23/04/2026
๐ข took part in the European Universities Alliancesโ Coordinators Retreat in Brussels, organized by DG EAC - European Commission.
๐ก It was energizing to see the room packed with passionate voices and inspiring ideas, all focused on discussing the next 2028-2034. All 65 alliances were present, along with various EU networksโspecial thanks to the Erasmus Student Network for their valuable contribution on mobilities!
๐ฅ Representing OpenEU were Pastora Martรญnez Samper, our coordinator, and Pol Boada Martรญnez, our Internationalisation & Joint Actions Officer. They left Brussels with renewed energy, inspired and equipped with many new ideas and good practices to help strengthen and expand our alliance moving forward.
Key takeaways for the next :
๐ ๐๐น๐น๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ฎ๐. Weโre a systemic movement in the European higher education landscape.
๐ฐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐บ๐๐+ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ ๐ณ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐น. It will continue to be the main support for alliances, with synergies envisioned with FP10 and the Competitiveness Fund.
๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ. Discussions on a 7-year baseline funding with periodic evaluations are underway.
๐ข ๐ฉ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ธ๐ฒ๐. We must make our results clear, understandable, and accessible to everyone.
A bit over a year ago, we began as an alliance, and since then, weโve been inspired by long-standing projects that have paved the way. This learning journey has made us stronger and wiser (thank you for that, FOREU4ALL!).
At OpenEU, we are more committed than ever to enhancing the European Higher Education Area ( ). We bring our energy, ideas, and expertise to the table, always keeping at the heart of our work. We wonโt leave anyone behind.
We need to work for a higher education system thatโs flexible, digital, open to new models, supports lifelong learners and non-traditional students as well, and adapts to every kind of need and balance. The goal is for higher education to be a success for anyone who wants to be part of it.
