The European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU) welcomes Lodz University of Technology (TUL), Poland as its 14th member. ECIU has been actively looking for a partner university in Eastern Europe that fits the ECIU profile as the strengths and uniqueness of the ECIU lie in its shared profile and geographical scale.

All ECIU members are key players in (re-) creating a regional knowledge economy, are research-intensive and have a strong commitment to developing high-quality educational practices. Since 2019, the ECIU members have been growing together towards a joint future as a functioning European University, the ECIU University. The ECIU University is the biggest EU-funded European University and creates an entirely new educational model on a European scale. The ECIU aims to have Lodz University of Technology incorporated into the ECIU University by the next E+ funding period starting in the fall of 2022.

Krzysztof Jóźwik, Rector of TUL:

This information of the ECIU Board to be invited to the ECIU has given me great pleasure. As an incoming rector, I said that Lodz University of Technology needs to play a significant role as a European University, that is my objective. In order to achieve this, we must meet world standards in science and education. Therefore, we have sought to re-join the European Consortium of Innovative Universities, a network of 13 universities. Our cooperation in this group will relate to innovative education, research and knowledge exchange, as well as innovation in social life.

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Màrius Martínez, ECIU President:

I am delighted to have now a strong ECIU member in Poland joining ECIU in this transition phase from a network to building a joint European University. Many of our universities have already collaborated with TUL in education and research activities. We are confident that soon TUL will be a valuable partner in the ECIU University and brings in its expertise as a socially responsible university and contributes with its leading role of developing a micro-credential system in Poland.

The educational model of the ECIU University is based upon individualized life-long learning pathways with challenges and micro-modules. As all ECIU partners, Lodz University of Technology has been putting particular emphasis on implementing a system of innovative education at all formal and non-formal education levels. As part of this model, TUL actively implements problem-based learning, research-based learning, and challenge-based learning methods, which aligns with the currently implemented education policy in the ECIU network with its challenge-based ECIU University. TUL shares the objective of the ECIU University of offering micro-credentials stored in a European competence passport, built upon individual and flexible learning pathways based entirely on the learners' choices and needs. TUL intends to develop the system of micro-credentials and recognition of non-formal and informal learning in addition to the ongoing revision and improvement of full qualifications.

TUL intends to improve existing models and search for new research cooperation patterns with companies, the region, and society. This is in line with the strengths and values set forth by the ECIU.