Novi izzivi geografije pri kulturnem in institucionalnem povezovanju evropskega visokošolskega prostora

University of Maribor has in the last few years been an active partner in establishing and encouraging regional cooperation within Danube Rector\u27s network and Alpe-Adria network. Geographers have helped form the policy and concepts of regional partnership and connecting of spatial projects and initiatives, particularly in the regions of Central Europe and Western Balkans. An example of good practice is the Central European network GEOREGNET, which enables mobility of professors and students and contributes to the understanding among people and cooperation in higher education. The new challenges of Geography in the establishment of Euroregions and formation of a European cultural area represent a new understanding of the importance of creating a network of institutional cooperation and education of geographers. Research and pedagogical work in the field of Geography enable development and implementation of internationally comparable post-graduate study programmes and research programmes. With the establishment of University Centre for Euro-Mediterranean Studies, Slovenia has assumed the responsibility and an active role in encouraging the cooperation of higher education institutions in order to accomplish the goals of the European higher education area and strengthen intercultural understanding, not only between the countries of Euro-Mediterranean region, but also in the sense of global regional associations.Univerza v Mariboru je bila v zadnjih letih aktivni partner pri vzpostavljanju in spodbujanju regionalnega sodelovanja v Podonavski rektorski mreži in mreži Alpe-Adria. Geografi smo sooblikovali politiko in koncepte regionalnega partnerstva in povezovanja prostorskih projektov in iniciativ, zlasti v prostoru Srednje Evrope in Zahodnega Balkana. Primer dobre prakse predstavlja srednjeevropska geografska mreža GEOREGNET, ki omogoča mobilnost profesorjev in študentov in prispeva k medsebojnemu razumevanju med ljudmi ter krepi sodelovanje v visokem šolstvu. Novi izzivi geografije pri vzpostavljanju evroregij in oblikovanju evropskega kulturnega prostora pomenijo novo razumevanje pomena vzpostavljanja medsebojne mreže institucionalnega sodelovanja in izobraževanja geografov. Znanstvenoraziskovalno in pedagoško delo na področju geografske znanosti omogoča razvoj in izvajanje mednarodno primerljivih podiplomskih študijskih in raziskovalnih programov. Z ustanovitvijo University Centre for Euro - Mediterranean Studies pa je Slovenija prevzela tudi odgovornost in aktivno vlogo pri spodbujanju sodelovanja visokošolskih institucij za uresničevanje ciljev evropskega Visokošolskega prostora, krepitev medkulturnega razumevanja ne samo med državami evro-sredozemskega prostora, temveč tudi pri globalnem regionalnem povezovanju