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    News
    HomeNewsNew community space – EMERGE HUB

    New community space – EMERGE HUB

    Launching of the hub in a new dress

    The University of Matej Bel (UMB)  in Banská Bystrica officially opened a new community space – EMERGE HUB – on 25 March 2026. The hub was created within the European University Alliance EMERGE. Throughout March all partner universities of the alliance opened similar spaces. The opening of EMERGE HUB shared several common elements across all universities. The multi ‑ day event at UMB took place from 24 to 27 March 2026, bringing together representatives of the academic community, students, and partners from practice and the region. It introduced new opportunities for cooperation, education, and community engagement.

    Even before the official start, students could tune into the idea of the European University Alliance EMERGE through an informal programme that included an EMERGE ‑ themed quiz, refreshments and movie night with screening COCO in English.

    The official programme on 25 March was opened by Ing. Žaneta Lacová, PhD., who welcomed the guests and introduced the event agenda. This was followed by an address from the rector of The University of Matej Bel, doc. Ing. Vladimír Hiadlovský, PhD., who emphasised the importance of international cooperation and the university’s role as an active regional partner. The EMERGE Alliance was then presented in an interactive format by student ambassadors, who engaged the audience through a quiz and highlighted the core ideas of European collaboration.

    The EMERGE HUB - a new space for cooperation, community activities, and engagement of students and external partners - was introduced by doc. Ing. Jana Táborecká, PhD. She was followed by prof. PhDr. Katarína Chovancová, PhD., who presented upcoming educational activities and opportunities for involvement. In the next part of the programme, doc. PhDr. Alžbeta Brozmanová Gregorová, PhD., univ. prof., introduced new UMB initiatives supporting projects that strengthen cooperation with external stakeholders. Specifically, she presented a call for community (collaborative) projects aimed at students and staff, focused on small ‑ scale initiatives with practical community impact, as well as the RELAB UMB programme. This programme, developed in cooperation with the Banská Bystrica Self ‑ Governing Region (BBSK), supports community ‑ engaged research with the goal of jointly addressing current regional challenges. More information about these calls and activities is available on the university website.

    The highlight of the event was the ceremonial ribbon ‑ cutting with university representatives, officially launching the EMERGE HUB. The subsequent informal part of the programme was dedicated to discussions, networking, and sharing experiences at themed tables with refreshments representing different countries.

    The following two days were devoted to training on the service‑learning strategy for youth ‑ work professionals from various parts of Slovakia who operate outside the formal education system. With this programme, the opening of the new UMB activity spaces officially concluded, marking the beginning of a new phase of community activities and partnerships.

     

    More about EMERGE HUB and its purpose

    EMERGE HUB is a community space located in the V ‑ club at Student Dormitory 1 (ŠD1) on Tajovského Street in Banská Bystrica. It serves as a venue for discussions, workshops, educational activities, project and research presentations, as well as informal meetings connecting the university with the public. The hub offers flexible spaces of various capacities that can be adapted to the nature of each event. usage options and reservation conditions is available on the UMB website.

    The opening of EMERGE HUB represents an important step in strengthening cooperation between the university and society, creating a space for the development of joint initiatives with real impact on the region and the broader European community.