Visit to Offenburg University of Applied Sciences Strengthens ChallengeEU Collaboration

A recent visit to Offenburg University of Applied Sciences (HSO), supported by the DAAD fellowship program, provided an important opportunity to further strengthen the partnership between South East European University (SEEU) and HSO—both members of the ChallengeEU alliance. During the visit, Prof. Dr. Mennan Selimi from SEEU engaged in a series of meaningful discussions with ChallengeEU representatives, including researchers and staff working on Learning Management Systems (LMS), as well as team members involved in Work Packages 2 and 3, focused on digital infrastructure and student engagement. These exchanges helped align ongoing efforts within the alliance and opened up new pathways for collaboration.

The visit also included insightful tours of several of HSO’s leading research institutes and laboratories. Among them were the Institute for Machine Learning and Analytics (IMLA), with a focus on the Digital Supply Chain (DSC) group led by Prof. Theo Lutz; the Institute of Reliable Embedded Systems and Communication Electronics (ivESK), led by Prof. Axel Sikora; and the Work-Life Robotics Institute, which develops practical and transferable robotics applications for industrial settings. We are sincerely grateful to Prof. Dr. Tobias Hagen – Vice Rector for Internationalization, Prof. Anne Najderek, Prof. Jan Münchenberg, and Mr. Daniel Walter for their warm hospitality and excellent organization. The visit laid a strong foundation for future collaboration, and we look forward to continuing to build on the growing partnership between SEEU and HSO.