The future development of the 4EU+ European University Alliance was the topic of an exchange on 30th June and 1st July among the rectors and presidents of the six partner universities, members of the Management Committee, the General Secretariat and representatives of 4EU+ local offices. The meeting took place at Heidelberg University.
The meeting of the Governing Board took place in person in the Senate Hall of the Old University. The talks at the highest management level were about structural and strategic aspects of further developing the university alliance.
Comprehensive research university
“In the last few years the Alliance has proved its potential. It is now a matter of consolidating the links between the partners and establishing the key idea of a comprehensive research university at the six European locations. At the same time, 4EU+ must continue to develop in order to survive on the changing European educational scene. We have opened the way for that on important matters at this meeting,” Prof. Bernhard Eitel, Rector of Heidelberg University and host of the gathering, said.
The 4EU+ European University Alliance consists of the universities of Prague, Heidelberg, Sorbonne (Paris), Warsaw, Copenhagen and Milan. The group of six partner universities has, since June 2019, been one of the university alliances funded in the context of the Erasmus+ pilot call “European Universities”. The alliances receive financial support in order to take the first steps towards long-term, transnational cooperation.
The vision of the 4EU+ Alliance is that of a “European University” on the pattern of a comprehensive research university that seamlessly connects the students, teachers and researchers at the partner universities. By supporting strategic higher education partnerships and building up an integrated university system, the European Commission pursues the goal of clustering research, teaching and innovation in Europe in new structures, and thereby modernising and strengthening the European Education Area.