Erasmus+ programme: € 85 million for the first ‘European Universities’

At the end of last year the European Commission launched a special call for proposals for ‘European Universities’. With € 85 million it aims to further promote cooperation between European higher education institutions and make the European higher education area more competitive and more socially inclusive. Today Tibor Navracsics, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, presented the results. Seventeen networks were selected, involving 114 higher education institutions from 24 EU member countries, including two Austrian universities: the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), and the University of Graz. The 17 networks are to act as inter-university campuses between which students, doctoral candidates, staff and researchers can move seamlessly. They are to pool expertise, platforms and resources in order to create joint curricula or modules.

Jakob Calice, managing director of the OeAD, congratulates the participating Austrian higher education institutions. ‘We are happy about the strong Austrian participation and congratulate BOKU and the University of Graz. These pioneering showcase projects increase the attractiveness of Austria as a centre of science.’

A second call for proposals is to follow in the autumn. The current pilot phase is intended to test models for implementing the concept. In the next generation of Erasmus programmes starting in 2021 the ‘European Universities’ are to become a permanent feature of the EU programme.

Press release of the European Commission and overview of all approved ‘European Universities’