{"id":2947,"date":"2025-09-16T14:50:39","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T14:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unite.pwr.edu.pl\/?p=2947"},"modified":"2025-10-03T14:52:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T14:52:16","slug":"utrain-2025-a-journey-of-innovation-sustainability-and-connection-across-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unite.pwr.edu.pl\/en\/utrain-2025-a-journey-of-innovation-sustainability-and-connection-across-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"U!Train 2025: a journey of innovation, sustainability and connection across Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mb-4 row\">\n<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-md-12\">\n<p class=\"description\"><strong>30 Unite! students, 9 universities, 16 nationalities \u2013 one unforgettable learning experience between Darmstadt and Graz<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The\u00a0<strong>second edition<\/strong>\u00a0of the Unite!<strong>\u00a0U!Train<\/strong>\u00a0brought together<strong>\u00a030 students<\/strong><strong>\u00a0from all nine Unite! universities<\/strong>\u00a0for an\u00a0<strong>eight-day Blended Intensive Programme focused on entrepreneurship, sustainability and multicultural collaboration<\/strong>. Starting in Darmstadt and travelling together by train to Graz, participants not only explored Europe but also co-developed innovative ideas for a more sustainable future.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The journey began at TU Darmstadt\u00a0<\/strong>with team-building activities, a Mapathon Workshop, and inspiring sessions on Entrepreneurship and Innovation. A special highlight was the Welcome Dinner at Wingcopter, a student-founded drone startup revolutionising logistics.\u00a0<strong>TU Darmstadt student Riya Tomar<\/strong>\u00a0summed up the mood:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"cite-unite border-start border-light-subtle border-5 py-2 ps-3 mb-3 h5\">\n<div class=\"mb-1\">\n<p>\u201cThis week honestly meant a lot to me. I met so many amazing people, had a ton of fun, and even learned a few things about myself along the way. Glad we got to share it together.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>After exploring Darmstadt\u2019s UNESCO World Heritage site Mathildenh\u00f6he, the group travelled by train through scenic European landscapes to their\u00a0<strong>next destination: TU Graz<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"cite-unite border-start border-light-subtle border-5 py-2 ps-3 mb-3 h5\">\n<div class=\"mb-1\">\n<p>\u201cThis week has been unforgettable \u2014 full of laughter, learning, and so many special moments with all of you. I\u2019m leaving with new friendships and memories I\u2019ll always cherish.\u201d Similarly, Hassam Sajjad from Grenoble INP \u2013 UGA praised the sense of connection that developed among the group: \u201cThis time, I believe I had met with really well-connected people from all over Europe. Thanks to the organisers for your great efforts for putting this amazing programme \u2013 please keep up with all your effort for next time as well!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"text-secondary d-flex align-items-center\">\u2013Jalal Idrees from TU Graz<\/footer>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Here, the programme continued with workshops, cultural insights and plenty of opportunities to network and collaborate. From LEGO\u00ae SERIOUS PLAY\u00ae and the LEAP Game strategy simulation to site visits and a hike to Thalersee, students engaged in interdisciplinary learning and shared ideas in an open, supportive environment. A highlight in Graz was the collaboration with StadtLABOR and the local startup network Ideentriebwerk.<\/p>\n<p>Over the course of the week, students worked on projects addressing real challenges they observed during their journey \u2013 from\u00a0<strong>accessibility and language barriers at European train stations<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a0<strong>energy resilience<\/strong>\u00a0in rural India. Their ideas were as practical as they were creative: from a battery system to prevent power outages in India to digital tools supporting more inclusive train travel in Europe.<\/p>\n<p>For\u00a0<strong>Maya Herneryd from KTH<\/strong>, the programme offered more than just academic input:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"cite-unite border-start border-light-subtle border-5 py-2 ps-3 mb-3 h5\">\n<div class=\"mb-1\">\n<p>\u201cI got to meet around 30 students from all across Europe, which really strengthened my multicultural understanding even more. The best part of it all was the people I met. Together we managed to create an open and safe culture where we as students had the space to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Teacher\u00a0<strong>Ana Prata from ULisboa<\/strong>, who led a workshop on science communication, shared her impression of the overall atmosphere:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"cite-unite border-start border-light-subtle border-5 py-2 ps-3 mb-3 h5\">\n<div class=\"mb-1\">\n<p>\u201cWhat incredible days, full of good vibes, inspiring people, and a strong will to make the world a better place!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>But\u00a0<strong>U!Train was more than a project week \u2013 it was a European experience<\/strong>. With\u00a0<strong>16 nationalities on board<\/strong>, students connected across disciplines and cultures, building friendships and growing their networks for future collaboration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>30 Unite! students, 9 universities, 16 nationalities \u2013 one unforgettable learning experience between Darmstadt and Graz The\u00a0second edition\u00a0of the Unite!\u00a0U!Train\u00a0brought together\u00a030 students\u00a0from all nine Unite! universities\u00a0for an\u00a0eight-day Blended Intensive Programme focused on entrepreneurship, sustainability and multicultural collaboration. Starting in Darmstadt and travelling together by train to Graz, participants not only explored Europe but also co-developed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2948,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unite.pwr.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unite.pwr.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unite.pwr.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unite.pwr.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unite.pwr.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2947"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unite.pwr.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2947\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2951,"href":"https:\/\/unite.pwr.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2947\/revisions\/2951"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unite.pwr.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unite.pwr.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unite.pwr.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unite.pwr.edu.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}