The ECIU Office in Brussels is headed by Olga Wessels, who promotes the
interests of ECIU and its member universities at the EU level. 

Tampere University joined the European Consortium of Innovative
Universities (ECIU) at the beginning of 2017. Olga Wessels, who heads the ECIU
Office in Brussels, is currently visiting TUT. 

ECIU is a growing consortium that currently comprises 12 research-intensive universities. It
works to promote internationalization in the member universities and represent their
interests at the EU level. 

ECIU set up a permanent office in Brussels in October 2017. The office strengthens ECIU’s
presence and visibility in Brussels. The timing could not be more perfect, as the European
Commission is set to begin preparations for new European programmes in 2018. The
programmes that are currently most relevant for ECIU’s member universities are Horizon
2020, Erasmus+ and the European Structural Investment Funds (ESIF), which include
regional funds. The successors of these programmes will start in 2021. 

As ECIU’s representative, Olga Wessels will strengthen and promote ECIU’s profile as a
reliable partner for European institutions in debates concerning policy-making and
programme developments. Wessels has been active in different education and research
networks in Brussels for several years and has relevant contacts in the European
Commission, the European Parliament and other institutions. 

The agenda for her visit in Tampere includes meetings with the university rectorate and
ECIU's local representatives at TUT. She will also attend an event for tenure-track faculty
at Kampusklubi.