leading the Entrepreneurship work-package. While Entrepreneurship has been integral to ZHAW for some time, we've significantly ramped up our efforts over the past two years. Specifically, within the School of Engineering, we're infusing our curriculum with an entrepreneurial mindset. Furthermore, we've rolled out a mentorship and seed-funding program to guide budding entrepreneurs at the inception of their ventures.

What has it brought you so far?

Although ZHAW's association with EELISA is relatively recent, the collaborative interactions with university partners have been invaluable. We encounter varied expertise, regional ecosystems, languages, cultures, and perspectives. These disparities, rather than being barriers, have been enlightening – offering many insights. It's a reciprocal cycle of inspiration and knowledge-sharing, laying the foundation for a robust European ecosystem for students, researchers, and business visionaries.

Why do you think people should join EELISA?

Participation in EELISA facilitates exchanges – of students, research, and ideas – that can catalyze innovation throughout Europe. By joining, you align yourself with the future of a unified European ecosystem, primed to tackle pressing challenges like sustainability, climate transformation, and AI. These are issues we can only address collectively!

Three Words for EELISA:

Better together - now

How did you come to join the EELISA project?

I am the R&D coordinator at ZHAW School of Engineering and was involved from the beginning of the proposal phase of EELISA 2.0. Successful research consortia are all about a good fit between the right people for a research question, a good balance between research institutions and implementation partners and (increasingly important) – access to diverse funding sources. Being in the heart of Europe but currently not associated to Horizon Europe, EELISA provides a unique opportunity to increase ZHAW’s network and the one of each individual researcher.

What has it brought you so far?

I was personally involved in two proposals that started from the EELISA network and I could already link quite some researchers to colleagues from EELISA. There was also recently a matchmaking event with researchers from UNITE!, another university alliance, which probably leads to project proposals. 

Why do you think people should join EELISA?

For students: This is a great opportunity to get around and to get to know very interesting corners of Europe and the people. What about a summer school in Madrid or an Exchange in Budapest? 
For researchers: EELISA offers many very low-threshold opportunities to build an international network. The complementary skills and mindsets of all partners help us better understand our world’s relevant problems. Let’s now solve them together.