Funded under the Erasmus+ programme, the European Universities initiative aims to create transnational alliances of higher education institutions across the EU. The 2nd call for pilot projects is open from 7 November 2019 to 26 February 2020 with a total budget of EUR 120 million.

What are the aims of European Universities?

Launched in 2019, the “European Universities” initiative is funded by the Erasmus+ programme under Key Action 2 (Cooperation for innovation and exchange of good practice). This action aims to create transnational alliances of higher education institutions across the European Union in order to meet 2 main objectives:

• Promoting a more united Europe that is open to the world, by bringing together a new generation of Europeans who are able to cooperate within different cultures and in different languages
• Improving the quality, performance and international competitiveness of universities through innovative pedagogies, striving to make the knowledge triangle (Education, Research and Innovation) a reality.

The key elements of a European University

Currently in a pilot phase, the stated objective is to create around twenty European universities by 2024, which will implement several key elements, such as:

• a shared, integrated and common long-term strategy for university education;
• a European higher education inter-university campus with embedded mobility at all levels;
• common and innovative curricula in the three cycles (bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees);
• practical experience to foster entrepreneurship and civic engagement;
• an inclusive space, reflecting the diversity of the European students and academics, including minorities and disadvantaged groups;
• multidisciplinary European knowledge-creating teams, that will address together societal challenges for Europe.

Eligibility criteria

The European Universities 2020 call for proposals is open from 7 November 2019 to 26 February 2020. For this 2nd pilot call, a total budget of €120 million is available to fund approximately 20 university alliance projects. Proposals must comply with the following eligibility criteria:

• Consortium: at least 3 higher education institutions established in 3 different EU member states or associated countries, and holders of the Erasmus charter. Note: in practice, 5 to 8 partners are recommended;
• EU funding: up to €5 million per project, co-financed up to 80% of eligible costs;
• Duration: 36 months

Results of the 2019 call

The European Commission published the results of the 1st pilot call in June 2019: 17 European Universities alliances, involving 114 higher education institutions from 25 European countries, were selected out of 54 proposals submitted. France is very well represented with 16 institutions involved in 14 of the 17 projects. Among the selected French projects: EU-CONEXUS coordinated by the University of La Rochelle, which Euronovia supported in the whole proposal process.

Moreover, at Euronovia, we have created a special offer to support your organisation at each stage of the development of your European University project (> here). For more information, do not hesitate to contact us!