UNIC, a European alliance of ten universities, fosters diversity and inclusion by enabling mobility of students and staff between universities. From 17 to 19 October our university organised the UNIC Strategic Conference in Rotterdam. During the conference, all ten UNIC partners discussed the future of the European university and the future of UNIC. We spoke with three UNIC colleagues: Dr. Daria Ratsiborinskaya (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Yağmur Kökden (Koç University, Istanbul) and Dr. Michael Murphy (European Universities Association).
What does the future of the European University look like?
Student Yağmur, UNIC Student Representative at Koç University in Istanbul, is very positive about the future of the European University. She also looks back on what UNIC has done for her already: “UNIC gave me a new mindset. When you are together with students from different universities across countries, and from different programmes even, it really can broaden your horizons. We were talking about what we can get out of UNIC, and one of our friends said: lifelong friendships. It is so great to be connected to people with different cultures.”
Dr Daria Ratsiborinskaya, senior policy officer for internationalization at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), expects that the number of alliances only will grow larger by 2024: “The European Commission would like to see 500 universities being joined into 60 alliances. Currently, we have 44 alliances and 11 Dutch universities coordinating or participating in a European alliance.”
Daria: "The initiative of alliances started with the focus on education, but currently we see that many alliances spread into research as well as education. Making positive societal impact is also becoming more important, in line with our Erasmian values. The future of European universities is very bright."
What can UNIC mean for Europe?
“Europe is only going to be as strong as its universities will be”, says Dr. Michael Murphy, president of the European Universities Association. “We live in a knowledge society; a knowledge economy. Higher education and research are the enablers of success in this type of society. Consequently making sure that our universities are as strong as they can be and as connected as they can, will determine how successful Europe will be in this knowledge era.”
The first seeds for a strong European alliance are planted, but there are a lot of challenges to overcome. One of the challenges is to evolve the concept of a virtual lab. Murphy: “In this way, experts in a protective area in one university are deeply connected with the peers of the other university. This allows us to all work together, and it would also reduce the temptation for brain drain from parts within Europe that are currently weaker. By networking and connecting, Europe can be competitive.”
UNIC helps to create bottom-up networks of universities throughout Europe. Why is this important?
“By connecting the universities more effectively, one will be able to see the opportunity for new partnerships combining the strengths of the different universities supporting each other. But also creating new research spaces and research ideas that wouldn’t otherwise occur,” says Michael Murphy.
“At the start in 2020, we already saw the added value of participating in a big European alliance. Erasmus University Rotterdam is challenged, as a coordinator, with innovating solutions for many new issues. We must find models for how we work together with European partners. How we organise our work, in the Dutch context, and think about accreditation of joint programmes and micro credentials,” says Daria Ratsiborinskaya.
According to Yağmur Kökden mobility is an important element of UNIC. She hopes to see improved mobility networks within the administrative structure to make it easier for a new generation of students to be included. “As a student you can be connected to a faculty of one of the ten different universities, and I think this is a massive opportunity. With the dialogue and the learning experience. Especially for students who are seeking an academic career.”
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UNIC was formed as a response to the European Commission’s call to create bottom-up networks of universities throughout Europe that enable students to obtain degrees by combining studies in several EU countries. Starting with eight, there are now ten universities that are part of the UNIC network. Our university has been part of the alliance since its founding in 2020.
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