New funding for additional European Universities alliances will boost cooperation in higher education

These alliances also bring innovation to Europe's regions by allowing students to work together with academics, researchers, enterprises, cities, authorities, and civil society organisations.

The 64 alliances span 35 countries, including all EU Member States, as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Montenegro, the Republic of North-Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Türkiye. They are solidly anchored in communities and innovation networks, bringing together almost 2200 associated partners ranging from non-governmental organisations to enterprises, cities, local and regional authorities, and higher education institutions from the Bologna Process countries. For example, almost 35 higher education institutions from Ukraine are associated partners.

The 2024 Erasmus+ call for proposals also supports the set-up of a Community of Practice for European Universities, reinforcing peer learning between the alliances and boosting dissemination of reusable results and models within the wider higher education sector.

The 14 new alliances of European Universities and the Community of Practice for European Universities will start their activities in autumn this year.

The Commission will continue supporting the European Universities alliances and any other type of partnership between higher education institutions to deliver joint degree programmes more easily, as also outlined in the blueprint for a European degree presented in March 2024.

Background

The European Universities initiative supports transnational alliances of, on average, nine higher education institutions that can include different types of establishments, such as comprehensive and research universities, universities of applied sciences, institutes of technology, schools of arts and higher vocational education and training institutions. These higher education institutions develop a long-term structural, sustainable, and systemic cooperation on education, in synergy with research and innovation, across borders, and contribute to solving societal challenges. They offer curricula jointly delivered across inter-university campuses, on which students, staff, and researchers from all parts of Europe can enjoy seamless mobility.