The University of Beira Interior is one of the most recent public universities in Portugal. Since 1986, it has built several learning and research facilities structured in 5 faculties. The fields of knowledge present in faculties include engineering, sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts and letters and health sciences. Teaching is delivered to more than 7000 undergraduate and postgraduate students according to the threecycle Bologna structure and student-centred pedagogy. UBI has been recognized as one of the leading institutions in the implementation of the Bologna process in the Medicine graduation course, where problem based learning methodologies have been implemented and are internationally recognized. This methodology is now being implemented throughout other fields of knowledge. Fundamental and Innovative research, knowledge transfer, and entrepreneurship activities are also central to the university’s mission as shown by the outcomes of its R&D units and groups, their participation in many national and international R&D projects and consortia.

Poitiers ranks 1st of all French cities in terms of student population per capita:

• One out of four inhabitant is a student
• Poitiers is a city of art and history

The University of Poitiers was founded in 1431, making it one of the oldest universities in Europe, with:

• 25,000 students
• 3,000 staff and personnel
• 1,600 teachers and researchers
• 1,400 administrative and technical staff

A privileged student lifestyle

Students benefit from Libraries, Digital Services, Health Care, Sport (more than 30 disciplines), Cultural Activities and Festivals, Students’ associations…

Fields of study

• Engineering, Science and Technology
• Law and Social Sciences
• Modern Languages, Classic and Cultural Studies
• Management and Business
• Humanities, Arts and Literature
• Medicine and Pharmacy
• Sports

5 Institutes

• Institute of Business Administration
• Institute of General Administration
• Insurance and Risk Management Institute
• Angoulême Institute of Technology
• Poitiers Institute of Technology

7 Colleges

• Law and Social Sciences
• Economics
• Medicine and Pharmacy
• Literature, Languages and Performing Arts
• Sports Sciences
• Social Sciences and Arts
• Fundamental and Applied Sciences

2 Schools

• National Higher Engineering School of Poitiers
• Higher School for Teaching and Education

GB Solar is a design office specialized in the design and construction of high power photovoltaic power plants. Composed of experienced engineers, we operate in Europe, Africa and South America for the design of solar power plants connected to the grid or stand-alone facilities. Subsidiary of GREENBIRDIE, GB Solar is the office of major energy groups like neoen, EDF EN or BORALEX (eg Enel Green Power France), for which we have achieved over 2GWp.

University of Tunis is one of the most important multidisciplinary university of Tunisia including 15 institutions, 17 research laboratories and 19 research units with different fields such Human and Socials Sciences, Music and fine Arts, Sciences and EngineeringTechnologies and Economic and management. The laboratory of “Electrical Systems “is one of the biggest laboratories with 5 research groups. The mean objective of our research group “ CoSys” is the Design and Energy Management of renewable systems of small and big power uses: Application for electricity production, Water pumping and water desalination for remote and grid connected areas.

The National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) is one of the oldest and most prestigious Academic Institutes in Greece, with a long experience in education, training and technological research/development. The Environmental and Energy Management Research Unit (EEMRU) is an educational and research unit of the School of Chemical Engineering of the NTUA, with extensive experience and expertise in the fields of water management (water stress mitigation, disaster risk reduction), Integrated Urban Water Management, Renewable Energy Systems, and Environmental management.

The University of Cyprus was established in 1989 and admitted its first students in 1992. It was founded in response to the growing intellectual needs of the Cypriot people, and is well placed to fulfil the numerous aspirations of the country.   The University is a vigorous community of scholars engaged in the generation and diffusion of knowledge. Despite its brief history, the University of Cyprus has earned the respect of the international academic community and the appreciation of Cypriot society.   Admission for the majority of undergraduate students is by entrance examinations organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Cyprus, and the competition for places is intense. A number of places are reserved for students with special needs or circumstances. Every effort is made to offer practical solutions to students facing specific problems, be it access to University facilities, or assistance on academic issues.   When the University of Cyprus first opened its doors to students, the incoming class consisted of 486 undergraduate students. During the academic year 2014-2015 there were 6987 students (undergraduate and postgraduate). There are 8 faculties , 22 departments and 11 research units at UCY.

The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) was established in 2001 "to provide universally accessible vocational and professional education and training with an international dimension, responsive to the needs of the individual and the economy." MCAST is the leading further and higher education institution in Malta for the provision of vocational qualifications with over 10,000 students and 640 academics and corporate personnel and 6 Institutes namely Applied Sciences (IAS), Creative Arts, Engineering and Transport, Business Management & Commerce, Community Services, Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Since its inception, MCAST has encouraged a broader spectrum of students and alumni to follow its vocational qualifications with various entry and exit points, providing the optimal opportunity position to respond to current industrial trends and the corresponding vocational skills needs. In addition, MCAST has established national and international partners such as with Fraunhofer Institute among others.

MCAST is widening its portfolio and building solid grounds in Research and Innovation and is developing further internal research capacity to meet the demands of Government and added value industry. As the leading provider of vocational education in Malta, MCAST aims to create a dynamic environment that encourages an active knowledge transfer between academics and students. Through this process, academics, students, and very often industrial stakeholders identify real shortcomings and conduct research with the aim of developing tangible solutions.

MCAST has a highly competent academic staff with extensive industrial experience and consolidated academic standing, and state of the art facilities which includes renewable energy resources and energy efficient infrastructure. A new campus is currently under development which will host all the 6 Institutes into the largest-single campus in Malta. MCAST is highly experience in international cooperation research and study programmes within Europe and beyond.

The MCAST Institute of Engineering and Transport, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering has 40 academics. The Department has a multi-disciplinary approach in energy and power systems (including smart grids and micro grids), electrical machines and drives, renewables and alternative energy sources (including electric vehicles), transportation, energy efficiency, electronics and power electronics, biomedical engineering, telecommunications, computer engineering and embedded systems.

The Energy Research Group led by Dr Inġ. Brian Azzopardi is within the Department. The Energy Research Group has strong links with national and international partners including The University of Manchester, Imperial College London, Oxford Brookes University, Denmark Technical University and Kaunas University of Technology, industry and various Government of Malta Ministries such as the Ministry for Energy.