The universities of Science and Technology (S&T) united within CESAER have published a statement welcoming the publication of the pilot call on European Universities within the Erasmus+ programme, and outlining recommendations for the development and upscaling of the pilot call into fully-fledged alliances within the Erasmus Programme 2021-2027.
We emphasise that for the European University alliances to have the full intended impact in cooperation between higher education institutions, it is vital that the full knowledge triangle should be addressed, giving due importance to education, research and innovation. Qualitative aspects are essential: the curricula should be based on excellent research, including technology, entrepreneurship and arts.
Training highly skilled graduates in disciplines such as science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) with the skills required for the 21st Century is vital for Europe to be a globally leading knowledge society. Therefore, future evaluation criteria should consider STEAM topics positively.
The pilot call will support institutions in implementing the first steps, however, applicants are asked to respond with a long-term vision for collaboration which will require significantly higher funding than currently provided. Therefore, we urge the European Commission to ensure that adequate financing is available to maintain long-term and sustainable collaborations in the Erasmus Programme 2021-27.