Coordinating Institution
Université Libre de Bruxelles – Belgium
With its 8 faculties, schools and institutes, and 21,000 students, 29% coming from abroad, ULB covers all disciplines and study cycles. ULB distinctions include 3 Nobel Prizes and 1 Fields Medal. ULB has 350 Erasmus partnerships, coordinates 1 EMMC and 1 EMJD, and has 250 agreements with European and international universities. It has been involved in 120 international and European joint research projects including 76 FP6 and 73 FP7 projects. ULB offers programs in Computer Science and Engineering including: a Bachelor in Computer Science and Engineering, a joint master involving four departments of 2 Brussels universities, fully taught in English, offering 5 specializations, a doctorate program. The WIT laboratory of ULB has for years done cutting-edge research and development in business intelligence, involving currently 10 PhD students. It took part in the European project MurMur (Multiple Representations and Multiple Resolutions in Geographical Databases).
Partner Institutions
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – Spain
The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC) is a public institution of research and higher education in the fields of engineering, architecture, sciences and technology, and one of the leading technical universities in Europe. UPC has more than 28000 students including more than 3000 in/from international exchange programs, making it the Spanish university with the highest number of master students from abroad. The Barcelona School of Informatics (FIB) at UPC offers four bachelors (in Informatics Engineering, Data Science and Engineering, Artificial Intelligence and Bioinformatics) and four masters (in Informatics Engineering, in Innovation and Research in Informatics, in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence).
The Database Technologies and Information Management (DTIM) group at UPC is a top-notch research group conducting research in many fields of data engineering, with particular emphasis on the complete data lifecycle for Data Science and data-driven Artificial Intelligence or other data-intensive fields and its automation to facilitate the access to data and its processing and analysis.
University of Padua – Italy
The University of Padua, founded in 1222 by scholars from Bologna, is the second oldest university in Italy and among the five oldest in the world still in operation. It is a leading Italian university, recognised by the Italian Ministry of University and Research as the best university in Italy for teaching and research quality. With around 60,000 students, Padua offers a broad academic portfolio across 32 departments and 8 schools, with strong international engagement and a long tradition of excellence in science and engineering. The university’s facilities and research centres are embedded throughout the city, where students make up more than 30% of the local population. Within the Master in Data Science, the BDMA specialization at the University of Padua enables students to earn a Master’s Degree in Data Science. The city of Padua provides a welcoming environment rich in history, art, and culture, with excellent transport connections — 40 minutes from Venice and a few hours from Milan, Florence, and Rome.
Technische Universität Wien (TUW) – Austria
TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology) is Austria’s largest scientific-technical university, with around 26,000 students and eight faculties covering engineering, natural sciences, architecture, planning, and informatics. The university employs over 6,000 staff members and maintains the motto “Technology for People.” TU Wien maintains numerous international partnerships and participates actively in EU research programmes. The Faculty of Informatics, the largest in Austria, is internationally recognized and ranked among the top 100 worldwide. It offers Bachelor and Master degrees in Computer Science and doctoral programmes. TU Wien’s research connects fundamental science with real-world applications, addressing areas such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence, sustainable energy systems, and quantum technologies, where interdisciplinary collaboration is central to its approach. The university cooperates with industry and academia and participates in European research and innovation projects.
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL) – France
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 is a multidisciplinary university specialising in science, technology, health and sport, with around 48,000 students across three campuses and 11 sites. The university hosts 62 research laboratories, produces more than 5,000 scientific publications per year, and has an annual operating budget of approximately €420 million. Lyon 1 combines strong research activity with high-quality teaching, fostering innovation and cross-disciplinary work in fields such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence, environment and health. The university maintains numerous international partnerships, participates in European education and research programmes, and provides extensive support for international students. In the field of computing and data, Lyon 1 offers programmes in computer science, informatics, and related disciplines. Its integration within the city of Lyon ensures a vibrant academic community and an excellent quality of life for students.