The "Limassol Agreement", signed by the Rectors of the eight European Universities participating in the EUt + Alliance during a special ceremony on Friday at the University of Technology (CUT), lays the foundations for the creation of the European University of Technology.

The Agreement was signed in the presence of the Director General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission, Mrs Themis Christophidou, the Director of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth of the Republic of Cyprus, Dr. Terpsa Constantinidou as well as around 100 executives and staff from the 8 universities forming the European University of Technology.

“This Agreement lays the foundations for the creation of the European University of Technology. At the same time, the participation of our University in this new entity will bring us to the center of European higher education ", says the Rector of CUT, Professor Panayiotis Zaphiris in a written message to the University community.

The CUT Rector also notes "we had the pleasure to welcome in the city of Limassol and in the facilities of CUT more than 80 of our partners in the EUt + Alliance from Latvia, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain and Romania", adding that "for a week, our University and the city of Limassol were the reference point for EUt + where creative exchanges among EUt + partners have taken place with the ultimate goal of making the European University of Technology one of the leading universities in Europe and in the world with the slogan ‘Think human first’ as its central idea.’

Throughout this week, he says, “we had the opportunity through a series of well-organized social and cultural activities to build human relationships with our partners, to present the culture and civilization of Cyprus and to promote our country and our University as an ideal destination for someone to study. Our guests were completely satisfied with the warm hospitality and the reception afforded to them at the Cyprus University of Technology ".

The Director General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission, Mrs Themis Christophidou, in her welcome speech, said, inter alia, that “I have to say, having been an engineer myself, that I could not imagine a better motto for your European University: Think human first”.

She noted that training students and researchers to think human and become technologically literate, focusing however at the same time on humanity, can provide a great service to society. Mrs Christophidou welcomed the efforts made by the EUt+ Alliance to create a more sustainable and inclusive future.

“I think we all agree when I say that this shift needs proper support from within your institutions as well as from the EU. This is the path towards structural, systemic, sustainable impact. In that respect, you know you have several allies. First and foremost, in the European Commission and in the EU. But also, in the member states. In the many companies that are working together with our institutions of higher education to achieve a better relationship between academia and industry. And of course, in your student bodies, always so committed”, Mrs Themis Christophidou added.

“We need to work together. Because the European universities is not a short-term project. This is a long-term process. A process that demands a great deal of resources, and not a small amount of commitment on everybody’s part. This process also demands that we all listen to each other”, she stressed.

Christophidou pointed out that “we need more sustainable funding”, adding that “I am happy to tell you that we are preparing the launch of competitive calls under the Erasmus+ 2022 and 2023 work programmes. Our first priority here is to make sure you have steady resources”.

The Limassol Agreement includes:

• the establishment of the Erasmus EUt + Office,

• the establishment of an International Teams Coordination Office (ITCO) on each campus,

• the signing of an Understanding Agreement for the creation of clusters of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programs and

• the actions (roadmap) of the Alliance for the next 18 months.

Representatives of CUT student community co-signed with their fellow students from the other 7 universities the Declaration for the creation of the "EUt Student Union". In the coming weeks, the students will work intensively to create the EUt + student Union, the body that will represent the entire student population of the new entity of the European University of Technology.