Four universities from Finland to join European higher education alliances
On 26 June 2019, Tibor Navracsics, the European Union’s Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, announced the results of the first European Universities pilot call. Seventeen alliances of European higher education institutions were selected for the pilot phase. The universities selected from Finland are Aalto University, University of Tampere, University of Eastern Finland and University of Jyväskylä. The call was based on an initiative proposed by European Union leaders in December 2017.
The pilot call, which ended in February, attracted 54 applications from alliances involving more than 300 higher education institutions. Seventeen alliances of European higher education institutions were granted EUR 85 million from the Erasmus+ programme for their networking projects.
European Universities alliances offer flexible study opportunities
The European Universities alliances are part of a group of initiatives aiming to establish a European Education Area by 2025. Its purpose is to facilitate mobility and create new kinds of opportunities for cooperation and education across Europe.
The European Universities initiative will enhance the quality, attractiveness and international competitiveness of European higher education institutions, and further strengthen cooperation between them. The purpose of the alliances is to create strategic partnerships between higher education institutions to allow students have more flexible and better quality education through the alliances’ member universities.
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The European Universities will receive funding from the Erasmus+ programmes for two pilot calls in 2019 and 2020. Based on the experiences of these pilots, a proposal will be drawn up to support the European Universities during the 2021–2027 Erasmus programme period.
Inquiries:
- Birgitta Vuorinen, Director, tel. +358 2953 30335
- Jonna Korhonen, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 2953 30008