European Universities Alliances: The Beating Heart of Europe’s Future
- News
This autumn, as the European Universities initiative marks its six-year anniversary, European University alliances continue to shape the future of higher education and innovation across the continent. Currently, over 70 alliances connect more than 600 universities in 35 countries, engaging 2,200 public and private partners and representing over half of Europe’s student population. Together, they explore, innovate, and pioneer new methods for generating, sharing, and circulating knowledge across borders.
As discussions around the next EU budget cycle (MFF) progress, these alliances remain vital to fulfilling the EU’s objectives for competitiveness, the European Research Area (ERA), the European Education Area (EEA), and the Union of Skills.
By collaborating, alliances achieve outcomes beyond the reach of individual universities. They offer scalable solutions that reflect the diversity of Europe’s institutions, students, and the societies they serve.
Beatrix Busse, Chair of FOREU4ALL, emphasises: “European University alliances engage in deep cooperation like never before and serve as a model for how Europe can thrive in the future.”
Key achievements
Since its launch in 2019, the European Universities initiative has delivered remarkable results, showcasing the transformative potential of collaboration.
The European Commission’s report Outcomes and Transformational Potential of the European Universities Initiative highlights the initiative’s scale and ambition, while updated data collected by FOREU4ALL in November 2025 from 59 alliances underscores key achievements:
- Over 1,000 real-world societal challenges tackled in partnership with more than 1,000 external stakeholders.
- 300+ joint study programs and 2,300+ joint courses, including 100+ joint degrees and 800+ courses leading to micro-credentials.
- Over 300 entrepreneurship-focused courses, fostering startups and entrepreneurial skills.
- 570+ courses co-created with external stakeholders.
Enhanced collaboration is crucial to strengthening Europe’s long-term innovation capacity, global competitiveness, and efforts to reduce disparities while promoting excellence and inclusivity. European University alliances have proven to be strategic instruments in achieving these goals.
