Introduction

This project, entitled CAMPUSHABITAT5U, under the motto “uniting in excellence, improving our habitat, revitalizing well-being” is submitted to the Campus of International Excellence 2011 call for proposals by the five universities that comprise the Valencia Public University System (SUPV):

  • Universitat de València (UV),
  • Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV),
  • Universitat d’Alacant (UA),
  • Universitat Jaume I (UJI)
  • Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (UMH)

General characteristics

The goal of CAMPUSHABITAT5U is to promote and revitalize a process of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth which is based on knowledge, innovation, creativity, the efficient use of resources, employability and social and territorial cohesion. The primary characteristics of CAMPUSHABITAT5U are as follows:

  • Alliances: To create a campus in the Valencian Community to combine efforts and share knowledge
  • Specialization: To develop a project of excellence that is unique in Spain in the field of Habitat and Territory
  • Interdisciplinarity: To develop a multi-sectorial, multi-disciplinary campus based on the involvement of different economic sectors and multiple disciplines
  • Internationalization: To increase international visibility of teaching and research, attracting talent and solidifying the network of alliances

Alliances

CAMPUSHABITAT5U is a territorial campus whose scope encompasses the Valencian Community (CV) as a whole. Evidence of this broad scope can be found in the range of constituents that make up the campus:

  • The five universities that comprise the SUPV, which enjoy a significant tradition of cooperation in teaching and research in the sphere of Habitat and Territory
  • The most significant businesses, institutes and groups currently working with the five SUPV universities in the sphere of Habitat and Territory
    • The Network of Technology Institutes of the Valencian Community (REDIT)
    • Technology institutes of the Valencian Community which are active in the sphere of specialization
    • The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) via institutes in the project’s area of specialization
    • Businesses, clusters and business associations in the project’s area of specialization
    • The Valencia Trade Fair Centre (Feria de Valencia) and the Alicante Trade Fair Institution (IFA) via their many and varied events related to the project’s area of specialization
  • The public administrations of the CV as well as all institutions whose activities coincide with the sphere of Habitat and Territory

Specialitzation

CAMPUSHABITAT5U is a unique project focusing on specializing on Habitat and Territory.

In the last two decades the economy of the Valencian Community has seen constant growth driven primarily by the residential construction sector and ancillary market activities. However, this growth has been uneven and is not sustainable in the long run.

An economy as advanced as the Valencian Community’s can only compete by means of quality, differentiation, creativity and reputation. But this does not only affect goods produced and services provided; it also has social and cultural repercussions as well as consequences for both urban and rural areas.

In order to help promote these competitive qualities, CAMPUSHABITAT5U aims to become a benchmark centre for the reactivation of well-being in the Valencian Community, helping to create a unique territory by adhering to the following criteria:

  • Bringing together and concentrating innovative and inter-disciplinary projects which generate the most added value
  • Attracting the most talented human capital both from Spain and the rest of the world
  • Protecting the environment and using available resources in a well-balanced manner
  • Achieving the full participation of its institutions in the development of the territory, and providing education systems that promote creativity and values such as diligence, tolerance and diversity

CAMPUSHABITAT5U’s teams of academics and professionals are currently involved in the development of innovative and prestigious international excellence projects with socio-economic repercussions in the sphere of Habitat and Territory. These are generally the result of collaborative efforts of individuals and teams from the different institutions participating in CAMPUSHABITAT5U.


CAMPUSHABITAT5U’s development strategy is implemented in the following four areas of activity in Habitat and Territory:

Interdisciplinarity

CAMPUSHABITAT5U is a project specializing in Habitat and Territory which:

  • Promotes and acts as a focal point for academic and scientific excellence projects in various disciplines which are complimentary to those of the SUPV group
  • Promotes and acts as a hub for research, innovation, technology and knowledge for technological institutes and businesses in the Valencian Community which provide added value to Habitat and Territory in complementary economic sectors

In keeping with this, CAMPUSHABITAT5U promotes the introduction of relationships with the territory which foster innovative and interdisciplinary “eco-systems” through:

  • positioning CAMPUSHABITAT5U as a leader in teaching excellence in Habitat and Territory;
  • promoting advanced research through collaborative, interdisciplinary and inter-university efforts in the area of Habitat and Territory;
  • attracting and promoting highly qualified research talent;
  • driving innovation and creativity in an inter-disciplinary environment as an alternative path to economic growth and social well-being, promoting the development of research projects at the intersection of art, science and technology;
  • creating a comprehensive management system for knowledge transfer which promotes evaluating research results and making use of them;
  • creating an entrepreneurial, innovative and interdisciplinary environment conducive to increased employability;
  • contributing to the development of dynamic spaces that can help to cultivate socially cohesive environments and helping to foster a well-educated public that is ready and willing to actively participate in the process of building our society;
  • fostering the coordinating and innovative character of the campus in constant association with the surrounding region.

Internationalization

The international development of CAMPUSHABITAT5U is a determining factor in its academic and scientific quality and in its viability in the future. Critical to this endeavour is the development of policies that support internationalization as a part of a comprehensive, inter-university and interdisciplinary strategy.

The policy objectives for internationalization are as follows:

  • To launch and strengthen research projects through international inter-university doctoral programmes
  • To promote international mobility at the doctoral and research levels to CAMPUSHABITAT5U and to other renowned institutions outside of Spain
  • To foment an environment for excellence that is able to attract and promote international excellence research talent
  • To improve the visibility and recognition of CAMPUSHABITAT5U as an ideal place to study for a doctoral degree and as a place of work for internationally renowned researchers
  • To strengthen alliances with leading universities and/or international benchmark centres that will generate the most synergies in educational activities, such as joint or multiple degrees and advanced collaborative research projects

Governance

The five universities will constitute the CAMPUSHABITAT5U Consortium for the purpose of:

  • facilitating the coordination of excellence in the development of the strategic objectives, and to implement the measures established in the CEI conversion plan for the improvement of Habitat and Territory;
  • promoting a “permeable” space between universities, technology centres and companies; and
  • establishing relationships between all of them with renowned international institutions in Habitat and Territory.

Strands of action

The principal strands of action of the Consortium are as follows:

  • Teaching:
    • Strategic teaching plan in Habitat and Territory
    • Habitat and Territory Virtual Observatory for Employability
    • Lifelong Learning Habitat Programme
    • Integrated model for the relationship between the university and vocational training centres
  • R&D&i
    • The Institute of Habitat and Territory (research, assessment, internationalisation and communication)
    • CreaInCube ( multi-disciplinary structures for creativity)
    • The Centre for Advanced Studies in Habitat and Territory
    • The Landscape and Territory Observatory
  • Transformation of the campus towards a socially integrated model and interaction with its local environment
    • Revitalization of socially cohesive environments
    • Business-sponsored chair programme to promote collaborative innovation activities
    • Urban and rural regeneration programme
    • Inclusive social model in a quality university environment
  • International
    • Attraction and promotion of talent through the CAMPUSHABITAT5U Endowment
    • International mobility to and from the most prestigious universities in the sphere of Habitat and Territory
    • Strategic international alliances in Habitat and Territory
    • Scope, visibility and international recognition of CAMPUSHABITAT5U

Epilogue

CAMPUSHABITAT5U adds to the Valencian Community as a whole, is permanent in nature, helps to drive the local economy while making it more dynamic, provides an international hub for knowledge in the area of Habitat and Territory, combines the efforts of all parties and shares interdisciplinary knowledge.

In short, CAMPUSHABITAT5U is a project of excellence in the sphere of Habitat and Territory with the objective of creating a process of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.