European Union continues to support the YUFE university alliance

The European YUFE Alliance (Young Universities for the Future of Europe) will continue to receive funding from the EU. This was decided by the European Commission on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. Over the next four years, 14.4 million euros will go into the YUFE project across Europe.

The European university alliance YUFE is one of the university networks that received the highest score from the EU. More than 50 proposals were submitted by 350 higher education institutions.
“We are very proud that YUFE’s model of a young, student-centred, non-elitist, open and inclusive European University has established itself as a frontrunner and role model for European education,” says Professor Rianne Letschert, Chair of the YUFE Alliance and President of Maastricht University, which coordinates the network. “We are strongly committed to building the future of higher education and will continue to deliver concrete programmes and organise impactful and accessible activities for our communities of European students, researchers, innovators, citizens and professionals.”

The goal: to strengthen a common European identity

Dr. Claudia Schilling, Senator for Science, comments: “The YUFE European university network has developed impressively since it was initially founded. Therefore, I never had any doubt that the network would successfully master the evaluation of the first project phase. Consequently, the EU Commission has now decided to continue funding from the Erasmus+ program, which I am very pleased about. YUFE stands for Europe growing together, for European values, for diversity and equal opportunities, for climate protection and sustainability, and for scientific excellence in research and teaching.”
“I am very pleased with the EU Commission’s decision to continue funding the YUFE Alliance,” says Professor Bernd Scholz-Reiter, Rector of the University of Bremen. “We’ve used the first three years to lay the foundations for the development of a European university. Now we are moving into the next stage to make our vision of a European university a reality, step by step. Our goal is to strengthen our common identity and contribute to the cohesion of European society.”

In the summer of 2019, the YUFE Alliance was successful in the EU Commission’s pilot program and has received five million euros in funding over the past three years. In the second phase of funding which lasts until 2026, the partner universities will now focus on deepening and further developing the activities and services that have been conceived so far.
As Dr. Daniela Trani, Director of the YUFE Alliance at Maastricht University says:
“This new grant from the European Commission will give the YUFE Alliance a boost, enabling us to take another major step in our pioneering work, which is translating our dream of a true European University into an institutional reality that crosses borders, cultures, disciplines and sectors. We are grateful for the commitment of all our partners. We acknowledge the efforts of all students and staff who show every day that they believe in our joint European vision. Looking ahead to the coming years, YUFE seeks to continue to inspire other institutions and alliances, as we believe that building capacity beyond our European University will be key to systematic impact.”

About YUFE

The YUFE Alliance already gives students the opportunity to take academic courses at their respective partner universities in pilot projects. Further opportunities include language courses/tandems/cafés, professional and social skills training, civic involvement activities, physical, virtual, and mixed mobility opportunities, international internships, and support for entrepreneurial initiatives. The alliance also offers exchange and training opportunities for staff from the areas of science, administration, and technology. The first YUFE post-doc positions have already been awarded. In addition, there are opportunities for events and further training for all university employees. YUFE also aims to connect the respective cities and regions while promoting cooperation and exchange.

The YUFE partners for the second promoting phase in 2022 are:

• Maastricht University (administration) – The Netherlands
• Nicolaus Copernicus University of Torún – Poland
• Carlos III University of Madrid - Spain
• University of Antwerp - Belgium
• Universität Bremen - Germany
• University of Cyprus - Cyprus
• University of Eastern Finland
• University of Essex - UK
• The University of Rijeka – Croatia
• The Adecco Group France
• The Educational Testing Service Global