European university alliances, or European alliances, are transnational partnerships between higher education institutions that enable long-term collaboration among institutions of all types across Europe. This initiative aims to promote European values and identity while enhancing the quality and competitiveness of European higher education. It brings together both alliances funded by the Erasmus+ program and initiatives of excellence recognized by the European Commission through the “Seal of Excellence”.
Launched in 2017, this ambitious project by the European Commission was designed to strengthen the EU’s strategic role in education by supporting the development of sustainable, student-centered collaborations that address societal challenges. Since then, around sixty alliances of higher education institutions—referred to as European Universities—have been established. These alliances allow students to earn a degree by combining studies in multiple EU countries.
While these alliances are largely funded by Erasmus+, a significant portion of the costs must still be covered by the institutions themselves. That’s why, as early as 2018, Minister Jean-Claude Marcourt and the Government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (FWB) demonstrated strong political commitment to the initiative by allocating substantial funding to support institutions participating in this European effort. In total, five grants amounting to €2.5 million were awarded by the FWB Government, along with structural support of €534,000 per year for the next four years.
Through these grants, we can identify three evolving and concurrent objectives for the deployment of “European universities” in FWB. The first grant aimed to support institutions that would apply and embark on this pilot project, while subsequent grants sought to further encourage the development and consolidation of alliances, as well as to incentivize new institutions to join this venture. Finally, the third phase of funding aims to sustain the initiative of European alliances in FWB. Thus, the latest developments in “European universities” tend to strengthen the level of deployment of alliances in a structural and sustainable manner, as well as the rapprochement between partner institutions. The latter was done, on the one hand, with a view to moving even closer to the goal of creating interconnected and inclusive European campuses and, on the other hand, with a view to fostering reflection and jointly developing solutions and responses to the societal challenges identified.
Beyond direct funding from the Erasmus+ program, the European Commission also promotes high-quality initiatives, such as the Q-Helix alliance, by awarding them the “Seal of Excellence.” This quality label certifies the excellence of the project during its European evaluation and officially encourages its support by national or regional funding sources. By recognizing the value of these transnational collaborations, the Commission enables ambitious projects to be rolled out on a sustainable basis, enriching the diversity and influence of European alliances within the FWB.
Alliances involving FWB institutions
To date, all universities in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, as well as one and two colleges, are part of European alliances. Six of them receive direct Erasmus+ funding: Circle U. with UCLouvain, CIVIS with ULB, EUNICE with UMONS, UNIC with ULiège, UNIgreen with HEPL, and UniversEH with UNamur. EPHEC is part of the Q-Helix alliance, which has been awarded the European Commission's Seal of Excellence, guaranteeing its high quality and potential impact.
Between 2019 and 2024, 65 European University Alliances were selected through a dedicated Erasmus+ call, involving nearly half of the European student population.
