TUS President, Professor Vincent Cunnane said, ‘We are extremely proud to host the inaugural RUN-EU General Assembly here at TUS. The Assembly gives us the opportunity to showcase what the Midlands and Midwest of Ireland have to offer for international stakeholders. It is certainly a win for the region to host this event, and in a year where many industries and sectors have faced major challenges, it is clear TUS’s role in the RUN-EU network will bring many new opportunities for students, research, and industry in the region, particularly for SMEs. The network has been working hard to bring this assembly to fruition and enable staff, students and stakeholders involved in RUN-EU to meet and collaborate in person. Along with our 200 guests, we have 17 European partners of RUN EU-from across industry and government organisations in attendance’.

Speaking ahead of the event, Vice-President of Research, Development and Innovation at TUS, Dr Liam Brown said, ‘We look forward to welcoming staff, students and many of our associated partners and regional government colleagues to Ireland. Included in the General Assembly will be four student-led short advanced challenge programmes, delivered during the week across the TUS campuses. RUN-EU promotes and develops joint student-centred, challenge and work-based flexible educational activities, through collaborative and innovative inter-university and interregional approaches to higher education, research and innovation generating new opportunities for industry and many other stakeholders in our regions’. 

‘We are also launching the RUN-EU PLUS Coordination and Support Action this week. This innovative project focuses on the development and deployment of collaborative professional practice-based research degrees in Future Industry and Sustainable Regional Development, the Bioeconomy and Social Innovation, across the RUN-EU alliance’, he continued.

For the President of the Polytechnic of Leiria, Mr Rui Pedrosa, ‘the GA will be a major opportunity for the RUN-EU higher education institutions and associated partners to reaffirm their commitment to the shared values and principles underpinning the RUN-EU mission’.

‘I am delighted that our students, teachers, staff and associated partners will be able to meet in person for the first time and celebrate all the collaborative work and all the challenges we have been through during the last year. The engagement of 15 students from each RUN-EU university in the Student Advisory Board, as well in four short advanced programmes, will be a great achievement that will increase even more the cooperation within the alliance’, added Mr Rui Pedrosa.

Monday, 1 November

8h30-9h30
Welcome Station • Athlone Main Campus Reception

9h00-17h00
Short Advanced Programmes

• RUN-EU Sustainable Development – Social Enterprise Challenge • Thurles
• RUN-EU Bioplastics Challenge • Athlone
• RUN-EU Eco-innovate Challenge • Athlone
• RUN-EU Food Challenge • Limerick

Tuesday, 2 November

8h30-9h30
Welcome Station • Athlone Main Campus Reception

9h00-17h00
Short Advanced Programmes

• RUN-EU Sustainable Development – Social Enterprise Challenge • Thurles
• RUN-EU Bioplastics Challenge • Athlone
• RUN-EU Eco-innovate Challenge • Athlone
• RUN-EU Food Challenge • Limerick

16h00–17h30
Work Package Meetings • Athlone Main Boardroom

Wednesday, 3 November

8h30-9h30
Welcome Station • Athlone Main Campus Reception

9h00–17h00
Short Advanced Programmes

• RUN-EU Sustainable Development – Social Enterprise Challenge • Thurles
• RUN-EU Bioplastics Challenge • Athlone
• RUN-EU Eco-innovate Challenge • Athlone
• RUN-EU Food Challenge • Limerick

10h00–16h00
Work Package 2 Conference • Online

10h00–13h00
Management Committee Meeting • Athlone Main Boardroom

14h00-15h30
Athlone Campus Tours • Meeting Point: Athlone Campus Arena

• Tour 1
  Arena (30 minutes)
  Engineering Building (40 minutes) – Focus on contemporary undergraduate education
  
• Tour 2
  Trades (30 minutes) – Focus on applied apprenticeship education
  Materials Research Institute (40 minutes) – Focus on fundamental multidisciplinary research

Throughout the day
Work Package Meetings • Athlone Main Boardroom and Meeting Annex

Thrusday, 4 November

8h30-9h30
Welcome Station • Athlone Main Campus Reception

9h00-17h00
Short Advanced Programmes

• RUN-EU Sustainable Development – Social Enterprise Challenge • Thurles
• RUN-EU Bioplastics Challenge • Athlone
• RUN-EU Eco-innovate Challenge • Athlone
• RUN-EU Food Challenge • Limerick

9h30-16h00
Work Package 2 Conference • Online

10h00–13h00
Associated Partner Reception and Athlone Campus Tours • Athlone Annex and Campus

• Tour 1
  Applied Polymer Technologies Research Centre (1 hour) – Focus on advanced polymer manufacturing
  Arena (30 minutes)

• Tour 2
  Trades (30 minutes) – Focus on applied apprenticeship education
  Materials Research Institute Research Hub (40 minutes) – Focus on fundamental multidisciplinary research

• Tour 3
  Arena (30 minutes)
  Engineering Building (40 minutes) – Focus on contemporary undergraduate education

11h00–13h00
Presidents, Rectors and CEO Meeting • Athlone Boardroom

12h30–15h00
RUN-EU PLUS Kick-off Meeting • Limerick Moylish Boardroom

15h00–17h00
Associated Partner Visits and Meeting

• Regional Government Associated Partners (Limerick City and County Council Chamber Offices, Merchant’s Quay, Limerick City)
• Other Associated Partners (Limerick School of Art and Design (LSAD), Limerick City; Irish Bioeconomy Foundation (IBF), Thurles; CONFIRM, University of Limerick)

19h30–23h30
Reception Gala Dinner • Strand Hotel, Limerick

Friday, 5 November

9h00–11h00
Student Advisory Board Meeting • Millennium Theatre, Limerick Campus

9h00–10h30
Associated Partner Advisory Board Meeting • LSAD Gallery

10h30–12h30
Meeting of Associated Partners with RUN-EU Presidents, Rectors and CEO • LSAD Gallery
Campus Tour • LSAD and Moylish Campuses

13h30–17h00
General Assembly • Millennium Theatre, Limerick Moylish Campus

If you’re a RUN-EU staff member or student considering attending the RUN-EU General Assembly in Ireland, TUS has a couple of accommodation agreements with local hotels and has put together a few tips about travelling to/from the airport and staying in Ireland.

Several preventative measures have been put in place to ensure the health and safety of all participants during the event, according to the Irish government’s public health measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19.