European universities alliances ask how they might be recognised in future

European university alliances have questioned how they might be formally recognised in the future, as the Commission and Member States have begun discussions to create a specific European quality assurance framework for them.

During a webinar by the alliances' group FOREU4ALL, Rafael Toledo Moreo, deputy secretary- general of the alliance EUT+, said: "Ideally, in the future, we might have alliances that are not defined simply by the outcome of a funding call, but rather by being recognised or accredited by an agency".

For the moment, alliances are defined as such because they have secured funding from the European Commission after a call for proposals, but the idea is that they eventually become recognised through accreditation, like universities are accredited to provide programmes.

Since the university alliances project was launched in 2019, stakeholders have raised questions about quality assurance for alliances. That is why, in May 2025, the European Commission and the Council of the EU launched an exploratory phase involving studies, research and interviews to assess the…