EU-funded German-French-Italian cooperation project with first week of attendance at the Faculty of Engineering Sciences
From 23 to 27 February 2026, the attendance week was held at HTWK Leipzig as part of the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) "Polymer Additive Manufacturing".
The BIP is an EU-funded German-French-Italian cooperation project in the form of a joint course of the three partner universities Universitité d'Artois (Béthune, France), Politecnico di Torino (Turin, Italy) and HTWK Leipzig, which is realised in cooperation and with the support of the International Office.
As part of this first BIP coordinated by the HTWK, 14 online seminars on various 3D printing topics have already taken place during the current winter semester 2025/2026, such as processes, design and numerical simulation, material testing, material selection and procedures for combining additive and subtractive manufacturing. The Moodle platform was used as a digital learning environment to provide all participating students with asynchronous learning content, scripts and videos in English. The students were able to complete exciting quizzes to consolidate the course content.
French, Italian and German students work together
From 23 to 27 February 2026, all participating students met at HTWK Leipzig to apply the knowledge they had acquired during the winter semester and produce a component using 3D printing. The French, Italian and German participating students worked together in small, mixed groups. The aim was to design a shelf bracket and produce it using 3D printing. The design had to be particularly light yet stable. One focus was on designing the force distribution through the printed construction so that the material is optimally utilised while maintaining structural integrity and printability. The students had already carried out preliminary work on the design of the bracket at their home universities. During the week of attendance in Leipzig in February 2026, the focus was now on printing and testing these brackets.
In addition to the technical programme, the intercultural exchange was not neglected. The programme included a hike around Lake Markkleeberg, a visit to the Monument to the Battle of the Nations, a tour of Leipzig city centre, a factory tour and a meal together.
There was very positive feedback from the students about the attendance week: the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme was a very good experience for someone who does not have the time or opportunity to complete a full semester abroad. The interesting programme and the opportunity to apply what they had learned to a real project in the well-equipped laboratories at HTWK Leipzig were particularly praised. The diverse cultural and social activities were also very well received by the students. The great commitment of the teaching staff involved was also highly appreciated.
Outlook for BIP 2026/2027
The Erasmus+ BIP "Polymer Additive Manufacturing" is to be offered again in the coming academic year, then coordinated by the Politecnico di Torino University of Applied Sciences in Italy, where the attendance week is also expected to take place in spring 2027. The Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Madrid, Spain) will then be added to the group of cooperating universities. Students at HTWK Leipzig will be able to apply to take part in the programme at the end of the 2026 summer semester.
The Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP) "Polymer Additive Manufacturing" 2025/2026
Erasmus+ BIPs promote university cooperation in Europe by providing financial support for the organisation and hosting of learning projects that are designed and carried out by at least three European partners from three different countries. BIPs enable students to spend short periods abroad and thus offer a low-threshold introduction to international experience. In terms of content, they consist of a joint virtual learning phase and a face-to-face phase that takes place at one of the three universities. Each participating student receives at least 3 ECTS credits.
At the suggestion of the International Office, the Faculty of Engineering at HTWK Leipzig took advantage of the new opportunities offered by the BIP format in the Erasmus+ programme to raise the quality of its long-standing, successful relationship with the French Université d'Artois to a new level and to establish new cooperative relationships with the Italian university Politecnico di Torino in a trilateral collaboration.
The organisational implementation of the project idea was driven forward by Professor Anke Bucher, who was able to draw on the specialist expertise and suggestions of Professor Ines Dani (Faculty of Engineering) and Professor Ingo Reinhold (Faculty of Computer Science and Media) as well as laboratory engineer Lukas Kube (Faculty of Engineering) and Franziska Schlimpert (Faculty of Computer Science and Media) in the implementation. Professor Giovanna Colucci and Professor Alberto Giubilini from the Politecnico di Torino (Italy) and Professor Rami Belguith and Professor Alain Bataille from the Université d'Artois (France) were also significantly involved in the realisation. The International Offices of the participating universities and the Department of Student Affairs provided organisational and administrative support for the BIP.
