Eleven universities from nine European countries have signed a Letter of Intent to establish the first European network for university cooperation in the paper and board industry. The agreement was signed in Lucca, Italy, during the inauguration ceremony of the new academic year of the Master’s Degree Programme in Paper and Board Engineering at the University of Pisa.
The universities involved in the initiative are: Austria: TU Graz – Graz University of Technology; Finland: Aalto University, Åbo Akademi University and University of Eastern Finland; France: Grenoble INP – Pagora, UGA; Germany: Hochschule München – University of Applied Sciences; Italy: University of Pisa; Norway: Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Poland: Lodz University of Technology; Czech Republic: Czech University of Life Sciences Prague; Spain: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.
The meeting brought together representatives from several European universities and industry organisations, marking the launch of the first Permanent Roundtable on Education in the paper sector.
The establishment of the network represents a strategic step towards creating a permanent platform for cooperation between academia and industry. The agreement aims to facilitate the development of double-degree programmes and shared study pathways, promote student and academic staff mobility through Erasmus programmes, establish joint research laboratories focusing on innovation and the green transition, and strengthen the European talent network.
The initiative further reinforces Lucca’s position as a leading European centre for paper industry education and research. The Master’s Degree Programme in Paper and Board Engineering is promoted by the Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering at the University of Pisa and managed in collaboration with the Fahre Foundation at the San Micheletto complex.
The programme continues to attract strong international interest. For the current academic year, hundreds of applications were received from around the world for just 30 available places, reflecting its academic reputation and the employment opportunities offered to graduates.
The course is supported by the Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca Foundation, Assocarta, and several leading companies in the local paper industry district: Andritz, BW Converting, Cartiere Carrara, Celtex, DS Smith, Eurovast, Fosber, Lucart, Lucense, Oradoc, Paper Board Alliance, Sofidel, Toscotec and WEPA. The Letter of Intent formalises the commitment of the participating university representatives to promote the initiative within their respective institutions. It is intended as a preliminary step towards the approval and subsequent formal signing of a Multilateral Cooperation Agreement, which will establish the operational framework for the partnership.
The development and coordination of the network will also benefit from the direct support of CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industries), ensuring an ongoing connection between academic programmes and the European industry’s needs in terms of innovation, digitalisation and sustainability.