The high-level roundtable brought together university leaders and key stakeholders, including Ena Voûte (Pro Vice-Rector for International Affairs at Delft University of Technology); Enora Bennetot Pruvot, (Deputy Director for Governance, Funding and Public Policy Development at the European University Association); Ladislav Janíček (Rector of Brno University of Technology); Ludmila Hrachovcová (Chair of the EULiST Student Board); Roberto Zanino (Co-Chair of the Task Force Learning & Teaching and Rector’s Delegate for European Relations at Politecnico di Torino); and Vanessa Debiais-Sainton (Member of Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu at the European Commission). The session was moderated by Justyna Lubośna (Co-Chair of CESAER Task Force Learning & Teaching, Chair of Internationalisation Committee, Rector’s Representative for International Educational Programs at Gdańsk University of Technology).
The roundtable examined how European Universities alliances can most effectively contribute to Europe’s competitiveness by strengthening links between education, research, and innovation. Participants discussed governance models, funding, and institutional integration as key factors for ensuring sustainability and impact, and underlined the need for a clearer articulation of each alliance’s purpose and added value.
Live polls conducted via Slido with 41 participants provided useful context for the roundtable discussion. The first question showed that half of respondents (51%) viewed long-term purpose of alliances as strategic partnerships driving education and skills transformation, and 44% saw them as integrated European institutions combining education, research, and innovation.
Several panelists saw alliances as viable and potential instruments to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness by connecting higher education more closely with economic and industrial priorities.
In a live poll, more than half of respondents (54%) identified the development of highly skilled and internationally minded graduates as the main way alliances can strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, followed by collaboration across education, research, and innovation (34%) and the attraction and retention of talent (34%).
Some panellists noted that alliances’ should focus their efforts on building the highly qualified workforce required in strategic sectors such as AI, clean technologies, and biotechnology. Others pointed out that while strengthening the competitiveness of higher education institutions has been a central objective from the outset, the recent shift towards framing alliances as direct drivers of Europe’s overall competitiveness represents a considerable shift. From this point of view, universities and alliances already contribute to Europe’s competitiveness through the quality of their education, research, and cooperation, while remaining guided by broader societal missions. Some panellist cautioned against portraying alliances solely through the lens of competitiveness, noting that this new framing could create additional pressure and risk overshadowing the wider societal purposes of universities and their collaborative consortia.
The need to strengthen links between education, research, and innovation featured prominently in the discussions. Poll responses reflected this emphasis: nearly half (48%) viewed alliances as education-led but growing in integration through pilot projects, while only 10% saw a fully integrated approach across missions, underlining the work still ahead in connecting the three dimensions.
Many noted that Erasmus+ has provided a solid basis for educational collaboration, but that the full potential of alliances depends on connecting to Horizon Europe and the forthcoming European Competitiveness Fund. Doctoral training and industrial PhD initiatives were mentioned as natural bridges between the two policy areas. At the same time, some cautioned that research collaboration should emerge organically (bottom-up) rather than through administrative design (top-down). The challenge ahead is to embed synergies in institutional strategies so that alliances evolve into credible frameworks supporting the full knowledge continuum.
Panellists noted that European Universities alliances are entering a new phase requiring clearer internal alignment, prioritisation, and long-term vision. Many described the need to move from experimental cooperation to strategic consolidation, defining shared goals, clarifying governance structures, and determining where to concentrate efforts. Several observed that not every alliance can or should pursue all objectives; specialisation in selected domains may lead to clearer and more demonstrable impact.
At the same time, ongoing university governance reforms in some member states are reshaping how institutions participate in alliances; for example, by introducing external members into governing bodies, including leaders from partner universities within the same alliance. Such developments suggest a gradual integration of alliance activities into institutional long-term strategies and decision-making structures.
Governance was discussed as both an enabler and a point of tension. Differences in institutional cultures and legal frameworks continue to shape how decisions are made within alliances. Some participants viewed the possible creation of a European legal status as an opportunity to streamline processes and empower joint entities, while others cautioned that legal formalisation should not come at the expense of institutional flexibility.
