We are the European association of leading specialised and comprehensive universities of science and technology that: champion excellence in higher education, training, research and innovation; influence debate; contribute to the realisation of open knowledge societies; and, deliver significant scientific, economic, social and societal impact.
Our mission is structured around five aims:
- to learn from each other: share information and best practice in the areas of higher education, research, innovation and university governance;
- to influence key bodies: aid policy-makers and funders to shape European strategies, policies and funding programmes;
- to boost participation in (European) funding programmes;
- to promote our strengths globally: support our Members in displaying their excellence and distinctiveness at European level and beyond;
- to advance debate on key issues: promote reflection and understanding of the role of science and technology in open knowledge societies.
We adhere to the following values:
- research integrity, academic freedom and institutional autonomy as laid down in the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, the European Charter for Researchers and a Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, the Lima Declaration on Academic Freedom and Autonomy of Institutions of Higher Education, the Utrecht Declaration on Academic Freedom and the Magna Charta Universitatum (n.b., updated in 2020);
- sustainable peace and prosperity incorporating respect for the rule of law and human rights, democratic citizenship, evidence-based policy making and the free circulation of knowledge, as laid down in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
