English

The University of Padova and its ARQUS consortium partners selected in the framework of the "European universities" call

27.06.2019

On June 26, the ARQUS European University Alliance project was selected as part of the "European Universities" pilot call, launched by the European Commission in October 2018. The seven partner alliance will make it possible to establish closer cooperation at European level by 2025.

The European Commission has announced the results of the pilot call for projects "European universities". The ARQUS European University Alliance project, formalized in February 2019, was selected for a total funding of 5 million euros.

The general project aims to promote universities as spaces for personal and professional development, promoting wider access and inclusive policies for new student, university and professional communities. Particular attention will be paid to the promotion of multilingualism and sustainable development.

ARQUS brings together seven research universities with strong regional involvement in medium-sized cities: Granada (Spain, coordinating institute of the consortium), Padova (Italy), Bergen (Norway), Graz (Austria), Leipzig (Germany), Lyon (University of Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Jean Moulin Lyon 3, Jean Monnet, under the common banner Université de Lyon), Vilnius (Lithuania).

The institutions have agreed to work together towards a truly European approach to higher education, involving seamless mobility for students, academics, researchers and other university staff, joint projects at all levels of university activity, and shared initiatives for global engagement.

The ARQUS universities share a long experience in joint projects in many fields, and a common profile as leading international research universities with deep regional engagement, in medium-sized, mostly non-capital, cities. They share the belief that together the six partners have the potential to progress further, faster and more firmly, and that European cooperation is essential to the future of their institutions.

The ARQUS Alliance will build its activities on the concept of universities as a space for personal and professional development for all, promoting widening access and inclusive policies for new diverse student, academic and professional communities. In line with the recent European Commission call for projects, ARQUS will promote innovative teaching and learning; it will respond to the grand global societal challenges of the UN’s sustainable development goals through research, education and outreach; it will strive to promote multilingualism in the university community and beyond; and it will further foster the already strong regional engagement of the partner institutions, situating people clearly at the centre of their plans.

The Alliance’s name stems from the polysemic Latin term arcus/arquus, for arch, representing the strong foundations the consortium is laying for building bridges toward a shared future. Moreover, the shape made by the six partners on the map of Europe resembles a double arch, from the far south west to the far north east of the continent.