The 4EU+ Alliance is among the consortia selected for funding in the first pilot ‘European Universities’ call for proposals, launched as part of the 2019 Erasmus+ programme. Out of 54 proposals submitted in response to the call, the European Commission selected 17 European University alliances, which will obtain funding for their projects to become the ‘European Universities’ of the future. The EC press release >>
Important dates
10th March 2018 – the Alliance was conceived by Charles University, Heidelberg University, Sorbonne University and University of Warsaw. The 4EU partnership was formally established with the signing of a joint declaration in Paris
October 2018 – the University of Milan and University of Copenhagen joined the consortium in the last quarter of 2018, the Alliance thus becoming 4EU+
17th January 2019 – rectors of the six institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Heidelberg in January 2019
28th February 2019 – the 4EU+ Alliance submitted an application in the Erasmus+ “European Universities” dedicated call
26th June 2019 – the 4EU+ Alliance was selected as a pilot “European University”
7th–8th November 2019 – 4EU+ participated in the kick-off event of the European Universities Initiative which took place in Brussels
July 2020 – 4EU+ has been awarded additional funding in the Horizon 2020 “Science with and for Society” call to support the research and innovation dimension of European University Alliances
27th July 2022 – 4EU+ project 1CORE awarded funding in the Erasmus+ call for European University Alliances
1st August 2022 – the University of Geneva joined the consortium
1st July 2023 – Paris-Panthéon-Assas University joined the consortium
Collaboration
The 4EU+ mission is to develop a barrier-free and continuously deepening cooperation in education, research and innovation within the Alliance. Through this collaboration and working in partnerships, the Alliance serves society to the highest level with our core values, e.g. academic and research freedom, collaboration in an interdisciplinary approach, integrity, creativity and openness, and internationalisation.
More than 100 joint research, education and staff competence development project proposals have been put forward, with the majority of them being rooted in the 4EU+ Flagship Programmes:
“Health and demographic change in an urban environment” is the title of Flagship 1 programme of the 4EU+ Alliance. In the video, representatives of the 4EU+ member universities present its thematic spectrum and the most important challenges faced by scientists, PhD candidates, and students cooperating within the Flagship. By conducting joint scientific and educational projects, F1 representatives want to contribute to the promotion of health and the development of smart cities. The UW representative, Dr. Grzegorz Kula from the UW Faculty of Economic Sciences, the 4EU+ F1 Coordinator, is among them. As the movie is multilingual, therefore turn on the subtitles, please.
4EU+ Flagship 2 introductory video
“Europe in a changing world: Understanding and engaging societies, economies, cultures and languages” is the title of Flagship 2 programme of the 4EU+ Alliance. In the video, academics and a PhD candidate from different 4EU+ member universities speak about its thematic spectrum, research and education goals. The UW representative, Prof. Anna Wojtyś from the UW Faculty of Modern Languages, the 4EU+ F2 Coordinator, is among them. As the movie is multilingual, therefore turn on the subtitles, please.
4EU+ Flagship 3 introductory video
“Data, Models, Transformations” is one of the 4EU+ Flagships. It is a novel combination of approaches to questions about Big Data and computational sciences. In the video, the representatives of the 4EU+ member universities present the Flagship’s thematic spectrum and its main goals and achievements. The UW representative, Marta Kopeć from the UW nterdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computational Modelling, is among them. As the movie is multilingual, therefore turn on the subtitles, please.
4EU+ Flagship 4 introductory video
“Environmental transitions” is one of the 4EU+ Flagships. It is dedicated to both education and research that will ensure solutions to our sustainable development needs. The Flagship 4 includes specific strengths in various areas of life, earth, chemical and environmental sciences. In the video, representatives of the 4EU+ member universities present the Flagship thematic spectrum and their own experiences, gained during activities and courses organised within the thematic scope of Flagship 4. The UW representative, Michał Kochanowski, student at the UW Faculty of Biology, is among them. As the movie is multilingual, therefore turn on the subtitles, please.
1CORE video
The One Comprehensive Research European University (1CORE) is a project received funding in the next “European Universities” call for proposals. Through 1CORE, the Alliance aims to deepen the multidimensional student-centred approach, and develop new joint digital infrastructures and services, with the view of further improving the already existing governance and management framework.
4EU+ Mission Statement
TRAIN4EU+
In July 2020 the 4EU+ Alliance has been awarded additional funding in the Horizon 2020 ‘Science with and for Society’ call to support the research and innovation dimension of European University Alliances.
Thanks to the H2020 supplementary grant for the project TRAIN4EU+ (Transforming ReseArch & INnovation agendas and support in 4EU)+, it will be possible to develop long-term joint strategies on research and innovation, in line with the alliances’ overall visions and strategies. It will support coordinated institutional transformation efforts at the research and innovation (R&I) level, including:
multiplying and mainstreaming open science practices,
strengthening human capital,
embedding a strong equal opportunities culture,
reinforcing co-creation with the non-academic sectors or digitalisation of research support processes.
