The rectors of ten Slovak universities agreed on the establishment of the Consortium of Slovak Universities U10 +, with the potential to expand with new members.

U10 + prepares environment for the integration of educational and scientific research infrastructure, intellectual capacity of almost 4 000 creative employees and more than 50 000 students. The project teams from these universities currently represent a dominant, almost 60 percent share in the financing of Slovak universities and SAS (SAV) from the Horizon 2020 funds. The consortium will get the legal ability by the record in the register of higher education consortiums, which is part of the register of higher education institutions. Its legal identity and all academic rights and freedoms of the members of the consortium remain in full. 

The establishment of U10+ is the result of the aims of Memorandum of Cooperation between Slovak universities, which was signed on 22 October 2019. The founding members of the consortium are the University of Economics in Bratislava, the Catholic University in Ružomberok, the University of Prešov, the Technical University in Zvolen, Alexander Dubček University of Trenčín in Trenčín, Trnava University in Trnava, J. Selye University in Komárno, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica and St. Cyril and Methodius University in Trnava. The seat of the consortium is the Technical University in Zvolen.

The legal framework for the establishment of the consortium was created by an amendment to the Act on Higher Education form 2019. The consortium’s purpose is a common action in creating study programs, creating joint study programs, common activities in research, development or other creative activities or common provision of catering and accommodation. In this context, by signing the memorandum, the signatories declared their interest to concentrate and develop creative capacities to improve the national and international position of member universities, ensuring and enhancing the quality of education, science, research and arts, acquisition and efficient use of human and financial resources, common education module within the frame of Erasmus +, strengthening of the synergy of capacities, creation of a joint research park of centres of scientific excellence, fulfilment of the social mission of universities and active cooperation with other associations of universities and other subjects supporting educational and scientific activities in Slovakia and abroad.

In accord with current trend in research demand, the U10+ Consortium of Slovak Universities wants to connect universities working at various stages of the value chain and provide comprehensive solutions which are applicable in the short period of time and with an impact on the whole society. Major global challenges such as poverty, food security, urbanization, migration, climate change, the creative industry cannot be addressed without a functional link among individual elements of the research ecosystem. The aim is to create synergies within the top international research activities. This unique consortium of universities is the only one in Slovakia with the capacity to offer hardware and software skills in solving global challenges using best practice from Slovakia.

In Zvolen, 20 October 2020

source: www.tuzvo.sk