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Limburg is investing in the future of cross-border trinational education. Gedeputeerde Staten have earmarked €193,631.04 and €246,105.60 in provincial co-financing for the projects 'Trinational Education in Agrofood' and 'NEXT3: New education for cross-border technologies'. These projects also receive significant support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF): for example, an ERDF contribution of €903,611.66 is available for Agrofood; for Next3, the ERDF contribution is €2,009,820.48.
The ERDF is a European grant instrument that invests in innovative and border-crossing cooperation between regions and governments, contributing to economic growth and knowledge sharing in border regions.
Cooperation across borders
Trinational education is all about cross-border cooperation between educational institutions from the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. Delegate Elianne Demollin-Schneiders (European Funds, Labour Market & Education): "What is special about these projects is that they are international, yet very close to home: students from the Euroregion get access to jointly developed courses. This is a good CV-booster and also has direct added value for the regional labour market and business community."
New curricula for the region
With the funds now earmarked, the Agrofood and Next3 projects can actually start. They involve joint development of educational programmes around themes that are essential for our region: circularity, agri-food and technology. Earlier, the project 'CrossCircular', the first trinational curriculum focused on the circular economy and cooperation between educational institutions across borders, was already supported. Now Agrofood and Next3 follow as the next steps towards a stronger cross-border knowledge infrastructure. The curricula are under development, so it will take some time before students can actually enrol.
Cross-border curricula
'Trinational Education in Agrofood' focuses on the development of a joint bachelor offer in food technology and new agricultural methods. The lead agency is EGTS Euregio Rijn-Maas-Noord, with Maastricht University and HAS Green Academy as Dutch Limburg partners.
'NEXT3: New education for cross-border technologies' is developing a euregional curriculum for mechatronics and cross-border technology: a field in which mechanical, electrical and informatics engineering come together to design and build smart machines, systems and robots. The lead partner is Zuyd University of Applied Sciences. In addition, Fontys, Vista College and Gilde Opleidingen are involved as Limburg partners.
Strong labour market
Deputy Minister Demollin: "With these investments, Limburg is laying a solid foundation under a sustainable euregional knowledge infrastructure. The successful approach of CrossCircular is thus given a powerful continuation: trinational education is no longer a promise, but a reality. Students from Limburg, Germany and Belgium will have access to innovative programmes that are optimally aligned with labour market developments in our region. This is how we show that cooperation across borders is the key to a future-proof economy and a strong labour market. Thus, Next3 is the broadening of the Einstein Academy to the Euroregional Einstein Academy. Which is also in keeping with the fact that the Einstein Telescope is also planned in the Euroregion between three countries, across national borders."
Ambition
With the combined support of the province and Europe, Limburg is showing its ambition in concrete terms: Limburg wants to be the Euroregion where modern education is organised across borders and where the best of regional knowledge benefits residents and businesses. "The projects fit seamlessly into the policy framework 'Working towards a future-proof economy' and contribute to a future-oriented education infrastructure", said Provincial Executive member Demollin.
Earlier this week, 11 higher education institutions from the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion signed a cooperation agreement during OECD conference in Maastricht. This aims to intensify their trinational cooperation.