From Collaboration to Competitiveness? Universities in the Changing European Funding Landscape

This event is organised by the FORTHEM Alliance, not CHARM-EU. You can find more information on their website here.

Online on 15 September 2026, from 9:30 to 13:00 CET

With this new format, we would like to create a forum where universities, policymakers and stakeholder organisations can exchange perspectives on major developments shaping European higher education, research and innovation. The series is not intended to focus primarily on European University Alliances, but on the wider strategic questions affecting universities and the European research and higher education landscape.

Our next dialogue will look at the changing European research and funding environment, including the next Framework Programme, the European Competitiveness Fund, and the question of how universities can contribute to Europe’s competitiveness while continuing to provide the excellent research, talent and international cooperation on which innovation depends.

The keynote will be delivered by Prof. Dr. Stefan Müller-Stach, Vice President for Research and Academic Careers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, who will open the discussion with a broader perspective on the role of universities in Europe’s competitiveness, talent and resilience agenda. This will be followed by perspectives from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, the Danish Permanent Representation to the EU, the European University Association and the European Universities community.