Co-creation emerged as a unifying principle across roundtable discussions. Alliances were seen as most effective when they design initiatives jointly with students, staff, and external partners rather than through top-down coordination. The discussion also reflected on the challenges of ensuring meaningful representation of students within alliance governance structures. It was noted that such involvement often remains voluntary and uncredited despite the significant time commitment it demands. Participants broadly agreed on the importance of exploring ways to formalise student recognition, whether financial, academic or linked to professional development opportunities, to sustain motivation and inclusivity and to reaffirm that alliances ultimately exist to serve students and develop future talent.
When asked which aspects of alliance governance most need improvement, audience pointed to decision-making efficiency (62%), followed by inclusiveness and representation of staff and students (41%) and connection to institutional leadership (41%).
Funding was recognised as both the foundation and a constraint of the current model. While Erasmus+ remains the backbone, many participants considered its education-centred focus insufficient to support the alliances’ growing research and innovation ambitions.
Looking ahead to the next EU long-term budget, there were calls for stronger complementarity between Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, and the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), ideally through a coherent architecture that minimises fragmentation.
Several cautioned that as funding sources diversify, coordination across programmes and member states will become increasingly complex. Others suggested that alliances should progressively demonstrate competitive results and external impact to justify continued or expanded support.
In terms of the long-term sustainability and success of alliances, the poll results confirmed continued EU programme funding as the main driver (66%), while a significant share also pointed to the importance of alliances becoming self-sustained through shared services and joint finances (44%), alongside greater national co-funding, institutional investment, and engagement of private partners.
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the idea of alliances evolving into ecosystems that connect education, research, and innovation more holistically. Several participants viewed this approach as key to defining the distinctive contribution of European Universities alliances, particularly those involving universities of science and technology, and to linking their work to Europe’s broader competitiveness and funding landscape.
It was suggested that alliances can develop shared environments bringing together students, researchers, and partners across sectors and society, enabling the exchange of talent, knowledge, infrastructure, and resources. Such ecosystems were seen by many as a natural bridge between Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, and the forthcoming European Competitiveness Fund, providing a framework for talent development and innovation that extends beyond individual projects or funding cycles.
From this perspective, alliances are not regarded simply as consortia delivering activities but as integrated environments in which the dimensions of the knowledge triangle can reinforce one another. They can offer students and early-career researchers access to wider infrastructures, supervision, and entrepreneurship opportunities across partner institutions, while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in strategic sectors, also in partnership with non-academic actors.
Several participants observed that the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of alliances may depend on their ability to articulate a clear value proposition, identifying the areas in which they can reach critical mass and demonstrate tangible benefits for their member institutions and for society at large. In this sense, alliances could act as catalysts within Europe’s wider higher education and research landscape, strengthening coherence between institutional, national, and European priorities.
The discussion reflected a community in transition: confident in the value of transnational cooperation, yet aware that the future of European Universities alliances depends on strategic focus, sustainable funding, and meaningful engagement of all relevant actors. Many participants highlighted that alliances can play a distinctive role in shaping Europe’s innovation ecosystems by connecting education, research, and innovation across borders and sectors, and by helping Europe attract, develop, and retain talent, originating both from within Europe and beyond. Their long-term impact will depend on how effectively they articulate their value, strengthen governance, align with evolving EU policy frameworks, and embed their activities within institutional strategies.
Before the roundtable discussion, emerging reflections from the ongoing work of CESAER and its Task Force Learning & Teaching on governance models and the future vision of European Universities alliances was presented. A report on governance of alliances, expected to be published in early 2026, addresses many of the strategic questions discussed during the roundtable and is based on interviews with leaders of CESAER Members involved in alliances, a consultation targeting faculty representatives within alliances, and a separate survey of student representatives from alliances in which CESAER Members participate.
For more information, please contact Touko Närhi, Advisor for Benchmark & Higher Education.
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