THE European Universities They continue to network and weave their dense network of alliances to improve their competitiveness.
In 2024 alone, there were 64 agreements between universities involved in the “European Universities Initiative» (EUI), the programme wanted by the EU for the relaunch of higher education institutions within the framework of the ambitious European University Strategy which, from 2021, will move nearly 2027 billion euros.
What are these alliances? Which ones are they? The obtained results and how do European universities compete with universities around the world?
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What are the best European universities in the world?
According to the Qs World University Rankings 2024 the best universities in the world They are American and English: in first place is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston (USA), followed by the British Cambridge and Oxford, and again by the United States Harvard and Stanford and again by the United Kingdom like Imperial College.
No European institute appears in the top ten places. PSL University of Paris appears in 24th place. There are 4 high-performing Italian universities in the top 100: Polytechnic of Milan (38th place), Alma Mater of Bologna (48th), La Sapienza of Rome (134th) and the University of Padua (219th).
A result that speaks volumes difficulties European universities by offering an academic experience comparable to the international one in terms of academic exchanges, modern training programs and a valid research system. Difficulties that arise between the decline in investment in research and possible improvements, particularly in Italy.
How to change things? The key to success could come from the EU itself
L'European Universities Initiative puts knowledge into circulation and best practices
Since 2017, Europe has chosen to focus on promoting innovation and academic cooperation with L'European Universities Initiativean ambitious programme that involves the creation of support and cooperation agreements between universities. Agreements that focus on the mobility of students and academic staff, create inter-European campuses and disseminate knowledge and best practices between institutes create common curricula, share successful results and training models, propose more innovative pedagogies and flexible learning paths based on transdisciplinary approaches. And above all, develop “communities of practice” and “ecosystems for innovation” that put research activity at the service of civil society.
The results of the initiative are encouraging.
European university alliances are increasingly extending into research areas beyond traditional boundaries, targeting topics such as environmental sustainability, climate change, public health and digitalization.
Among the 64 active alliances we find inspiring examples such asAlliance “4UE+” which unites prestigious universities such as the Statale di Milano, the Sorbonne in Paris, the University of Heidelberg and Warsaw in a model of advanced cooperation in education, promoting fundamental and shared values such as academic freedom, student-centeredness, inclusion and interdisciplinarity.
And once again the“One Europe” Alliancewhich includes the University of Bologna and eight other universities engaged in the creation of a shared, multilingual and multidisciplinary academic space to create a prototype of a European university.
University and exchange of knowledge, only (European) union makes strength
This is evidenced by the success of the latest Erasmus+ call, which added 14 new agreements and involved 130 other higher education institutions, including nine Italian ones (among others, the Universities of Venice, Bergamo, Udine, Camerino and Sassari). a cultural ferment ongoing and a European awareness of the directions to be given to academic training: not only focused on the individual results of individual universities but on the exchange of knowledge a network of already prestigious European university institutes.
A bet: to bring the many models of university success out of the corridors of national faculties, to disseminate multidisciplinarity and the most advanced training orientations to train a future European professional able to compete with international players in terms of skills and knowledge.
