A ground-breaking European alliance
The University of Edinburgh has joined UNA Europa, a consortium of universities determined to draw on Europe’s rich intellectual history for an innovative future.
Freie Universität Berlin, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, the University of Edinburgh, Uniwersytet Jagielloński in Kraków, KU Leuven, Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Université Paris 1 Panthéon – Sorbonne have come together as UNA Europa, a unique alliance of leading European research universities.
Formed in response to a European Commission call for European University networks, the alliance seeks to take inspiration from existing models of mobility and partnership, and encourages innovative forms of institutional engagement to create new opportunities for staff and students across Europe.
Partnerships make the University of Edinburgh what it is today – a global institution, influencing the world and helping to change lives for the better. Joining UNA Europa underlines Edinburgh’s commitment to working with our European colleagues and ensuring continued international experiences and collaboration for our students and staff.
Alliances such as this are incredibly important in the face of an uncertain future within Europe. In joining UNA Europa, the University of Edinburgh is making a commitment to inter-European collaboration and long-term connections with key European partners.
As Vice Rector of KU Leuven Peter Lievens said at a meeting of the Alliance,
Currently, Europe finds itself facing significant challenges. It’s up to us as universities to rise up and cultivate a European identity while retaining an open mind.
Each of the universities have their own incredible strengths, but what truly unites them is their scale and importance on the world stage. In combination, the members of the alliance educate more than 400,000 students at their campuses, with the overall student and staff community approaching half a million. Having access to some of the largest universities in Europe through an agreed collaborative network such as this is a huge win for students and staff of each of the member institutions, not only for mobility opportunities, but for the way this will enhance teaching curricula and collaborative research output.
The Alliance seeks to use the network to enhance curriculum design in several exciting ways including allowing students to attend courses at partner universities and facilitating the recognition of credit for those that do.
In fact, nothing speaks to the transformational nature of the alliance more than its own mission statement, highlighting planned goals:
By 2025 50 per cent of UNA Europa students will benefit from international mobility. Two million Europeans will benefit from our educational and civic engagement programs. Our joint research activity will have increased threefold. We will run several European joint degree programmes. We will be central to Europe’s innovative, prosperous and sustainable future. We will contribute to shape Europe of the Third Millennium.
You can read more about the alliance on the KU Leuven website: