The third workshop on European University alliances provided a space for discussion and exchange of experiences
Last week, over 60 representatives of Czech universities involved in the European University alliances met in Ostrava.
On 19 and 20 May we organised the third edition of the two-day workshop for representatives of Czech universities that are part of the European University alliances. This year the workshop was held at the University of Ostrava and brought together more than 60 participants. They came from 12 Czech universities involved in European University alliances and 4 universities involved in alliances that were not financially supported but their project received the Seal of Excellence from the Commission (Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Technical University in Liberec, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem and University of Pardubice). During the workshop, four guests from abroad also shared their experiences from alliances without a Czech partner (EUTOPIA, Una Europa and ENLIGHT).
The future of alliances and EU competitiveness
In the introductory part of the workshop, participants learned what topics are currently being discussed in Brussels. These include the future of European University alliances, in particular their funding and support at EU level. The Commission would not fund new alliances at least in this programming period, planning to launch only calls 2026 and 2027 primarily targeting already supported alliances. In the next programming period from 2028 onwards, it is not yet clear what the funding will look like. In the meantime, there are discussions on the Investment Pathway, which should allow alliances to fund all their activities more comprehensively across all three university missions and allow for synergies. However, no details are yet known about the specific shape of the Investment Pathway - more should become clear on 16 July, when the European Commission publishes its draft budget for the next programming period. This must then be approved by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament.
Participants also learned about the Competitiveness Compass, which aims to address and remove barriers to cooperation at EU and national level, specifically in three key areas:
- Closing the innovation gap, including the European Research Act to encourage investment in research, better targeting of research support within strategic priorities, and promoting the movement of knowledge and talent across Europe.
- A common path to decarbonisation and competitiveness
- Removing dependencies and enhancing security
The Competitiveness Compass is underpinned by horizontal priorities and actions, as well as funding mechanisms, including the new European Competitiveness Fund, and support for skills and quality jobs. The objectives in the field of skills are to be achieved through the 'Union of Skills', a strategy to promote lifelong learning, skills development, mobility and attracting and retaining talent from third countries. The STEM Education Strategic Plan, which is part of the Union of Skills, and the support of European University alliances are also intended to be a fulcrum for achieving the objectives of the Competitiveness Compass. Another hot new development at EU level is the recently launched Choose Europe for Science initiative, which responds to recent developments on the presence of international scientists in the US and seeks to attract excellent scientists from around the world to Europe.
Last but not least, the participants learned about the documents recently approved by the Council of the EU from the so-called Higher Education Package, published by the Commission last spring, concerning the possible introduction of a European degree or its label. On 12 May, the Council of the EU gave the green light only to the Joint European degree label, with a decision on the possible introduction of the Joint European degree itself to be taken in 2029 after an assessment of the benefits of the label.
Communication, joint microcredentials and study programmes, legal status of alliances and much more
Other parts of the programme offered presentations and more interactive workshops on various topics that resonate across the alliances. For example, participants could learn about how to communicate and promote alliance opportunities to both students and staff, not only through social media and newsletters, but also through presentations at various other events not necessarily related to alliances. The basic rule is that universities should choose clear and understandable language with concrete examples when communicating about alliances. It is also highly desirable to use real stories of people who have achieved something through an alliance activity or project.
International microcredentials, which are jointly created and offered by the alliance partners, were also a big topic of the workshop. As the aim of many alliances is to provide a joint educational offer to their students, but also to lifelong learners, microcredentials are a very common activity alongside joint study programmes, joint courses and summer schools. However, this is still a relatively new phenomenon, at EU level first defined in 2022, and currently, individual Member States still have different practices. Meeting the different national requirements and establishing a common alliance framework is thus a challenge for alliances. Therefore, representatives of the Una Europa alliance, which has recently introduced its own framework for microcredentials shared their views and experiences on this topic. Pilot joint courses leading to microcredentials have already been developed under this framework. In a follow-up interactive workshop, groups of participants had the opportunity to create their own microcredential.
Other workshops focused, for example, on the role of alliances in science diplomacy, the creation of joint study programmes, the common legal entity of alliances, professional learning communities at universities and in alliances, and how to successfully negotiate with international partners and find compromises.
We are planning another meeting next year, but the topic of European Universities will not be absent from the CEEDUCON conference in November.
