DIVERSE European University Alliance has joined 260 other institutions from 30 European countries in signing a joint statement calling for the explicit recognition and continued support of European University Alliances as key pillars of Europe’s competitiveness, sovereignty and skills.

The statement highlights the role of European universities in addressing Europe’s major challenges and recognises European University Alliances as drivers of cross-border collaboration, innovation and knowledge exchange. It therefore calls for their explicit recognition and continued support within the EU’s 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework. 

The signatories highlight the contribution of European universities to addressing major challenges facing Europe in recent years, from strengthening resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic to supporting Ukraine. They also emphasise the importance of strengthening education and research in Europe, while developing the skills needed to tackle Europe’s future challenges in the technological, social, environmental and economic spheres.

European University Alliances

The statement underlines the distinctive role of European University Alliances in fostering deeper collaboration across borders. By connecting universities, regions and innovation ecosystems, the Alliances contribute to reducing fragmentation and facilitating the circulation of knowledge and innovation across Europe.

In this context, the signatories stress that European University Alliances can play a key role in advancing the objectives of the Competitiveness Compass, the Union of Skills and Innovation and the Fifth Freedom of the Single Market for knowledge and innovation.

DIVERSE is proud to join this collective call and to contribute to the continued development of a more connected, innovative and collaborative European higher education landscape.

Read the full joint statement and the list of signatory institutions here.