Purpose

Building European University alliances has many different purposes. Actors in and outside the participating universities may attach different degrees of importance to these objectives. How can European Universities align different goals, motivations and expectations, while keeping an alliance’s academic vision in focus – be it within a participating institution, among alliance members or with regard to external political expectations?

Facilitator: Anna-Lena Claeys-Kulik, Deputy Director for Policy Coordination & Foresight at European University Association

Implementation of joint programmes

A number of challenges arise when alliance members work on implementing joint programmes. Issues can range from variations in accreditation and quality assurance systems to differences in degree structures, ECTS, language of instruction and academic calendars. Wat is needed for European Universities to overcome these challenges more efficiently? 

Facilitators: Veronique Eurlings, Head of YUFE Student Journey (and former YUFE Institutional Coordinator at Maastricht University) and Lea Bilić, YUFE/Maastricht University student

Governance

Alliance member universities have different institutional systems; therefore, alliance activities and priorities are integrated differently into the normal activity flow of these institutions. How can European alliances take into account these differences in governance, processes and university community involvement and while keeping decision-making efficient and effective?

Facilitator: Meritxell Chaves, University of Barcelona, Secretary General of Charm-EU Alliance and coordinator of the FOR-EU1 subgroup on governance

Funding

Funding is key for the sustainability of European alliances in the long-run. However, alliance members must juggle different funding frameworks, while the full and real costs of implementing diverse goals may be underestimated or not even known. What do European Universities need to strengthen their financial capacity?  

Facilitator: Peter van der Hijden, Independent advisor on higher education strategy