The EC2U Alliance receives renewed european funding

  • The EC2U Alliance receives renewed european funding
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The EC2U Alliance is proud to announce that it has been awarded 14.4 million euros under the 2023 European Universities call launched by the European Commission.

Founded under the 2020 European Universities Initiative call, the EC2U Alliance is creating a true pan-European campus that connects academic communities, citizens, and stakeholders via a network of common activities and increased mobility. Through the reciprocal bond between the member universities and their respective cities, EC2U is at the service of society.

Empower. Connect. Collaborate. Unite. are words that will lead the EC2U Alliance as it embarks for its second phase.

 

A growing community through extended cooperation

Up until now, the EC2U Alliance was composed of 7 universities from all regions of Europe: the University of Coimbra, the University of Iași, the University of Jena, the University of Pavia, the University of Poitiers (Coordinator), the University of Salamanca and the University of Turku. Thanks to the renewed European funding, EC2U has the opportunity to strengthen its European community via the integration of new universities, starting with the Johannes Kepler University of Linz (Austria). The growth of the EC2U Alliance will not stop here as it will welcome a new member university in the upcoming years.

As EC2U moves forward, the Alliance’s Associated Partners will gather not only municipalities and student associations, but also small to large companies as well as university hospitals. This sustainable network is further enhanced with the association with the Ivan Franko University of Lviv (Ukraine), extending the scope of the Alliance beyond the European Union and confirming its support to the Ukrainian people.

EC2U now gathers a community of more than 200 000 students and more than 25 000 university staff, which reaches more than 2 000 000 citizens. Welcoming a new member and doubling the number of Associated Partners, the Alliance is continuing to respond to societal challenges via enhanced collaboration with European stakeholders.

Challenge-based, transdisciplinary and innovative priorities

Further deepening cooperation between universities, cities, and Associated Partners, the EC2U Alliance develops existing actions and leads new activities which all have a unique mobility component. These activities, that continue to foster intercultural learning, peer-to-peer exchange, and a shared sense of European identity, include:

  • Joint Master’s Programmes with flexible, multi-disciplinary learning paths and embedded mobility schemes
  • Virtual Institutes that increase cooperation in education, research and innovation, via educational offers, joint research projects, and networks of experts
  • Global/local activities allowing students and staff to fully-enjoy their campus life, via inclusive and well-being-oriented actions
  • Lifelong Learning to support student, staff, and citizen employability by micro-credentials recognition
  • Capacity-building for talent development through entrepreneurial and joint innovation opportunities.

Building upon these priorities, EC2U is reaching a new model of education, exchange, and learning that acts with and for its community.

 

A transnational strategy based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Since its creation, the EC2U Alliance decided to promote an unprecedented challenge-based global initiative framed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Three UNSDGs guided the activities during the first years of the Alliance: Good Health and Well-being (SDG #3), Quality Education (SDG #4), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG #11). The EC2U Alliance is now extending its scope to a fourth: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG #16). It is around these UNSDGs that the Joint Master’s Programmes and the Virtual Institutes are developed, guaranteeing the forward-looking approach of the Alliance’s strategy.

”EC2U is a vision and aims at the build-up of the University of the Future, as an open and inclusive space where everyone participates to the creation and dissemination of knowledge. EC2U is about shared values, where all talents are at the service of society”, says Ludovic Thilly, Coordinator General of the EC2U Alliance.

 

None of the above would be possible without the commitment and open dialogue with the EC2U community in the broadest sense: students, researchers, academic and administrative staff, Associated Partners, and citizens. This unique relationship with its stakeholders drives the EC2U Alliance to answer an ambitious mission: to create a long-lasting model for the University of the Future.