THROWBACK ON THE INVEST CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE LAUNCH EVENT

On November 5^th, 2025, the INVEST alliance officially launched its Centre of Excellence in Research, Development and Innovation (CoE). As the CoE coordinator, the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne (France) had the honour of organising and hosting this event.

Gathering the 7 partner universities of the alliance, as well as local authorities and economic stakeholders, this event marks a milestone for the INVEST alliance in its commitment to interdisciplinary research and innovation, focused on regional development and sustainability.

An inauguration placed under European and territorial cooperation

The official launch of the Centre of Excellence began at the Reims City Hall with opening speeches by Patricia Durin, Vice-Rector for Education and Research of the Greater Reims Urban Community and representative of Arnaud Robinet, Mayor of Reims, Klaudia Halásová, Rector of the Slovak University of Agriculture, and Christophe Clément, Rector of the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne.

After a presentation of the alliance and the CoE, the morning continued with a roundtable moderated by Hélène Goeury (INVEST Project Manager at URCA). This discussion, entitled “Advancing knowledge, driving sustainability, bridging regions: the role of the INVEST Centre of Excellence and the European university alliance”, illustrated the role of this Centre at all levels, in the presence of:

Alison Garnier-Rivers, Co-lead of FOREU4ALL WP2 and EPICUR European university alliance manager
Lilian Joly, URCA Vice-rector for research & Chair of the INVEST Centre of Excellence steering board
Dimitri Oudin, Deputy Mayor of the municipality of Reims
Lucia Palšová, INVEST alliance coordinator & Vice-rector for strategic development and internationalisation at the Slovak University of Agriculture
Petri Raivo, Rector of the Karelia University of Applied Sciences
Eleftherios Tsoumanis, Deputy Mayor of the municipality of Larissa

The highlight of this launch event was the signature of a letter of intent by the invited regional representatives. Through this act, they expressed their support for the alliance's objectives and the Centre of Excellence's mission, as well as a shared desire to strengthen cooperation between their regions. The signatories are:

Arnaud Robinet, Mayor of the municipality of Reims (France)
Seppo Tossavainen, Head of Economic and International Affairs (Finland)
Miroslav Špoták, Deputy Mayor of the municipality of Nitra (Slovakia)
Krasimir Asenov, Deputy Mayor of the municipality of Plovdiv (Bulgaria)
Eleftherios Tsoumanis, Deputy Mayor of the municipality of Larissa (Greece)
Eva Pozo, Director of Cordoba Technological Park (Spain)

In addition, the rectors of the INVEST universities signed the statutes of the Centre of Excellence, after approving them during the alliance rectors' assembly, which was held on the previous day.

The creation of a shared space dedicated to innovation, dialogue, and collective ambition

After a morning on the more institutional side, the afternoon focused on putting the CoE's ambitions into practice, especially with the organisation of a “village” as a living illustration of the CoE network of researchers. This village offered presentations on the research, development, and innovation ecosystem, with the participation of several stakeholders from the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne and the Grand Est region:

The Project engineering department, including two members of the CoE taskforces

The EXEBIO International Institute and The One Bioeconomy federation
The CréativLabz incubator, as part of the INVEST incubator
The Excellence BioEco Academy Campus for trades and Qualifications (CMQE)
The University innovation hub “InnoRem”
URCATech, a service and research support unit offering sound scientific expertise
Quest for Change, an incubator network within the Grand Est region
The SATT Nord, technology transfer corporation

In parallel with the village, a pitching session was organised, during which some of these actors were able to present their role and their respective projects, including:

Heikki Immonen, Principal Investigator of the “New business models & smart technologies” research cluster
Shammi Keya, Representative of the Taskforce on Funding Opportunities for the CoE
Andrean Lazarov, Representative of the Taskforce on Networking Opportunities for the CoE
Caroline Viault, Deputy Project Manager of the university innovation hub “InnoRem”
Céline Rousseau, Business Developer of SATT Nord, technology transfer corporation
Catherine Arbez, Director of Innovact incubator

Finally, a second roundtable discussion took place on the theme “From lab to land: driving regional impact through research”, with four experts:

Konstantinos Kokkinos, Coordinator of the Larissa Living Lab, University of Thessaly
Salvatore Torrisi, Project coordinator on the Lombardy region partnership, University of Milano-Bicocca
Seppo Tossavainen, Head of Economic and International Affairs, Municipality of Joensuu
Virginie Manfroni, Research, Innovation, and Higher Education Advisor, Grand Est Europe

These speakers shared their experiences on how research and innovation can directly contribute to regional development and respond to territorial needs. They illustrated their points with concrete examples and ideas from across Europe, showing how collaboration between academia, regional authorities, and local actors can transform research into impact.

The first step in a major project

The launch of the INVEST Centre of Excellence marks a milestone for the alliance and all the regional partners involved. By bringing together researchers, stakeholders, and institutions around a common vision, this day illustrated the CoE's capacity to become a driving force for cooperation, creativity, and impact. The discussions, signatures, and initiatives presented laid the foundations for a shared space where interdisciplinarity will serve the regions. This collective dynamic now paves the way for numerous projects, new synergies, and European ambition.