The event acted as an incubator of new proposals for the universities of tomorrow, and offered a first assessment of the pilot phase of the European Universities Initiative. CHARM-EU student representative Rucha Moharir participated as a rapporteur along with students from other alliances in a dedicated session.

Gathering around European Universities alliances

The Forum brought together EU Member States, the European Commission and all relevant stakeholders in the field of European Higher Education, in particular the alliances of European Universities. French Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation Frédérique Vidal opened the Forum and highlighted the commitment of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union to strengthen the Commission’s proposals for its European Strategy for Universities, and to give alliances a framework for their development and sustainability as higher education lies at the heart of the priorities of #EU2022FR.

An event in line with the European action and alliances’ needs

The Forum was an immediate continuation of the informal meeting of ministers responsible for higher education, research and innovation, addressing the European Strategy for Universities and synergies between research and higher education policy. It particularly aimed at addressing the question of the statute of alliances and potential synergies between European programmes. Building on the positive dynamic of European Universities, the Forum also aimed at addressing the need for a more effective support to the transformations in which the alliances are currently engaged and to present a long-term vision of the sustainable alliances with a common culture, identity and governance.

A collaborative programme …

First, three thematic sessions were organized according to the FPUE’s axes (power, recovery and sense of belonging), each of them being introduced by a high-level speech and then taking the form of parallel roundtables in order to bring out concrete proposals for the future of higher education in Europe and focusing on strategic issues (e.g. international competitiveness, green and digital transformation, etc.). Secondly, six “Workshops for Alliances” were organized, intending to be a place for the exchange of good practices between alliances offering a first feedback from their pilot phase in order to contribute to the development of the next steps. They addressed the major issues faced by alliances today, such as joint degrees and programmes, synergies between higher education and research, etc.

… With students at its core

Students were key players during the Forum as student representatives from several alliances acted as rapporteurs of the roundtables and workshops, allowing them to present the contribution of Forum participants to the European strategy for universities. They also introduced their “Manifesto on the future of the university in Europe” during the opening ceremony on 25 January, in presence of European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, many Ministers and the President of the EUA. CHARM-EU was represented by Rucha Moharir, student representative of CHARM-EU in Montpellier.