Towards a shared future, having responded to the call from the Ministry of Education to submit project proposals to support strategic development of higher education infrastructure.

The first phase of their plan is to create a consortium, with plans for further integration in the future.

The integration of both universities is the result of long-term efforts and planning. According to the rector of the University of St. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava (UCM), Professor Katarína Slobodová Nováková, UCM and Trnava University are the only higher education institutions in Slovakia that have been prepared for the Ministry's call for a year, having developed legal analyses and a roadmap for integration. The universities have even tested common information systems and begun preparing future joint study programs.

"We do not just see the call to support strategic development of higher education infrastructure as the creation of a consortium. We are thinking strategically about our shared future in the long term," added the rector of UCM.

"Our response to the call is an expression of years-long collaboration. The planned integration project creates the potential for high-quality educational offerings and cutting-edge scientific research that will benefit more than 12,000 students, academic staff, and make Trnava and the Trnava region one of the most significant higher education centers in Slovakia," said the rector of Trnava University, Professor René Bílik.

The ambition of both universities is to build a shared scientific and creative park and scientific teams, as well as to create new joint study programs and shared student media. The universities also want to act as a united front abroad and harmonize their mutual information systems for education and management processes. Additional planned activities include joint use of laboratory spaces and shared support centers for students and staff.

By joining forces and integrating, the universities plan to strengthen their capacities. Their goal is to create a center of excellent academic infrastructure in Trnava that covers a comprehensive framework of higher education, applied research, cutting-edge science, and that offers maximum space for student and educator development and progress.