The Arqus Alliance
"Building bridges towards a shared future"
The European University Alliance Arqus brings together the universities of Wrocław, Granada, Graz, Leipzig, Lyon 1, Maynooth, Minho, Padova and Vilnius, nine European universities renowned for their scientific research and extensive experience in managing transnational projects shared with different areas of interest. These are institutes that have in common a strong international vocation and a deep connection with the surrounding territory and the urban realities that host them.
Arqus is based on the desire to redefine, test and create an innovative model of deep inter-university cooperation that lays the foundations for the birth of a real European University Campus that meets the needs and aspirations of the university of the twenty-first century.
It was born within the European Universities Initiative launched by the European Council in 2017.
What is the European Universities Initiative?
The higher education landscape in Europe is changing. In 2017, the European Council invited EU Member States, the Council and the Commission to take forward a number of initiatives, including:
"... strengthen strategic partnerships between higher education institutions across the EU and foster the emergence by 2024 of around twenty 'European universities' composed of networks of universities from across the EU, characterised by a bottom-up approach, enabling students to obtain a degree by combining studies in different EU countries and contributing to the international competitiveness of European universities."
In 2021, the Council reaffirmed that European universities will make a decisive contribution to achieving:
"... the ambitious vision of an innovative, globally competitive and attractive European Education Area and a European Research Area , in full synergy with the European Higher Education Area, helping to strengthen the excellent dimension of higher education, research and innovation while promoting gender equality, inclusiveness and equity, enabling a continued and ambitious transnational cooperation between higher education institutions in Europe and stimulating the transformation of higher education."
The response to this call is the European Universities initiative, which led to the creation of 41 university alliances in the first phase of the project. Following the progress made, the initiative is now an integral part of the Erasmus+ 2021-2027 syllabus with the addition of new alliances and the goal of reaching 60 European Universities by 2025.
The European Universities Strategy is also one of the main initiatives of the European Strategy for Universities.
Arqus: Arqus was formally established in Brussels on 27 November 2018 when the rectors and presidents of the institutions that compose it signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen the collaborative ties that already existed between our universities.
The name derives from the Latin term arcus/arquus or "arch": a symbol that represents the solid foundations that the consortium has been laying since 2018 and which is also reflected in our motto "building bridges towards a shared future" to respond to the great social challenges at a global level and to further increase integration between European realities.
For more information, visit the Alliance's website
University of Wrocław (Poland)
A university of the highest quality, focused on research, founded in 1702.
With 150 different areas of study, it is the most important classical university in Poland.
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University of Granada (Spain)
A public, research-driven, multidisciplinary university founded in 1531.
The 27 Faculties and Schools and the 124 Departments of which it is constituted offer 92 degree courses, 112 master's programs and 28 doctorates organized in 3 PhD schools that group together all fields of knowledge.
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University of Graz (Austria)
Founded in 1585, one of the largest and most innovative universities in Austria.
As a multidisciplinary university, the University of Graz sees itself as an international university for education and research, dedicated to research and course units for the good of society.
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Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 (France)
A university at the forefront of innovation, founded in 1970.
Lyon 1 combines quality education and pursuit of excellence within an attractive environment. It has an international reputation in science, technology, healthcare and sports.
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University of Leipzig (Germany)
A modern, multidisciplinary, outward-looking university, founded in 1409.
With more than 150 courses of study, the degree courses offer a unique variety of disciplines, from humanities and social sciences, to science and medicine.
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University of Maynooth (Ireland)
An internationally recognized university 25 kilometers from Dublin.
The University of Maynooth is one of the 4 universities that make up the National University of Ireland. In 2022, it was ranked No. 1 in the Times Higher Education (THE) Best Young University ranking .
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University of Minho (Portugal)
A young, thriving, multidisciplinary university, founded in 1973.
With an degree course of more than 200 degree courses each year, of which at least 140 at the postgraduate level (masters and doctorates), the University of Minho is a successful research center.
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University of Padova
Founded in 1222, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Europe.
The University of Padova is an international university, leader in research, which boasts a wide and comprehensive degree courses. In addition to the 150 degree programs in Italian, it offers more than 40 degree programs in English.
Vilnius University (Lithuania)
The leading university in Lithuania, founded in 1578.
Positioned among the top 400 universities in the world (QS ranking), the university offers an academic environment based on research and course unit excellence.
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Projects and Mobility Office
Palazzo Anselmi,
via Lungargine del Piovego, 35131 Padova
Tel. 049 827 3131
Email: arqus@unipd.it
Times
Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
By appointment only