The European Commission (EC) has revealed the outcomes of the 2023 Erasmus+ call for the European Universities initiative, which supports alliances of higher education institutions.
The European Commission (EC) has revealed the outcomes of the 2023 Erasmus+ call for the European Universities initiative, which supports alliances of higher education institutions.
A new generation of Europeans who can study and work in various European nations, various languages, across sectors, and in various academic disciplines is being brought together by these alliances of European universities.
Through these partnerships, students can earn a degree by combining their studies in several European nations, enhancing the international competitiveness of European higher education institutions.
With the outcomes, seven additional European Universities alliances, and the 50 alliances as a whole, more than 430 higher education institutions from 35 different countries are now included.
These include all of the countries that make up the European Union as well as Iceland, Norway, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey.
The unique transnational and innovative educational offer available to these institutions’ students enables them to develop critical competencies and skills for the future. Furthermore, the alliances of the 50 European Universities bring widespread innovation to the regions of Europe by collaborating with nearly 1 700 associated partners among NGOs, businesses, and local and regional authorities.
Each alliance will receive a budget of up to €14.4 million for a maximum of four years from the record overall budget of €402.2 million provided by the Erasmus+ program[1].
Higher education institutions from Western Balkans nations that were not affiliated with the Erasmus+ programme were given the opportunity to participate in the 2023 call as full partners. As a result, in addition to those from North Macedonia and Serbia, higher education institutions from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro have joined the initiative.
Similar to last year, higher education institutions from countries that are a part of the Bologna Process may be associated partners in the alliances. Nearly 30 Ukrainian higher education institutions have also joined the alliances as part of the 2023 call.
The next Erasmus+ call for proposals will be released by the Commission in the fall of 2023, with the intention of achieving the European strategy for universities’ target of expanding to 60 European Universities alliances with more than 500 universities by the middle of 2024.
The European Universities initiative supports international partnerships between nine institutions of higher learning, including research universities, universities of applied sciences, technology institutes, art schools, and institutions for vocational education and training.
These organisations support cross-border structural, sustainable, and systemic collaboration in research, education, and innovation. They offer student-centered curricula on inter-university campuses, enabling smooth mobility for academics from all over the world.
By mid-2024, 60 European Universities with more than 500 higher education institutions will be supported under the Commission’s European Universities initiative.
For the 2021–2027 programming period, Erasmus+ is expected to receive a record-breaking EUR 1.1 billion thanks to the European strategy. Under the European Excellence initiative of Horizon Europe, assistance for the research dimension can be requested.
Successful alliances of higher education institutions received sustainable funding through the 2023 Erasmus+ European Universities call, which saw the addition of over 50 new institutions. Additionally, it promoted the development of new European Universities by bringing together various institutions around unifying strategic objectives.