University of Turku Applies for European University Status Together with Five Other European Universities
The universities that apply for the European University status from the European Commission are traditional education and research universities. Close and well-functioning co-operation with their respective cities is a strength shared by all of the universities.
Initiated by President Emmanuel Macron, the European Council approved in December 2017 the objective that by 2024, approximately 20 European Universities would be operating. European Universities are aimed to be alliances formed by several universities, in a way, certain types of mental campuses. One alliance may include four to six universities from at least three EU countries.
The aim of the initiative is to increase mobility, promote top expertise and the high quality of education and research and to take the current co-operation models of higher education institutions considerably further.
The European Commission has opened a pilot call where five to six alliances will be selected as European Universities. Altogether, there is €30 million of funding available.
The University of Turku applies for the European University status as a part of an alliance consisting of the following university members:
• Coimbra (Portugal)
• Iași Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Romania)
• Pavia (Italy)
• Poitiers (France)
• Salamanca (Spain).
The University of Poitiers coordinates the alliance.
> Read the official communiqué
– All the universities of the alliance are traditional research and education universities that are strongly committed to both local and global activities. The formation of the alliance is based on the fact that the universities have been active members of the Coimbra Group for a long time, says Vice Rector of the University of Turku Riitta Pyykkö.
In 2016, the Coimbra Group published the Poitiers Declaration with the co-operation between universities and their cities as the theme.
Co-operation between University and City Success Factor
The application will be submitted entitled “European Campus of City-Universities" (EC2U)”. The focus of the application is broadly on the co-operation between the universities and cities.
– The co-operation with the respective cities is highly active in all universities of the alliance. Collaboration is a resource, which shows, for example, in Turku as the planning of university education, student marketing, and developing the campus as a part of the city. Moreover, the co-operation between the University and the City has been spontaneously brought up in different kinds of enquiries as one of the most important success factors, says Pyykkö.
– The dialogue between the University of Turku and the City has long been very close, versatile, and productive. The City of Turku is one of the signatories of the declaration from 2016 and strongly committed to the objectives of the alliance, says Mayor of Turku Minna Arve.
Information on the formation of the alliance has been submitted to decision-makers by the University of Turku. The pilot call of the European Commission closes by the end of February 2019.
>> European Universities Initiative
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