FilmEU European University Alliance at the 2024 EAIE Conference and Exhibition in Toulouse

The 2024 EAIE Conference and Exhibition in Toulouse kicked off this morning, Tuesday, September 17, with the discussion, “Internationalisation and European Universities alliances”.

Celebrating its 35th year, EAIE has grown into the largest higher education association in Europe with this year’s conference the most important the organisation has ever held.

With over 200 higher level institutions from around the world and 20 European University Alliances taking part, it is also its largest.

Vanessa Debiais-Sainton, Head of Unit Higher Education, Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC) at the European Commission, opened the discussion saying that the Commission is stressing the importance of courses in green technologies and lifelong learning to prospective students.

Debiais-Sainton also said the European Commission understands the pressing need to create European Degrees, particularly in engineering, but in all other disciplines too.

This should make European universities more attractive to EU and international students.

Debiais-Sainton says the vision can be compared to the ethos held by the organisers of the Olympic Games in Paris earlier this summer, which is to promote and propel European institutions to the very top of international standings.

Priorities have also been given to enlarge the Union of the Western Balkans and further aid the 35 Ukrainian institutions associated with European Universities.

A new pact for the Mediterranean countries and enhanced cooperation with India, Latin America, and the Caribbean are also on the agenda.

However, Debiais-Sainton emphasised the need for additional funding from member states to support the extensive programmes and called on universities to lobby their relevant ministries.

“We’ve been seeing what you [European Universities] are capable of,” she said.

“We can count on you and we’ll continue working on the future of higher education”.

Other speakers on the morning were Carle Bonnafous-Murat from the French Conference of Rectors, Marie Azuelos, Deputy Vice President for International Affairs at Sciences Po of the CIVICA alliance, Mattia Bellotti, Secretary-General of EUTOPIA, John Gardiner, Project Manager at Ulysseus European University, and Romita Iucu from the Civis Alliance.

Carle Bonnafous-Murat noted that representatives from universities in Colombia and Argentina were exploring how to connect with European alliances while Marie Azuelos reiterated the point of sourcing more streams of funding to support the internationalisation of European universities.

Mattia Bellotti insists that the shared values at the heart of cooperation are academic freedom and democracy and used EUTOPIA’s work with the Western Balkans as a case study in how an alliance can open up its borders to international institutions.

John Gardiner highlighted three main reasons for internationalisation: enhance innovation and research, expand our educational opportunities, and strengthen our global positions and Romita Iucu focused on ERASMUS mobility with an emphasis on cross-border cooperation outside Europe.

He also discussed the European Degree and the need to create new roles and global officers.