“European Engineering Learning Innovation and Science Alliance” (EELISA) formed by nine prestigious European universities including İTÜ is launched.

As a result of the second call titled “Key Action 2: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices: European Universities” opened by the European Commission within the framework of Erasmus+ on November 15, 2019, 24 new European University initiatives in addition to the 17 European University initiatives supported by the first call were selected for support

(https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1264).

“European Engineering Learning Innovation and Science Alliance” (EELISA), whose partners include our university, is one of the European University initiatives selected for support as a result of the second call. EELISA, formed by nine universities from seven countries, was launched on November 1, 2020.

The alliance, which envisions that global challenges will be mastered by smart and sustainable solutions empowered by European engineering, aims to transform engineering education at member universities through innovative teaching methods. Towards this aim, joint graduate programs are planned to be realized in two pioneering interdisciplinary areas determined as “Smart, Green and Resilient Cities” and “Sustainable and Smart Industry” during the three-year project. Again in these programs, it is targeted that students receive a comprehensive education for creating solutions to real-world problems that will be identified with the contribution of non-university partners.

EELISA, which focuses on students who will embody the “European Engineer” concept, aims to provide the following opportunities to member universities and their students:

- EELISA Credentials: It is planned that students obtain EELISA Credentials as a result of the evaluation of their attitude and behavior toward social challenges as candidate engineers and responsible individuals through interviews to be conducted by other students and faculty members.

- EELISA Degrees: It is planned that member universities give EELISA degrees to students at undergraduate, master’s and doctorate levels as a result of the academic integration to be implemented through the support of the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education – ENAEE.

- EELISA Diploma Supplement: In addition to their degrees from their own universities and EELISA Credentials, it is planned that students receive EELISA Diploma Supplement if they complete 30 ECTS credits within the scope of their mobility to the campuses of other member universities of the alliance.

- EELISA Communities: It is targeted to create EELISA communities with the participation of students, faculty members and administrative staff of different departments and units of member universities as well as external stakeholders. In these communities, multicultural and interdisciplinary working groups, where approaches for tackling and solving a social challenge will be discussed in a way that includes education, research and innovation components, will be formed. With the help of the communities, the social awareness of students will increase and they will be enabled to access industrial or academic internships in their fields of interest.

Being among the world’s oldest institutions in the field of engineering education, İTÜ will reshape the “European Engineer” concept and engineering education within the framework of EELISA, with the active participation of its strong academic staff and hardworking students.

Further information about EELISA can be obtained from the alliance’s site https://eelisa.eu/, and its activities can be followed from its social media accounts https://twitter.com/eelisa_eu and https://www.linkedin.com/company/eelisa-european-university/.