EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIESA key pillar of theEuropean Education Area

More than 340 higher
education institutions
Up to EUR 14.4 Million from Erasmus+
per alliance for 4 years

44 alliances

Teaming up with around 1300
associated partners, including
higher education institutions fromBologna Process countries

27 Member States + Iceland,

Norway, Serbia and Turkey

WHY EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES?

“Highereducation
institutions
from allover Europe
participate,
not only fromcapital cities
but also from
more remote
Europeanregions “Demand for highly skilled people is increasing; by2025, half of all jobs will require high-level qualifications. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the digitaltransformation of higher education institutions. Yet,much more needs to be done for deep technological andstructural changes to the benefit of learning andteaching, allowing for more inclusion and flexible learning
approaches.

development for cities and regions and promote civicengagement.

The fast-changing labour market and societal transitions require higher education institutions to provide students, staffand researchers with the skills they need to navigate thetwin green and digital transition and build a resilient
society. Beyond their core tasks of teaching, researchand innovation, universities are key actors in Europe, ableto address big societal challenges, become true engines ofThis requires a much deeper level of cooperation between
universities. With its European Universities initiative, theEuropean Commission aims at fostering excellence, innovation and inclusion in higher education across Europe,
accelerating the transformation of higher education institutions into the universities of the future with structural,
systemic and sustainable impact.

European Year of Youth 2022: young people need tobe prepared for the jobs of tomorrow in a fast-changing
society, and future generations should be empowered tofind solutions to big societal challenges that Europe andthe world are facing.

WHAT ARE EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES?
European Universities are ambitious transnational alliances of higher education institutions developing
long-term structural and strategic cooperation.

Key criteria
Minimum of 3 higher education institutions, from 3 EU
Member States or third countries associated to the Erasmus+ programme.

cooperating partner institutions• transdisciplinary and transnational teamsof students, academics and external stakeholders
tackle big issues facing Europe (such as climate
protection, digitalisation, health, democracy, migration, security)• students can design their own flexible curricula,leading to a European Degree

Key cooperation principles
 lliances need a joint long-term strategy for eduA
cation with, where possible, links to research and innovation to drive systemic, structural and sustainable
impact at all levels of their institutions• practical and/or work-based experience is provided to foster an entrepreneurial mind-set and develop civic engagement

 lliances will create a European inter-universityA‘campus’, where:• the student body reflects the social, economic andcultural diversity of the population• students, staff and researchers enjoy seamless
mobility (physical, virtual or blended) to study,train, teach, do research, work or share services at ooperating partners should come from different
Cparts of Europe

Erasmus+THE WAY FORWARD

In November 2017, the 28 EU leaders debated the futureof education at the Gothenburg Social Summit in Sweden.
In the same month, the European Commission set out avision for a European Education Area to be built by 2025 “inwhich learning, studying and doing research would not behampered by borders”. The European Universities Initiative
is a flagship initiative of the European Education Area. Itwill enable a new generation of Europeans to cooperate
across languages, borders and disciplines, developing astrong European identity. It is also a flagship initiative of theEuropean strategy for universities that sets the ambition tosupport 60 European Universities involving more than 500
higher education institutions by mid-2024.

October 2018 European Commission launches 1st Erasmus+ call to higher
education institutions to start testing different models for European Universities
June 2019 Results of 1st call announced
November 2019 First 17 European Universities start cooperating
November 2019 Launch of 2nd Erasmus+ call
July 2020 Results of 2nd call announced
November 2020 24 new European Universities start cooperating
November 2021 Launch of 3rd Erasmus+ call announced
July 2022 Results of 3rd call announced – full roll-out phase
Autumn 2022 44 European Universities consolidating and expanding theircooperation and launch of 4th Erasmus+ Call
July 2023 Results of 4th call announced
Autumn 2023 Launch of 5th Erasmus+ call
Summer 2024 Results of 5th call announced. 60 European Universities involving
about 500 higher education institutions from all parts of Europe are transforming
higher education

NOW JUST IMAGINE BEING A PART OF IT
By end 2022, 44 European Universities…
representing 340 diverse types of higher education institutions…
from all over Europe…
are funded through Erasmus+
Find out more about each European University alliance, new selection rounds & next steps…

#EuropeanUniversities
https://ec.europa.eu/education/education-in-the-eu/
european-education-area/european-universities-initiative_en
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@EUErasmusPlus@ European Union, 2020 – Pictures: Getty Images, iStockphoto@European_Youth_EU