The University of Namur joins the UniversEH alliance

Towards new European opportunities in the field of space

UniversEH (European Space University for Earth and Humanity) is part of the "European Universities" initiative promoted by the European Commission.

Its ambition is to develop a space to meet the societal, social and environmental challenges arising from the European space policy. The aims are to build an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral joint education and training offer, to develop innovative pedagogical models, to strengthen mobility and multilingualism in Europe, to promote diversity and improve inclusiveness within the alliance and beyond, in the space field.

More info on the UniversEH website...

The UNamur joins the six other partners of this alliance which approaches the space theme from various aspects: science, engineering, economics, social sciences and humanities, patents and innovation, entrepreneurship, science and medicine, sustainable development, art and culture, ...

The partner institutions

Humans and interdisciplinarity at the heart of the project

« The UniversEH alliance is perfectly in line with the UNamur values, which place the human being at the heart of our scientific approach.

Joining UniversEH represents a source of influence for our expertise and a great opportunity for our entire university community, as much for our scientists, academics than for students, to establish new fruitful collaborations.»

Annick Castiaux, Rector of the University of Namur

The UNamur will enrich the alliance thanks to its expertise within ambitious, transversal and interdisciplinary research projects. These include the RISE (Rotifer In SpacE) project developed in collaboration with the SCK-CEN and financed by European Space Agency (ESA), and the work carried out by the Space group within the Namur Institute for Complex Systems (naXys), which examines the formation, evolution and ability of extrasolar systems. The UNamur astronomical observatory is also a powerful tool for conducting various observations of the sky and the sun, as well as for meeting the needs of the aeronautical market for intelligent electronic equipment. Work is also carried out related to the development of new 2D and 3D coatings, or nanomaterials with properties that can be applied in different atmospheric environments.

The UNamur also has teams of interdisciplinary experts who contribute to research on the sustainable management of natural resources in space and on the nature of the ethical, legal and economic challenges related to the exploitation of extraterrestrial resources. 

« We will also be able to contribute to the development of the UniversEH network thanks to our recognized expertise in innovative pedagogy and multilingualism or through our skills in scientific mediation », emphasises Annick Castiaux. 

By becoming a member of this network, the UNamur strengthens its presence in the European landscape and feeds its international development strategy.

« In perfect harmony with the 4th objective of the University of Namur's Univers 2025 strategic plan, our involvement in UniversEH intensifies the existing collaborations with the universities of Luxembourg, Toulouse and Rome Tor Vergata.  Moreover, the alliance enables us to add new strong partners to our international network. This is a perfect example of our willingness to expand our international network in a systematic and well-considered way. In the years to come, UniversEH will certainly be one of the 'centers of gravity' of our growing international network! »

Jeroen Darquennes, Vice-Rector for International Relations

Great news for students, researchers and the public 

At the UNamur, professors and researchers are delighted with this European alliance which forecasts new collaborations in teaching, research and service to society. 

« At the UNamur, we have an international reputation in the field of celestial mechanics, a discipline that describes the motion of celestial bodies such as space debris, asteroids, satellites or (exo)planets using mathematical and physical theories. We are looking forward to sharing our expertise with the universities of the UniversEH alliance », says Anne-Sophie Libert, director of the Namur Institute for Complex Systems (naXys) and professor in the Department of mathematics.

« It will also be an opportunity for our students to get acquainted with other aspects of space research, in particular with space mission technologies. It will also enable them to start thinking more broadly about the contribution of space to related disciplines in relation to the future of our planet and humanity. »

This enthusiasm is shared by Anne-Catherine Heuskin, Director of the LARN Laboratory, member of the Namur Institute of Structured Matter (NISM) and Namur Institute for Life Sciences (Narilis) Institutes, and professor in the Department of physics, who welcomes the fact that « the students of the network, and therefore of the UNamur, will be able to access quality training in the field of space. We are not limited to one discipline, or even to hard sciences. The approach is so much broader, trans-sectoral. This is what makes it even more enriching. It is often said that research feeds teaching, but the opposite is also true. I expect to discover exciting new research questions arising from the interactions between the alliance partners. »   

André Füzfa, professor in the Department of mathematics and member of the Namur Institute for Complex Systems (naXys), also sees new opportunities to disseminate scientific knowledge to the public.  « The alliance will benefit from our programme for the dissemination of knowledge in astronomy and astrophysics and its educational astronomical observatory, which is an outstanding tool to raise awareness about STEAMs through the discovery of the sky. This tool will join the other initiatives of the network in practical astronomy education. In return, we will benefit from the exchange of students, teachers, practices, as well as from the work our partners' educational observatories. »