On June 17 and 18, Carlos Vasconcelos, Rafaela Silva, and Mário Coutinho from the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (IPV) visited the Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (UPHF) as part of the organisation of the EUNICE Alliance Games 2025, which will be held from November 10 to 14 in Viseu.
As UPHF hosted the Alliance Games in 2024, IPV’s visit aimed to draw inspiration, exchange ideas, and share best practices. It was also an opportunity for them to identify key areas of attention in organizing such a sporting event.
The Alliance Games is an inter-university sports tournament open to all students from the 10 partner universities of the EUNICE alliance. Beyond athletic competition, it also offers a valuable opportunity for intercultural exchange and discovery among our diverse European student communities.
During their visit to Valenciennes, the IPV delegation took part in various presentations and meetings, including a campus tour, a lessons-learned session, retro-planning workshops, and discussions with faculty members and the Vice-President for Health. They also visited the sports facilities, the Health Center, and a research laboratory (CISIT). Carlos, Physical Activity and Health Professor at IPV, shares his perspective on the value of these exchanges andhis mobility experience:
“Our meetings were incredible, as we learned a lot about the details of the logistics of the organization of the Alliance Games. The insights we got will be very helpful for the organization of the Alliance Games 2025. We can say that the success of the Alliance Games 2025 will begin with these meetings.
Additionally, we had the opportunity to visit the sports facilities of the Campus, the Health Center, the CISIT laboratory and to have a meeting with Prof. Bachir Zoudji regarding the organization of the STAPS Department. We would like to thank Daniel Prevost for showing us the incredible sports facilities you have. We were impressed by the high-quality sports facilities. We were also astonished with the Health Center (we gained several ideas for better practices at the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu) and the CISIT laboratory. Regarding the CISIT laboratory, we would like to thank Vice-President for Health Frank Barbier for all his explanations. We also thank Prof. Bashir for the presentation of the STAPS Department, from which we gained several insights about its organization. We would like to thank Martha Drelon, Daniel Quiroga and Mohamed Oussedrate.“
This visit opened up new perspectives for IPV, particularly regarding the UPHF Health Center. They expressed interest in organizing a job shadowing experience with the aim of potentially developing a similar center at their university. They also expressed a desire to collaborate with UPHF on topics such as the status of high-level student-athletes and the courses offered.
In order of appearance: Daniel Quiroga (UPHF), Martha Laura Drelon (UPHF), Rafaela Silva (IPV), Mário Coutinho (IPV), Carlos Vasconcelos (IPV)
This was not IPV’s first visit to UPHF. From May 5 to 7, two professors involved in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development visited to exchange best practices and explore how UPHF integrates Sustainable Development and Social Responsability into its academic programs (for example energy and water management).
They had the opportunity to interact with the Sustainable Development and Social Responsability department of UPHF and also to visit the various facilities set up for this purpose. They also took part in a session on the Climate Fresk. They were welcomed by the Vice President Delegate for a sustainable and inclusive university and the SDSR team.
These enriching exchanges aim to strengthen collaboration on shared challenges, within this common European alliance. The partners are able to combine their expertise, resources, and innovative ideas, driving forward collective solutions. Many thanks to all stakeholders!
In order of appearance: Bertrand Bridier (UPHF), Paula Rocha (IPV), Carolina (student in Sustainable Development), Daniel Quiroga (UPHF), Eloi Leuret–Ottavi (UPHF), Elisabete Ferreira (IPV), Philippe Pudlo (UPHF), Teuta Marovic (UPHF).
