PIONEER kick-off in Paris

03.03.2025 Together with 9 other European universities, BFH is committed to the city of the future. The cooperation, which also benefits the Canton of Bern, is now taking shape.

Digitising administration and protecting critical infrastructures from cyberattacks. Ensuring efficient healthcare and transforming the energy supply: Cities and communities across Europe are facing these and similar challenges. The PIONEER university alliance is therefore focusing on the development of resilient, safe and sustainable cities and communities.

In addition to BFH, internationally successful universities such as Université Gustave Eiffel, Università IUAV di Venezia and Technische Hochschule Köln are involved. The kick-off of the alliance took place in Paris from 25 to 27 February 2025.

University alliances promote competitiveness

Since 2020, the EU has been promoting international university alliances. The aim is to make European universities fit for the future in order to strengthen the continent's international academic and economic competitiveness and security.

BFH is one of the selected Swiss universities participating in one of the alliances. The partners welcome this: “Europe is much more than just the European Union. That is why it is so valuable to have the BFH from Switzerland in the PIONEER alliance. The BFH is an equal partner with the other higher education institutions from EU countries that are members in our alliance. I am convinced that the BFH will bring valuable new perspectives to European higher education cooperation. As a university of applied sciences, the BFH brings strong expertise to the development work carried out in PIONEER”, says Jouni Koski, Rector and Executive Director of Laurea University of Applied Sciences.

Focus on practical orientation

The aim of the alliance is to organise cooperation projects between the participating universities in teaching and research. Practical partners such as cities or companies are to be closely involved in both areas. For this reason, communities in education and research are created together with the practice partners in order to develop project ideas.

The first offers, for which the course was set in Paris, are – among others – a European study programme on the resilience of cities and those focused on virtual learning and research into pedestrian and cyclist safety. These initiatives, launched by PIONEER partner institutions, offer opportunities for interested parties to get involved.

Value for the cities in the Canton of Bern

Training programmes within the framework of PIONEER should be "challenge-based", i.e. close to practice and research. At the kick-off podium, Marie Peskova (BFH) presented a successful example of Challenge-Based Learning (CBL): the collaboration with the Department of Civil Engineering (Tiefbauamt) in Bern, as part of the BFH training module "Smart and Sustainable Capital City Bern." In this project, students, together with city representatives and the local community, developed innovative solutions for urban development. The city administration particularly benefited from the fresh perspectives that emerged through the interdisciplinary collaboration between students and the public.

Guillaume Durand, Deputy Mayor of the 14th Arrondissement of Paris, highlighted the important role of students as credible mediators. They can bridge gaps between various stakeholders, fostering dialogue and cooperation in urban development.

Access to expertise and specialists

Practical partners in the canton of Bern benefit from PIONEER in several ways: cities or companies can take part in best practice exchanges with experts from the same or similar sectors on specific challenges. They can develop solutions to their challenges in joint research projects and utilise the results. In teaching, they can influence which practical skills the specialists learn. They also have the opportunity to recruit specialists.