The University of Turku and eight other universities form the European Campus of City-Universities (EC2U) Alliance. The objective of the cooperation is to create a pan-European campus with a new model of quality education. The aim is that the cooperation produces synergy benefits for education, research and innovation.
The EC2U Alliance started its activities in November 2020 and it consists of
- Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania
- University of Coimbra, Portugal
- Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany
- Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria
- University of Pavia, Italy
- University of Poitiers, France
- University of Salamanca, Spain
- University of Turku, Finland
- Umeå University, Sweden (from 1 May 2025 onwards)
The Alliance is coordinated by the University of Poitiers. The EC2U Alliance is a joint project for all UTU staff members and students and an excellent tool to implement the University’s strategy and internationalisation programme.
The objective of the Alliance is to enhance the quality, capacity, attractiveness and international competitiveness of European higher education and to create innovative forms of collaboration and seamless mobility between the eight universities and cities. Among other things, the EC2U Alliance has created three joint Master’s degree programmes (with a forth one being planned) and three Virtual Institutes that focus on doctoral training and research.
There are 64 Alliances and 560 higher education institutions are participating of which 23 have Finnish higher education institutions involved.
The Alliance involves circa 200,000 students and 25,000 staff members. The operations are partially funded by Erasmus+ and Horizon2020 programmes of the EU.
EC2U has established three international Master's degree programmes. University of Turku offers modules in all three and has an intake to two of them: European Languages, Cultures and Societies in Contact and Sustainable Cities and Communities. A forth programme is being planned and it will be based on the theme of Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
- LIFELINE - Lifelong Well-Being and Healthy Ageing
- European Languages, Cultures and Societies in Contact
- Information for applicants is available here.
- Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Information for applicants is available here.
EC2U has established three Virtual Institutes (VIs) whose themes are based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but do not exclude other themes. The objective of the VIs is to bring researchers in different stages of their academic career together, starting from PhD students. The Virtual Institutes foster research cooperation between researchers of the Alliance universities and offer among other things training, thematic seminars as well as opportunities for internationalisation and for joint funding applications and publications.
The Virtual Institutes are
Once a year, EC2U organises a Think Tank on a topical issue, inviting stakeholders such as representatives of the cities, businesses, lobbyists and associations in the region to join researchers in reflecting on the issues at hand. Each partner university organises its own Think Tank locally and the results will be compiled as recommendations for the entire European community. The results will also presented during the EC2U Forum.
EC2U organises a Forum annually, welcoming students and staff to attend. Forums offer an excellent opportunity to learn more about the achievements and activities of the Alliance as well as to network with colleagues and students from the partner universities. The next Forums will be held in Coimbra on 12-15 May 2025 and in Turku on 18-21 May 2026.
In addition, the Alliance offers UTU staff and students opportunities to participate in events, intensive courses, summer and winter schools and other types of mobility periods.
The core objective of the European Universities initiative is to
- promote European values and identity by increasing collaboration between new generation Europeans.
- enhance the quality, capacity, attractiveness and international competitiveness of European higher education and to enable a deep systemic change of higher education institutions.
The aim of the European Universities initiative is systemic change of higher education, arising from deep collaboration. The continuity of cooperation and activities beyond the funding period is central to the initiative. The activities of the alliances encompass the whole higher education community from students to researchers and from teachers to support services.
Read more about the initiative on the websites of the Finnish National Agency for Education and the European Commission.
More information
Interested in EC2U opportunities? Approach the coordination team at ec2u@utu.fi!
At the University of Turku, the EC2U Alliance is led by Tapio Salakoski, Vice Rector for Education. The EC2U coordination team consists of Project Manager Liisa Järvinen and Project Coordinator Lassi Yli-Muilu, who also act as Local Coordinators in Turku.