During the live online event, students and doctoral candidates from all 4EU+ universities had a chance to learn about the Erasmus+ mobility opportunities.
Collegio Futuro is a joint interdisciplinary doctoral college of the 4EU+ member universities. It seeks to foster the essential skills that future leaders need in order to tackle our urgent environmental, economic and social challenges.
During the hybrid workshops, doctoral students work together on projects dealing with a practical approach to environmental problems, acquiring new skills in interdisciplinary communication, project development or system and project thinking.
4EU+ Cancer Against Cancer was a summer school that took place between 3rd and 9th July 2022 at the University of Warsaw. The event, organised in the framework of a 4EU+ educational project, brought together international students, doctoral candidates and researchers, specialising in oncology, biology, biotechnology, etc.
4EU+ project 1CORE awarded funding in the Erasmus+ call for European University Alliances
The 1CORE project involves Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic), Sorbonne University (Paris, France), University of Copenhagen (Denmark), Heidelberg University (Germany), University of Milan (Italy) and the University of Warsaw (Poland). University of Geneva (Switzerland) – a new member of the 4EU+ Alliance – will participate in the project-related activities with the financial support of the Swiss government agency Movetia.
The UNREAD project conference in Warsaw
Urban transformation processes, gentrification, environmental law, architecture and memory in cities. These are some of the topics discussed during the final conference of the “UNREAD” project that took place on 24th and 25th March 2022. „Urban Regulations and Political Memory: Towards understanding Spatio-Temporal aspects of Urban Development” (UNREAD) is one of the 4EU+ educational projects, an interdisciplinary course conducted by a team of historians, lawyers and geographers from 3 universities: the University of Warsaw, University of Milan and Charles University. During the 30-hour course, the students participated in online lectures conducted by academic teachers from the 4EU+ universities.
38 students and PhD candidates and 12 academics participated in the last part of the project, a conference organised at the University of Warsaw Library. Students prepared essays and presented them during two panels of the conference. The participants had an opportunity to enjoy guided tours around the University of Warsaw campus and library, listen to a concert, integrate with colleagues from other universities, and develop international contacts.
Dr Catherine Suski-Grabowski (Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computational Modelling) / Dr Grzegorz Kula (Faculty of Economic Sciences) – Flagship 1 “Urban health and demographic change”
Prof. Kamila Miłkowska-Samul (Faculty of Applied Linguistics) / Prof. Agata Bareja-Starzyńska (Faculty of Oriental Studies) – Flagship 2 “Europeanness: multilingualism, pluralities, citizenship”
Prof. Błażej Miasojedow (Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics) / Prof. Anna Zatorska-Goldstein (Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics) – Flagship 3 “Data – Models – Transformations”
Dr Katarzyna Roguz (Faculty of Biology) / Dr Mariola Zalewska (University Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development) – Flagship 4 “Environmental transitions”
This summer semester, Charles University organises a series of courses focusing on developing pedagogical competences.
The courses are designed to foster a rich learning environment and are offered free of charge. They are envisioned as a unique opportunity to establish a multinational forum for sharing and exchanging experiences, thereby enriching collective pedagogical practices in the 4EU+ Alliance.
More information is available on the 4EU+ website.
The 4EU+ Open Science seminars are back, and just like Open Science – they are free from paywalls and borders. Whether you are a doctoral candidate, senior researcher, staff member working in research support or you are simply curious – you are welcome to join the seminars. As they are held online, you can do it from practically anywhere. All you need to do is to secure your spot by filling in the registration form for each seminar you are interested in.
“Data Literacy – What is it and Why Does it Matter?” is the title of an open online course.
It will cover issues from three perspectives: data in personal life, data in society, and data in knowledge production. The aim is threefold:
to expand the skills and abilities to identify, understand, and interpret the many roles of digital technologies in daily life;
to enable the participants to discern when data-driven technologies add value to people’s lives, and when they exploit human vulnerabilities or deplete the commons;
to cultivate a deeper understanding of how data-driven technologies are shaping knowledge production and how they may be realigned with real human needs and values.
The course is funded by Erasmus+ and developed by the 4EU+ University Alliance including Charles University (Univerzita Karlova), Sorbonne Unviersity (Sorbonne Université), University of Copenhagen (Københavns Universitet), University of Milan (Università degli studi di Milano), and University of Warsaw (Uniwersytet Warszawski).
This course examines the development, the scope and the challenges of European Citizenship.
The course is developed by the 4EU+ University Alliance (Univerzita Karlova, Universität Heidelberg, Sorbonne Université, Københavns Universitet, Università degli studi di Milano, Uniwersytet Warszawski). The creation of the course was supported by the Erasmus+ Programme.
The course is free and open to everyone interested. It is structured in three modules, consisting of video lectures, readings, discussion fora, quizzes and/or assignments. The estimated learner workload is 2–3 hours per week in three weeks.
