The European University Initiative: President Macron’s vanity project or the end of national universities in Europe?

This presentation explores the history and development of European university alliances. It starts by discussing the origins of the international university and their subsequent nationalisation by nation states. It traces the development of European higher education from the Single European Act 1986, though the establishment of the Erasmus programme in1987, the Bologna Declaration in1989, the European Credit Transfer Scheme and the Erasmus Mundus programmes. It finally end with the launch of the European University Initiative by Emmanual Macron in his famous Sorbonne speech in 2017 and looks at the development of the EUI to date and the associated anomalies and challenges.

1. The European University Initiative: President Macron’s vanity project or the end of national universities in Europe? NCRE Roundtable Seminar 16 August 2024 Professor Nigel Healey Vice President Global and Community Engagement

2. Overview The origins of the international university The Single European Act 1986: free movement of goods, service, labour and capital (Project 1992) The building blocks: Erasmus 1987 The Bologna Declaration 1989 European Credit Transfer Scheme Erasmus Mundus programmes European University Initiative – Emmanual Macron’s Sorbonne speech 2017 The EUI to date Anomalies and challenges

3. The origins of the international university

4. The nationalisation of universities and science

5. The role of language in undermining the concept of a national university

6. Meanwhile, back in the real world…

7. The Single European Act 1986

8. The birth of Erasmus* 1987 1976-87: Joint Study Programme (JSP) 1987: launch of Erasmus programme to promote  cultural, social, and academic exchanges 2021-27: Erasmus+ - €30bn Estimated 14m students have taken part to date * programme not Desiderius Erasmus in 1536

9. The Bologna Declaration 1989

10. The Bologna ‘European qualifications framework’

11. European Credit Transfer Scheme

12. Building blocks in place but failure to launch Erasmus (funding): READY EQF (rules): STEADY ECTS (units of account): GO…?

13. Plan B? Erasmus Mundus Programme 2009 Global-MINDS is an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Program. It provides a comprehensive two- year study programme delivering high quality international training in social and cultural psychology, specialized in mobility/migration, inclusion and diversity in societies. It is delivered jointly by the University of Limerick , ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon , the University of Oslo , and SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Warsaw . The Global-MINDS program provides Erasmus Mundus scholarships.

14. Meanwhile back in the real world…

15. Shock to the concept of ‘national’ French and German universities Top 10 Top 50 Top 100 France 2 4 Germany 1 5 Australia 6 9 China 5 5 UK 4 8 15 US 4 16 25 QS WUR 2025

16. A shock to the academic elites

17. The birth of the European university 2015 Jean Chambaz, former Rector of Sorbonne University: “ if brain drain only works in one direction, then populism will rise and Europe will collapse” How to get talent to flow West-East/North-South not just East-West/South-North? How to imagine Pierre Curie marrying Marie and moving to Warsaw, rather than Marie Skłodowska marrying Pierre and moving to Paris

18. The Chambaz solution Mission and vision The 4EU+ European University Alliance is a transnational strategic association of Charles University in Prague, Heidelberg University, Paris-Panthéon-Assas University, Sorbonne University in Paris, the University of Copenhagen, the University of Geneva, the University of Milan, and the University of Warsaw. The cooperation, originally called 4EU, was founded in 2018 by Charles University in Prague, Heidelberg University , Sorbonne University in Paris and the University of Warsaw .

19. 23 June 2016

20. Macron’s Sorbonne Speech, 26 September 2017 the creation of “real European universities” awarding European diplomas

21. The European University Initiative

22. What is a European University Alliance? A transnational alliance of higher education institutions developing long-term structural and strategic cooperation.  Key criteria: Minimum of 3 higher education institutions, from 3 EU Member States or third countries associated to the Erasmus+ programme.  Key cooperation principles:  Alliances develop joint long-term strategies for education with, where possible, links to research and innovation to drive systemic, structural and sustainable impact at all levels of their institutions  Alliances create and implement European inter-university campuses, where students, academics, university staff, researchers and lifelong learners enjoy seamless mobility transdisciplinary and transnational teams of students, academics and external stakeholders tackle big issues facing Europe

23. What might an EUI-style federal university look in the Asia-Pacific?

24. Matariki University of the Pacific Te Whare Wananga o Matariki o Te Moananui -a- Kiwa QS WUR 2025 Curriculum University of Canterbury 261= 1 st semester University of Sydney 18 2 nd semester National University of Singapore (NUS) 8 3 rd semester University of Hong Kong 17 4 th semester Peking University 14 5 th semester University of Tokyo 32= 6 th semester Korea University 67 7 th semester University of Canterbury 261= 8 th semester

25. But where is the value added of this physical / credit mobility? What about instead? Matariki Climate Action University of Australasia THE Climate Action 2024 Curriculum University of Canterbury 32 1 st semester University of Tasmania 1 2 nd semester UNSW 2 3 rd semester Western Sydney University 4 4 th semester University of Newcastle 9 5 th semester University of Technology Sydney 15 6 th semester University of Auckland 21= 7 th semester University of Canterbury 32 8 th semester

26. European Universities Alliances: anomalies Higher education is a national competence, not an EU competence EU grants must be competitive: first Erasmus+ call was followed by a non-competitive Horizon Europe “Science with and for Society” (SwafS) call Alliances funding is rolled over, which is de facto institutionalised recurrent funding Alliances were invited to make proposals (e.g. for European degrees) that could not be implemented within existing legal frameworks Some criteria (e.g. 50% mobility) are impossible to achieve

27. Challenges Green travel policies: flugsham Accommodation shortages: popular unwillingness to accept more international students Denmark, Netherlands: only way to control incoming international students is to revert to teaching in national languages Nationalism: fear of loss of national languages and identity, xenophobia and racism

28. Conclusions The European dream is a single higher education area, with seamless student and credit mobility, leading to a European degree The building blocks have been: Erasmus+: to fund mobility Bologna and the European Qualifications Framework: to create a common system European Credit Transfer Scheme: to facilitate credit transfer Erasmus Mundus: to build common European consortium masters’ programmes The European University Initiative is the most ambitious step, in response to Brexit: 64 federal, 560-member university alliances funded 2019-24 over five rounds European degree labels to pilot European degrees Legal challenges, national competency, and external factors offer obstacles to success

29. Acknowledgements Thank you to Sebastian Stride of SIRIS ( https://www.sirisacademic.com ) for generously sharing many of the insights and ideas that have informed this presentation

30. Go raibh maith agat For more details: [email protected] For more information and research documents on international higher education: https://limerick.academia.edu/NigelHealey