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Publicado:  24 Jan 2025

European Universities initiative: report highlights success, outcomes and transformational potential

65 European Universities alliances are part of this initiative funded by Erasmus+, gathering over 570 higher education institutions from 35 countries, including all EU countries.

Two young people smiling at each other with the visual of the EUI behind

The report presents the strengths, achievements and progress of the alliances. It also identifies the remaining aspects to be addressed and provides policy orientations to sustain the success of the initiative in the long term.

It builds on data sources including

  • the piloting exercise of a monitoring framework for the European Universities initiative, co-developed with the alliances, higher education stakeholders and EU countries
  • studies from academics and position papers from EU higher education stakeholders
  • national studies assessing the impact of the initiative at national/regional level

Benefits for participants and beyond

Students now benefit from significantly multiplied and enriched educational offerings, with access to hundreds of joint study offers, joint programmes, flexible learning pathways, increased mobility and internationalisation opportunities across all the partner universities in an alliance.

They gain future-proof skills and competencies, including entrepreneurial, transversal, digital, green, intercultural, language skills, active citizenship.

Students are also in the driving seat for the development of the initiative, with almost all the alliances having students represented in their governance bodies.

Academic and administrative staff get increased access to mobility and internationalisation opportunities, exchange best practices and expand their professional training and networks.

European Universities alliances change the way universities cooperate in Europe, pushing boundaries and innovation, and offering a stable framework for unprecedented long-term strategic institutional-level cooperation.

Partner higher education institutions and alliances see an increase in their competitiveness, attractiveness for global talent and increased visibility.

The alliances accelerate national and European policy developments, inducing reforms and transformation and reducing barriers for transnational cooperation in higher education.

These developments largely benefit the wider European higher education sector, for example on the Blueprint for a European Degree.

The alliances reinforce commitment toward European values, including academic values and democracy, nurturing skills for active citizenship, including multilingualism, and connecting learning with the social and societal reality outside the classroom.

They strengthen the cooperation between students, academia, business and society, strongly anchoring their activities in their local and regional ecosystems.

Key figures

About half of students in Europe are now studying as part of a European Universities alliance.

More than 600 joint study programmes and courses, including 160 joint degree programmes have been set up.

More than 430 short courses leading to micro-credentials are set up, paving the way for life-long learning.

The alliances work with an extensive network of over 2,200 associated partners, driving dynamism in their local ecosystems.

Next steps

The report is a source of inspiration for the development of the European Universities initiative under the next EU multi-annual financial framework.

In this context, the European Commission is consulting EU countries, higher education stakeholders and the alliances on an investment pathway for European Universities.

The investment pathway aims to facilitate a more comprehensive funding approach and to seek synergies with national and regional funding sources.

Publicado:  24 Jan 2025

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