The Alliance 4EU+ is part of the European Universities Initiative, supported by the European Commission. It paves the way for increased academic mobility.
"This alliance brings together some of the most widely recognised universities - all of them are members of LERU or LERU-CE7- with whom we already work closely both in teaching and research. We will now be able to take our projects one step further and strengthen academic mobility for our students and researchers,"emphasises Yves Flückiger, Rector of the University of Geneva. "Europe is facing complex challenges, like the digital transformation of society or the sustainable development goals set forth by the United Nations. They can only be met through a multidisciplinary approach, allowing researchers to work within comprehensive networks such as the one we are delighted to join today."
"With the University of Geneva, we are gaining a valuable strategic partner. Both in Switzerland and internationally, the University of Geneva enjoys an excellent reputation as an outward-looking, research-intensive comprehensive university with outstanding connections in the non-university research landscape," says Bernhard Eitel, Rector of Heidelberg University and Chair of the 4EU+ European University Alliance. "Building on existing cooperation, we intend, in the coming years, to advance common strategic projects in the areas of education, mobility and research and to establish 4EU+ as an innovation driver on the European and international educational scene."
Academic expertise at the service of society
Taking advantage of its unique location in the heart of international Geneva, one of the world’s capitals for multilateralism, the UNIGE has developed a very dense network of collaborations with international and non-governmental organisations. "It thus helps to strengthen the interface between science and politics and to put academic skills at the service of society, in full coherence with the mission of the 4EU+ Alliance project," notes Stéphane Berthet, UNIGE’s vice-rector in charge of international affairs.
The 4EU+ European University Alliance, originally 4EU, was founded in March 2018 by the universities of Prague, Heidelberg, Sorbonne in Paris and Warsaw, and in October 2018 became 4EU+ with the addition of the universities of Copenhagen and Milan. The Alliance is one of the university alliances that had received initial funding in June 2019 under the Erasmus+ pilot call "European Universities". The vision of the 4EU+ Alliance is to create One Comprehensive Research European University, contributing to the building up of the European Education Area by 2025 and beyond
The University of Geneva is a member of various European research networks, including the League of European Research Universities (LERU) and the Coimbra Group.
