UNIgreen: let’s get to know each other better
The year 2023 is the start of the initiative within the “European Universities” for the Warsaw University of Life Sciences.
Eight universities: University of Almería (Spain) – coordinating institution, Agricultural University of Iceland (Iceland), Agricultural University Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Haute Ecole de la Province de Liège (Belgium), Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra (Portugal), Paris Sup’ Biotech (France), Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (Italy) and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences co-create The Green European University (UNIgreen). The alliance seeks to strengthen cooperation in the fields of education, research, innovation, good practices and knowledge sharing. The aim of the established union is to create a model European university in the field of higher education and research in the areas of agronomy, biology and life sciences.
The project supports the free flow of knowledge and facilitates the acquisition of double or joint European degrees. One of UNIgreen’s goals is to attract talent from outside Europe by promoting multilingual learning, interculturalism and increased inclusivity. The Alliance aims to contribute to achieving economic transformation at the local and regional level. The assumptions at the national level include the launch of supra-regional networks for development, innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as strengthening the personal and professional competences of citizens, so as to increase their chances of finding employment.
Although the initiative has only just begun and we will analyze the full effects after four years of cooperation, we are already drawing your attention to the possibilities offered by the strategic partnership and how it seamlessly fits into and supports the activities carried out so far at our university.
So let’s meet one of our partners from UNIgreen!
A quick glance at Iceland – Agricultural University of Iceland
Thanks to EEA funds and the “Education” program, the SGGW community could get to know our partner from Iceland – Agricultural University of Island.
Dr. Gabriela Maksymiuk from the Institute of Environmental Engineering, as well as two students of the Faculty of Construction and Environmental Engineering, decided to go to Iceland as part of the “Education” program.
Participants were fascinated by the raw beauty of Iceland’s wild nature, open spaces and almost monochromatic colors of the landscape. The panoramic view of the mountains and fjords that they observed every day from the university windows remained in their memory forever. There is no doubt among the participants that Iceland is a country unlike any other in Europe.
There were many surprises during our stay in Iceland. The town of Hvanneyri, where the university campus is located, is a tiny village in which the only larger building is the university. Only two hundred or so people live there on a daily basis. Moreover, the nearest grocery store is 16 km away, which means that due to the lack of public transport in the area, you can only rely on a car.
The Icelandic university has fully equipped, very comfortable guest rooms, which are located directly in the main building of the university. As for the classes, the small size of the group was a surprise – for example, in the third year of landscape architecture, only eight people studied (this is due to the fact that Iceland is a country inhabited by approximately 376,000 people, so there are proportionally fewer students).
Both the doctor and our students highly recommend a trip to Iceland to anyone who wants to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, noise and smog, and get closer to nature.
As part of the “Education” program, SGGW had the pleasure of hosting a student from the Agricultural University of Iceland – Ari, studying landscape architecture. As a student from Iceland recalls, the opportunity to come to Poland arose as a result of cooperation between his home university and SGGW. He was persuaded to visit our country by Polish students who had taken part in a student exchange at the Agricultural University of Iceland.
What Ari liked most about Poland was its history and cities. So far, he has lived only in Iceland and has not had the opportunity to see the sights of continental Europe. There are many historical places in our country, but according to Ari, the castle in Malbork deserves special mention.
Ari’s first surprise was how green and well-kept Warsaw was. As an aspiring landscape architect, upon arriving on campus he was amazed by the number of trees, parks and flower beds on and around the campus.
When asked if he would recommend Poland to other students as an exchange destination, he replies that he definitely agrees – he spent an amazing time in Poland and met new friends here. If it weren’t for the “Education” program, their paths would probably never have crossed. Who knows, maybe we will meet Ari on campus during the next student exchange in Poland!
#WeAreUNIgreen
Sources: Participants’ statements about the program, education.org.pl, UNIgreen
