Since it was first launched in 2017, the European Universities Initiative has wrought 50 alliances, pulling together over 430 higher education institutions from 35 different countries, and a total of 1700 members. Today it is close to achieving its goal of 60 alliances, covering 500 universities, by mid-2024 and could clearly be considered consolidated.
The purpose of establishing long-term strategic alliances between European universities is to promote the identity and values of Europe, as well as excellence and transformation. Thus, from the outset, the Initiative has proposed alliances that quest for innovation and seek to go beyond conventional boundaries.
The resulting alliances established, heterogeneous both in terms of make-up and content, have from the very beginning evidenced the need for encounters both between the alliances and with representatives of the European Commission, the Member States, students and other significant players.
The first encounter of the alliances was organised during the French Presidency of the Union, in June 2022. Its main challenge was to allow the different alliances to get to know each other, since the organisation was first established in, and conditioned by, the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Spanish Presidency of the Council has taken up the cause and promoted the celebration of the 2nd Forum of European University Alliances on September 14 and 15 in Barcelona. The goal is to open up a space for dialogue and exchange of ideas around the most important issues currently affecting European alliances.
The venue chosen for the 2nd Forum is a singular, emblematic building in the city of Barcelona. It is the old Fabra i Coats textile mill, part of the city’s industrial heritage, dating from the beginning of the 20th century, and sited in the district of Sant Andreu. Today it is a space for creativity. Like the Alliances of European Universities , it is a symbol of modernisation and of the transformation of institutions, so necessary if they seek to adapt to the current and future challenges today’s global society places before them.