SEFI History: Foundation in 1973

SEFI foundation deed dated 19 January 1973

On this day, 19 January, fifty years ago, representatives of 26 founding universities as well as two individual members from ten countries met in the Faculty Club of KU Leuven in Belgium to sign a foundation act of the European Society of Engineering Education. 

There were four main goals for the newly established organization: 

1. to contribute to the development and improvement of engineering education and training within the  European economic, social and cultural context; and to examine the challenges arising from technical progress, new pedagogic methods and the demands of the modern world
2. to inform people and communities interested in engineering education
3. to develop communication and exchange between teachers, researchers and students from different European countries
4. to develop cooperation between engineering education institutions and higher technical education establishments

There were only two types of members, institutional and individual.

Founding members: 

• Brighton Polytechnic, UK (University of Brighton)
• Danmarks Tekniske Hojskole and Danmarks Ingeniorakademi, DK (Technical University of Denmark)
• Fachhochschule Hamburg, DE (HAW Hamburg)
• Fachhochschule Munchen, DE (Munich University of Applied Sciences)
• Helsinki University of Technology, FI (Aalto University)
• Hogere Technische School Breda, NL (Breda University of Applied Sciences)
• Imperial College of Science and Technology, UK (Imperial College London)
• Institut National Agronomique, FR (AgroParisTech)
• Institut National des Sciences Appliquees, FR (INSA Toulouse)
• Institut National Polytechnique de Nancy, FR (Lorraine INP)
• Katolieke Universiteit Leuven, BE (KU Leuven)
• North East London Polytechnic, UK (University of East London)
• Politechnico di Milano, IT
• Politechnico di Torino, IT
• Rheinisch Westfaliche Techniche Hochschule Aachen, DE (RWTH Aachen)
• Rijkshuniversiteit Gent, BE (Ghent University)
• Royal Institute of Technology, SE (KTH)
• Technische Hogeschool Eindhoven, NL (Eindhoven University of Technology)
• Technische Universitat Berlin, DE 
• Universita degli Studi di Bologna, IT
• Universita degli Studi di Pisa, IT
• Universite Libre de Bruxelles – Faculte des sciences appliques, BE
• Universite de Liege – Faculte des sciences appliques, BE
• University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, UK (Victoria University of Manchester)
• Universitat Stuttgart, DE
• Universitet Trondheim – Norges Tekniske Hogskole, NO (NTNU)