Within the EUNICE European University alliance, research plays a central role. At a time when societal challenges, ecological transition, digital transformation, global health, and social change call for transdisciplinary responses, cooperation between higher education institutions has become an essential driving force. EUNICE is fully aligned with this dynamic by networking the expertise, infrastructure, and talent of its partner universities.
Building stronger research through collaboration
The strength of the alliance is based on a simple conviction: the most ambitious scientific advances emerge from international collaboration. By sharing skills and laboratories, EUNICE universities create an environment conducive to the development of innovative projects with international impact.
At the Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (UPHF) in Valenciennes, several PhD candidates have been able to complete their PhD research in collaboration with other EUNICE partner universities.
Two co-tutelled theses were defended:
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- “Surface Topography and Multiscale Complexity: A Study from Materials to Works of Art”, supervised by two PhD advisors at UPHF (France) and PUT (Poland).
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- “Improving Facial Expression Recognition in Realistic Environments Using Deep Learning Approaches”, supervised by two PhD advisors at UPHF (France) and BTU (Germany).
Recently, another PhD thesis was completed with professors from UC (Spain) acting as co-supervisors. This thesis, entitled “Quality in Use Evaluation of Smart Environment Applications by Agent-Based Simulation”, was defended on December 11.
All of these theses were successfully validated, enabling the supervising universities to welcome new PhD graduates who are experts in their respective fields.
By joining forces, the universities of the EUNICE alliance demonstrate that ambitious research is built first and foremost through cooperation. Among the most structuring mechanisms, jointly supervised doctoral theses play a key role: they help train researchers who are fully embedded in a European dynamic and capable of navigating multiple scientific and cultural environments. By offering doctoral candidates shared supervision, broader access to resources, and joint academic recognition, EUNICE contributes to the emergence of a new generation of international scientists. These joint doctoral programs perfectly illustrate the alliance’s mission: to build more open, more connected, and stronger research for the Europe of tomorrow.
