In this blog, Franziska Enichlmayr, Policy Officer (Europe) at UUKi, unpacks the role of the European Universities alliances and considers what continued UK engagement could mean for higher education cooperation in a changing political landscape.
As the UK government signals its willingness to re-engage with the EU’s flagship Erasmus+ programme, it’s important to recognise that its scope extends far beyond the familiar Key Action 1, which funds mobility of individuals (students and staff). Erasmus+ is a comprehensive framework that also supports long-term, structural collaboration through Key Actions 2 and 3, and the Jean Monnet Actions.
One of the most strategically ambitious aspects of Erasmus+ are the ‘Partnerships for Excellence’ under Key Action 2 — which include the European Universities alliances launched under the European Universities Initiative in 2019. Being part of a European Universities alliance enables UK universities to strengthen research collaboration, enhance student and staff mobility, and build and maintain strategic influence and partnerships in Europe. It also provides access to EU funding, joint infrastructure, and opportunities to co-develop education and research projects.
The European Universities alliances have been very generously funded: the Erasmus+ programme provided €1.2 billion of funding for the European Universities alliances during the 2021-27 programme. This was complemented by the alliances' own funds and support from other EU funding resources, with some Member States providing additional financial support to their participating institutions. As of the 2024 funding call, 65 alliances have been established, comprising over 570 universities across 35 countries.
The objective of the European Universities alliances is to support the establishment of a European Education Area by 2025, promoting deep and long-term institutional collaboration and internationalisation opportunities, joint education provision, mobility for students and staff, and stronger links between education, research and innovation. This covers a wide spectrum of collaborative activities: from short-term mobility, summer/winter schools, and blended intensive programmes (BIPs) to joint study offers, micro credentials, internships, faculty exchanges, staff weeks, joint training, research partnerships, shared innovation resources, and coordinated funding proposals.
A report by the European Commission (2025) and data tool (2025) showcase the scale and impact of the initiative, spanning UUKi’s policy priorities:
Although the UK is not formally associated with Erasmus+, around 10-15 UK universities continued to participate as self-funded associated partners, demonstrating the deep value of these partnerships. However, this engagement comes with limited visibility on official platforms and weakened official influence in collaborative design.
For the UK, participation in these alliances presents a valuable chance to maintain strong academic and institutional ties with Europe amid the evolving landscape of EU-UK relations. As the two sides work towards a reset in their partnership, engaging with European Universities alliances offers a practical and forward-looking pathway for UK universities to stay connected, collaborate on cutting-edge projects, and provide students and staff with enriched international experiences.
Una Europa membership is directly helping us deliver key objectives in our research and innovation and our learning and teaching strategies and has helped us to make progress towards our civic mission goals both in Edinburgh and internationally. Through access to exclusive seed-funding and thematic research networks, the alliance is helping us to deepen knowledge and build consortia for major competitive grant applications, including creating invaluable networks our early career researchers. Una Europa’s focus on innovative joint teaching outputs has allowed us to experiment with new experiential, future-proof teaching models and offers a broader range of mobility opportunities for students and staff that we would not have been able to deliver by ourselves.
Professor Soledad Garcia Ferrari
University of Edinburgh representative on the Una Europa Board of Directors
Given the potential for the UK to rejoin Erasmus+, this would greatly enhance UK universities’ participation in the European Universities alliances. There is a strong opportunity to maintain and grow transnational university networks, particularly as the European Commission has placed long-term strategic importance on European Universities alliances with their value being emphasised in two highly cited EU reports: the Letta Report (2024) and the Draghi Report (2024). In addition, the Commission is developing an 'investment pathway’ for 2028-34 to provide more stable, multi-mission funding and greater coherence with national and regional sources.
For universities interested in joining or expanding their involvement, participation is typically enabled through official calls launched by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), which manages Erasmus+ funding. These calls invite higher education institutions to apply for membership to join existing alliances or to form new ones.
The most recent call for proposals under the European Universities Initiative was in 2024. The next call date is to be confirmed. These calls generally follow a multi-year cycle aligned with the Erasmus+ funding framework, so prospective institutions should closely monitor updates from EACEA and begin planning.
The pace of change within the European Universities alliances is accelerating — and with policy and funding momentum behind them, the window for meaningful engagement is now. UK institutions that position themselves early may gain in terms of influence and access. Keep an eye out for the next EACEA call and start preparing now! For any questions, please get in touch with Franziska Enichlmayr, Policy Officer (Europe), Universities UK International.
If you would like to hear more about the experiences from UUK member universities who are part of a European Universities alliance, a blog post is coming soon.
