November 2023 marks the second anniversary of the inception of the Turquoooise project.
In November 2021, an initial physical meeting in Malta led to the decision to craft and pitch an Erasmus Mundus Design Measure (EMDM) proposal. Fast forward to November 2023, when we are celebrating the end of a successful EMDM project with various dissemination events across the consortium. A lot of work has been done, and we are grateful for it.
We have learnt a lot about and from each other.
It is clear that joint programmes lead to a more in-depth knowledge of how each university works. We have learnt how to solve problems caused by different approaches or administrative cultures, how to create a truly joint programme from A-Z, and, more importantly, how similar and complementary we all are.
The core team has always been very international and, for many, a case of a true meeting of minds. The members of the University of Malta (UM) and the University of Brest (UBO) have become firm colleagues in their co-leading of this project, and now have a very solid foundation for the work to come. The project management aspects have been co-led by Maria Grima Calleja (UM) and Kim Waechtler (UBO) from the very beginning and Prof. Godfrey Baldacchino (UM) was able to understand the vision put forward by Marie-Noëlle Chalaye (UBO) to co-create the Turquoooise approach alongside her and the other members of the academic team.
Six consortium partners
It is not just UM and UBO, though. All six consortium partners engaged in this particular joint degree exercise have added a lot to this project and vision. From the didactic flair and procedural expertise of Split, to the coordination of the joint programmes by Cadiz, from the administrative and quality talent of Gdansk, to the truly radical and dialogue-based approaches of Nord, we have all learnt a lot from each other and have truly become one unified academic team, behind the SEA-EU University banner. The experience has given us a glimpse into the exciting future of what SEA-EU could be, 10 years from now: a driver for vital, sustainable collaboration. Until then, we have created our ideal European University at programme level. Long may the teamwork continue!
