University of Coimbra leads European network of sustainable campuses

The University of Coimbra (UC) will coordinate the brand-new EC2U Sustainable Campus Network, bringing together nine universities to share best practices in promoting sustainability across Europe.

The network will act as a catalyst to advance the work of the EC2U – European Campus of University Cities alliance's partner universities in this area, working closely with their municipalities and other stakeholders.

Over the coming years, the network will undertake a range of activities, centred on sharing methodologies and strategies with a strong emphasis on achieving carbon neutrality. These will include organising events and meetings to exchange best practices, initiating collaborative research projects, formulating recommendations for policymakers, and overseeing climate action plans within the municipalities hosting the nine partner universities.

The University of Coimbra (UC) proposed the implementation of this network within the scope of actions to be developed by the EC2U Sustainable Cities and Communities Working Group. This proposal was also adopted as a priority in the UC 2023–27 Strategic Plan, specifically in the Sustainability and Climate Action Plan.

Amílcar Falcão, Rector of the University of Coimbra, explains that the EC2U Sustainable Campus Network was created "to engage the entire alliance in sustainability issues. We believe that, together, we can implement the best sustainability practices at EC2U universities and secure the planet's future." He further adds: 'We want to continue developing relevant sustainability initiatives with the support of our universities and EC2U partner municipalities."

The EC2U Sustainable Campus Network was officially launched during the EC2U forum, which took place for the first time in Portugal between 19 and 22 May, with speeches by Patrícia Pereira da Silva, UC Vice-Rector for Planning, Sustainability and Quality, and Manuel Gameiro, the coordinator of the EC2U Sustainable Cities and Communities Working Group and a professor at the Faculty of Sciences and Technology. Additionally, the first working meeting of the network took place during the Forum, attended by representatives from the UC Office for Sustainable Development.

The European Campus of City-Universities has currently nine universities as members: the University of Poitiers (coordinator), the University of Coimbra, Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany), Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași (Romania), University of Salamanca (Spain), University of Pavia (Italy), University of Turku (Finland), Johannes Kepler University Linz (Austria), and Umeå University (Sweden).