Five Polish universities join European Universities Initiative

The European Commission announced on Thursday that five Polish universities have been added to the consortia of the European Universities Initiative.

The Warsaw, Poznan and Silesia Universities of Technology, Krakow's AGH University of Science and Technology and the University of Silesia were accepted as members of the educational alliance and gained the status of European Universities.

On Thursday, the European Commission selected 24 consortia, bringing together 165 higher education institutions from 26 EU Member States and other countries participating in the Erasmus+ Programme.

The European Universities Initiative is a type of supranational alliance of higher education institutions from across the EU which is building a network of universities within the bloc and allows students to obtain degrees by combining studies in several EU countries and contributing to the development of the international competitiveness of European universities.

The Krakow AGH University of Science and Technology will be the coordinator of one of the winning consortia, leading the European Space University of Earth and Humanity network.

The four other Polish universities will also join consortia as partners. Warsaw University of Technology will become part of the European Universities of Technology Alliance. Poznan University of Technology will become part of EUNICE, The European University for Customised Education network. The Silesian University of Technology will join EURECA-PRO, The European University Alliance on Responsible Consumption and Production, and the University of Silesia will become a member of the Transform4Europe - T4E consortium: The European University for Knowledge Entrepreneurs.

The European Universities Initiative was the brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron, who in 2017 proposed the creation of a network of European universities with joint study programmes, diplomas and jointly advanced scientific research. The proposal was approved by the leaders of the European Union countries, and on December 14, 2017, the project was officially approved by the European Commission.

The European Universities Initiative aims to develop the mobility of students, academic staff and the academic community, as well as support the quality, integration and competitiveness of European higher education.

Forty-one European universities, 17 already operating and 24 new, are being financially supported by EUR 287 million from the EU budget.