Five years after the implementation of the European Universities Initiative (EUI) by the higher education sector in Europe, it remains difficult to provide a clear definition of what the alliances are and how they differ from other transnational cooperation models. Are they transforming practices and creating more value for students and academics than before their inception?
Transnational collaborations, joint research projects and innovative teaching have long been at the core of universities and it is fundamental to pin down an alliance’s identity in order to ensure that the various communities and stakeholders involved embrace the initiative and play a proactive role in its development.
Despite the significant attention given to alliances in policy debates, many universities still struggle to build, or even agree on, a narrative that defines what alliances are and what they do. There are likely as many definitions of alliances as there are people asked to define them.
Circle U., for instance, is a European University Alliance that brings together Aarhus Universitet (Denmark), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Germany), King’s College London (United Kingdom), UCLouvain (Belgium), Università di Pisa (Italy), Universität Wien (Austria), Université Paris Cité (France), Universitetet i Oslo (Norway) and Univerzitet u Beogradu (Serbia).
By 2030, Circle U. aims to be an inclusive, research-intensive and interdisciplinary alliance delivering outstanding interdisciplinary education, research and innovation through an innovative and adaptive ecosystem, in order to enable more sustainable, democratic and healthier societies.
Its students, researchers, staff and partners from civil society, the private and public sectors aim to strengthen and shape the alliance through a process of co-creation to ensure they have the skillset, mindset and values to interact in meaningful ways to mobilise knowledge for impact.
As the nine partners of the Circle U. alliance regroup in early March and kick off a new phase of collaboration, it is a timely moment to reflect on the question of the purpose of alliances generally.
What makes an alliance different?
The visions and mission statements outlining the purpose of each alliance are readily available and often seem familiar. For alliances of comprehensive universities, it is important to foster democratic values and push for sustainability. However, how do they differ from one another and should alliance-related activities stand out from pre-existing initiatives in terms of their potential for pedagogical innovation?
How do European University alliances differ from other local, national and European initiatives, and how can they be effectively communicated to students, researchers and academic partners outside of academia?
Essentially, are these alliances truly transforming European higher education, or have institutions already been implementing transformative actions through other transnational partnerships?
During Circle U.’s national conference, “Creating Now the University of Tomorrow – Looking Back to Move Ahead with Circle U. and the Alliances” organised by UCLouvain in Brussels at the Palais des Academies on 24 October 2023, we addressed several questions related to the first phase of the alliance’s creation.
capture the attention of the stakeholders we need to have on board to make European higher education a reality through European-wide cooperation instruments and legal tools.
Just because a learning initiative is organised within the alliance framework does not necessarily make it appealing to students or other target audiences. There needs to be added value in what is offered to them. European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System-accredited and funded mobility opportunities, among other elements, such as joint or common degrees, would increase the value of a programme to students. However, this is still a work in progress, and we are far from being able to offer it on a large scale at this stage.
How can we effectively communicate the value of our project and gain the support of all necessary stakeholders, including administrative staff, to make the European Higher Education Area a reality for everyone?
One approach may be to view alliances as a means to achieving this goal. This is just one of many possible models for innovative teaching and learning. This initiative may even seem ad hoc and limited by its deliverables and the progress reports necessary for any European-funded project. On the other hand, the significant attention and resources it requires shows it is actually a logical and upgraded progression of the transnational work that was already underway, far beyond the official project proposals.
It is important to note that while the budget allocated to the EUI is substantial in absolute terms, it becomes modest when distributed among the partner universities of a given alliance.
Are alliances transforming higher education? They are certainly working hard to do so. As mentioned by some participants at the conference in October, one could view them as a means to an end, rather than an end in themselves.
Focusing on this perspective may foster the idea of agency and encourage academic and non-academic communities to take ownership and play an active role in what is ultimately the creation of Europe.
Anna Quici is Circle U. and European Network Officer at UCLouvain, Belgium. Christel Vacelet is director of the international office at UCLouvain, Belgium.
UWN
