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European university association4EU+ Moves into Second Funding Period

27 July 2022

University association receives grant from European Union for another four years

The 4EU+ European University Alliance – a transnational association of universities with a strong research focus that includes Heidelberg University – has succeeded with its follow-up application in the context of the Erasmus+ call for interest “European Universities”. The Alliance was funded from June 2019 under the pilot call, and now the European Union has allocated funding for another four years. With this support, the Alliance intends to consolidate its progress towards becoming an integrated European association of universities, and to pave the way for a broad-based, long-term, structured partnership in research and teaching. A specific goal is to intensify cooperation with non-university partners and political institutions as well as with other alliances in order to establish 4EU+ as a driver of innovation in Europe.

Inclusive, green, digital: with a holistic approach in research, teaching and transfer, and based on common European values, the 4EU+ European University Alliance seeks to become an integrated centre of cross-border academic exchange as expressed in its application “One Comprehensive European Research University (1CORE)”. Aiming, with the help of 1CORE, to realise its vision of a comprehensive research university at the European level and meet the societal challenges of our time, the Alliance intends to increase the physical and virtual mobility of its students and researchers, establish joint digital infrastructures and services, and implement new research-based pedagogical approaches.

From among the university networks that submitted a follow-up application, the European Commission has now selected 16 existing and four new alliances for funding out of 52 proposals in total. The successful groups will receive financial resources to further develop their models of cooperation and advance the “European Universities” project. The 1CORE follow-up application of the 4EU+ European University Alliance in the context of the “European Universities” call was supported by 18 partners, including non-governmental organisations, chambers of commerce, regional authorities and partners from industry.

The 4EU+ European University Alliance comprises the universities of Prague, Heidelberg, Sorbonne/Paris, Warsaw, Copenhagen and Milan. The University of Geneva – as the newest member of the Alliance – will take part in the group’s common activities in the context of 1CORE with funding from the Swiss agency Movetia. The group of partner universities is one of the university alliances that were funded in the context of the Erasmus+ pilot call “European Universities” in order to take the first steps towards achieving long-term cross-border cooperation. By supporting strategic higher education partnerships and building up an integrated university system, the European Commission pursues the goal of clustering research, teaching and innovation in Europe in new structures, and thereby modernising and strengthening the European Education Area.