EduCare 5.0 brings together ten universities and higher education institutions from nine countries. Each partner university contributes unique expertise, allowing us to address healthcare challenges from diverse perspectives. Hochschule Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSBI) is one of the founding members and coordinates the network. Diaconia University of Applied Sciences (Finland) and the Medical University of Łódź (Poland) joined the alliance in January 2026.
Hochschule Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSBI)
Coordinating institution of EduCare 5.0
Country: Germany. City: Bielefeld, with campuses also in Minden and Gütersloh
Founded in 1971, HSBI was one of the first universities of applied sciences to open in Germany. It is the largest university of applied sciences in East Westphalia-Lippe and has six faculties: Design and Art, Minden Campus, Engineering and Mathematics, Social Sciences, Bielefeld School of Business, and Health. In research, teaching and transfer, its mission is to become a key innovation hub in the region, working closely with industry, business, social and cultural institutions. HSBI offers full-time, work-integrated and part-time study models and is system-accredited, which authorises it to accredit its own study programmes.
Salzburg University of Applied Sciences (FH Salzburg)
Country: Austria. City: Salzburg
Salzburg’s University of Applied Sciences (FH Salzburg) provides practice-oriented education across six departments, blending theory with practical experience to equip students with valuable skills for future careers. With a strong focus on sustainability in ecological, economic, and social aspects, FH Salzburg integrates societal developments into its future-focused programs, preparing graduates to contribute to regional progress. The university’s research excellence is reflected in around 150 researchers working on over 80 application-oriented R&D projects, collaborating with industry partners to drive social, digital, and ecological transformation.
Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem (UJEP)
Country: Czechia. City: Ústí nad Labem
UJEP was established in 1991 and is the only university founded and located in northwest Czechia. It has eight faculties and offers more than 50 study programmes with more than 150 specialisations. Its Faculty of Health Studies is located in the Masaryk Hospital, which supports close collaboration between the hospital and medical training. UJEP describes its role as the most important scientific, research, artistic and educational institution of the Ústí Region and as a partner in socio-economic relations at regional, national and international levels. In October 2025 it hosted the third working meeting of the alliance.
Diaconia University of Applied Sciences (Diak)
Joined the alliance in January 2026
Country: Finland. City: Helsinki (largest campus)
Diak is a people-oriented, nationwide university of applied sciences specialised in social work, health care, diaconia and interpreting. It educates future professionals for the social and health sector, and its work helps people who experience inequality, poverty, loneliness and social exclusion. Diak aims to help create a socially sustainable society. Its largest campus is in Helsinki, where its English-taught degree programmes are studied.
Klaipėda State University of Applied Sciences (KVK)
Country: Lithuania. City: Klaipėda
Klaipėdos valstybinė kolegija (KVK) describes itself as the third largest higher education institution in Lithuania and the largest in the western region providing professional bachelor degree studies. It has a century-long tradition of preparing qualified, practice-oriented specialists. KVK offers more than 60 practice-based study programmes and has a Faculty of Health Sciences, with programmes such as General Practice Nursing. Its main goal is high-quality studies focused on practical skills, applied scientific research and experimental development.
Medical University of Łódź
Joined the alliance in January 2026
Country: Poland. City: Łódź
The Medical University of Łódź is one of the largest medical universities in Poland. Its history includes the Medical Faculty of the University of Łódź, opened in 1945, and the merger of the Military Medical Academy and the civilian Medical Academy of Łódź in 2002. The university states its mission as guaranteeing high quality of teaching and scientific research in the medical and health sciences and contributing significantly to the development of the health care system. It is a partner of EIT Health.
CESPU, Cooperativa de Ensino Superior Politécnico e Universitário
Country: Portugal. City: Gandra (Paredes) and Vila Nova de Famalicão
CESPU is a cooperative founded in Porto in 1982 to create university and polytechnic higher education institutions, promote scientific research and provide services to the community. It started with the first private institutions in Portugal to award degrees in Dental Medicine and later added programmes such as Clinical Psychology and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Today it runs Universidade CESPU and three polytechnic schools of health and nursing: Escola Superior de Saúde do Vale do Ave, Escola Superior de Enfermagem do Tâmega e Sousa and Escola Superior de Tecnologias da Saúde do Tâmega e Sousa. Health is the common denominator of its activity, which also includes scientific research and healthcare services.
Egas Moniz School of Health & Science
Country: Portugal. City: Almada (campus in Monte da Caparica)
Egas Moniz is a higher education institution dedicated to health, with its campus in Monte da Caparica, Almada. It brings together a university institute focused on health courses, with the autonomy to develop doctoral programmes, and a polytechnic school that prepares professionals in health and nursing technologies. Its mission is “dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, learning and education of its students, at the service of improving the health conditions of global society in the twenty-first century”. The Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research supports translational research and teaching, and the institution follows an integrated One Health approach. In April 2026 it hosted the fourth working meeting of the alliance.
“Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iași (UMF Iași)
Country: Romania. City: Iași
UMF Iași is one of the oldest higher education institutions in Romania, with roots in the Faculty of Medicine founded in Iași in 1879. It received university status and its present name in 1991. The university trains graduates and specialists in medicine, dental medicine, pharmacy, bioengineering and health care, and its Faculty of Medical Bioengineering is the only one of its kind in Romania. Its mission includes promoting international cooperation and integration into the European medical education environment. In October 2026 it hosts the Biannual Conference of the alliance.
Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC Barcelona)
Country: Spain. City: Barcelona and Sant Cugat del Vallès
UIC Barcelona began its academic activities in October 1997, with campuses in Barcelona and Sant Cugat del Vallès. Health studies were part of its offer from the first year, with Nursing and Dentistry, followed by Physiotherapy and, in 2008, the Degree in Medicine. The university runs the University Clinic of Dentistry and the SUPPORT Clinic for psychology and psychiatry. Its mission is to train people who contribute to humanising the transformation of society through professional excellence, impact research, integrity and social commitment. In March 2025 it hosted the second working meeting of the alliance.
