The Guild sets out recommendations for alliances to recognise and boost value they bring to EU research

The Guild of Research-Intensive Universities has published recommendations to ensure that European Universities Alliances are recognised for the value they bring to research.

The four recommendations, published on 05/02/2026, include matching funding calls with the rapid changes in the academic world and creating small-scale initiatives on which alliance members can work together.

According to the Guild's paper, to remain attractive to future researchers, the ERA Act and the next Horizon Europe programme, FP10, must align with the objectives that accompany the rapid transformations the academic world is facing. Funding calls must clearly foster this transformation in practice and allow flexibility. "Universities should be encouraged to be selective in their key areas of institutional development to ensure full institutional commitment and ownership of the outcomes in the long run," adds The Guild.

Next, the Guild argues that through long-term collaboration, alliances are also well positioned to support the next generation of researchers, offering strong research environments and…