The EGTC GO celebrates a significant step forward in strengthening cross-border dialogue and cooperation in the university sector. A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Universities of Nova Gorica, Trieste, and Udine—a result that confirms the joint commitment of the three institutions and the EGTC GO to a stable and strategic collaboration in support of the shared territory.

This document stems from a process launched in 2024 as part of activities promoted by the EGTC GO to engage the academic community operating in the cross-border area (students, faculty, and researchers) in GO! 2025, with the aim of strengthening collaboration among the three universities and structurally involving academia in the cultural and European vision of the Capital of Culture. The memorandum, signed by rectors Roberto Di Lenarda (Trieste), Roberto Pinton (Udine), and Boštjan Golob (Nova Gorica), represents the first tangible achievement of this institutional dialogue.

The three-year agreement establishes a framework for cooperation that includes joint research projects, education and training, student mobility, communication, and the enhancement of urban and cultural heritage. A permanent coordinating committee will be established to develop joint actions in key areas such as sustainability, social innovation, European project planning, and tourism promotion. »We are extremely proud of this achievement,« said Paolo Petiziol, President of EGTC GO. »This agreement strengthens a strategic alliance between territories and knowledge—a decisive step in building a borderless academic community capable of generating shared value for students, citizens, and institutions.«

The memorandum is part of the legacy program of GO! 2025, intended to ensure continuity beyond the year of the European Capital of Culture. The collaboration between the three universities serves as a tool to reinforce the cross-border dimension of the event and a lever to generate new development opportunities for the entire area, starting precisely from dialogue with academia.

This agreement formalizes an already active collaboration and strengthens its structural elements with a medium- to long-term perspective, laying the foundation for stable coordination and closer cooperation between universities and the territory. The signing of the memorandum is the result of a participatory process curated by EGTC GO, aimed at young people living in the region, and was also discussed on Monday, June 23 in Nova Gorica during a panel at the Landscape Festival – On the Borders of the Planet, an international event (part of the official GO! 2025 program) that highlights the landscape as a meeting space for cultures, disciplines, and future visions.

Specifically, the areas of intervention include research on topics and areas identified by EGTC GO and the three universities; collaboration in defining joint projects eligible for EU programs such as Erasmus+, Interreg, Horizon Europe, etc.; joint educational activities for students and researchers; support for student initiatives related to GO! 2025 and beyond; use of new technologies to produce social innovation that benefits students and the local area; enhancement of urban spaces and the architectural heritage involved in GO! 2025; promotion of cultural offerings also from a tourism perspective; logistical support through the provision of spaces and venues for scheduled events, offered by the three universities; communication and promotion of events; launch of curricular and post-graduate internships.

Further initiatives will follow to give visibility and practical implementation to this strategic cross-border collaboration. »The signing of the agreement is an important milestone, which officially confirms a concrete collaboration that has already shown a strong willingness for exchange among the university institutions involved in GO! 2025,« said Roberto Pinton, Rector of the University of Udine. »Over the years, the various stakeholders now formalizing this commitment for the benefit of the territory and in view of a historic event like Gorizia and Nova Gorica as European Capital of Culture, have always cooperated for the common good. This significant moment reaffirms that commitment, toward a future we hope will be even richer in joint initiatives.«

Professor Diego Abenante, the memorandum’s representative for the University of Trieste, also emphasized: »With the signing of this Memorandum, the University of Trieste strengthens its commitment to developing the cross-border dimension in the Gorizia area, promoting stable collaboration between the local universities in the fields of research and education. The agreement is also an important opportunity to reinforce the cross-border orientation of all study programs offered by the university’s departments in its Gorizia campus.«