Towards a European University : transforming higher education in Europe
Updated on: 12/04/2024Université Le Havre Normandie is coordinating the project EUNICoast of the European Universities Alliance (Partnerships for Excellence – European Universities – ERASMUS-EDU-2024-EUR-UNIV). EUNICoast is the European University of Islands, Ports & Coastal Territories together with 13 European higher education institutions and 107 associate partners in Europe and outside Europe. The application has been submitted on 5th February 2024 for the selection process.
The European Universities Initiative is an ambitious EU initiative aimed at establishing alliances between higher institutions from all across Europe, for the benefit of their students, staff and society. It is implemented primarily through Erasmus+ funding.
European Universities are a flagship initiative of the European Commission, aimed at “supporting and enabling universities to adapt to changing conditions, to thrive and to contribute to Europe’s resilience and recovery”. They mark the beginning of a new phase in the construction of a common European ecosystem.
European Universities are expected to:
- Promote European values, foster respect of academic freedom and institutional autonomy and strengthen the European identity
- Act as actors of change for the digital and green transitions
- Increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of participating institutions
- Boost the excellence dimension of higher education, research and innovation, while promoting gender equality, inclusiveness, diversity and equity
- Trigger a much deeper level of transnational institutional cooperation
- Make lifelong learning a reality in higher education
- Advance knowledge and enable talent circulation
- Contribute to regional development and positively impact the local communities
Anchored to the sea in spirit and practice, the EUNICoast project seeks to awaken an appreciation for the maritime world’s significance. For us, the sea is not a physical boundary, but a conduit of shared experiences, economic prosperity, and ecological balance. By instilling a deep-rooted connection to the sea, we empower our students to engage meaningfully with both ports and islands, and the intricate interplay between them. “
The mission of the EUNICoast Alliance under selection is to introduce new generations of European and global students and citizens to the use of sustainable solutions for the development of society, to promote a multicultural, multilingual and inclusive European academic environment open to the world, and to develop our capacity to better respond to the social and environmental challenges facing islands and coastal communities.
Existing partners’ sea basin coverage in the EUNICoast project are:
- Université Le Havre Normandie (France): covers the North Sea and the English Channel
- University of the Antilles (France) : covers the Caribbean Sea
- University of the Azores (Portugal): located in the North Atlantic Ocean
- University of the Balearic Islands (Spain): situated in the Western Mediterranean Sea
- Åland University of Applied Sciences (Finland) : covers the Northern Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia
Burgas Free University (Bulgaria): located on the Black Sea coast
- University of Dubrovnik (Croatia): covers the Adriatic Sea basin
- University EMUNI (Slovenia) : covers the Adriatic Sea and the entire Euro-Mediterranean area
University of the Faroe Islands (Faroe Islands): coverage in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean
- University of Patras (Greece): contributes to the Ionian Sea and Eastern Mediterranean Sea
- University of Sassari (Italy): covers the Western Mediterranean Sea (The Tyrrhenian Sea)
- Stralsund University of Applied Sciences (Germany) : covers the Baltic Sea (through the Strela Sound)
- West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin (Poland) : covers the the Baltic Sea (through the Szczecin Lagoon).