Abstract:

The European University Initiative (EUI) is a flagship programme of the European Commission proposed in 2017. The initiative is implemented under the Erasmus+ through a series of calls for proposals. Since the launch of the initiative, four calls have been completed and according to the latest results published in July 2023, currently, there are 50 European University alliances (EUAs), involving 436 higher education institutions (HEIs) from 35 countries. According to the new European strategy for the universities, by 2024 there should be 60 such alliances with 500 HEIs involved (about 10% of all HEIs in Europe).

As the EUI is quite recent, literature is very scarce. Furthermore, while there are a number of publications about the EUAs in general, comprehensive studies on country-specific characteristics are still limited. An exception to this is the study of European Universities in Poland, which investigates the challenges associated with implementing the EUI in the country.

Since the first Erasmus + call, Portuguese HEIs have always been part of the alliances and, currently, it is among the top 10 countries in terms of the number of institutions involved in the alliances. However, internationalisation of Portuguese HEIs has gained momentum only in the past decade. In 2014, the launch of two important policies – the Strategy for the internationalisation of higher education in Portugal and the Statute of International Student – marked this turning point. Therefore, Portugal is an interesting study case and investigating the characteristics of these HEIs can provide valuable insights into the evolving European higher education landscape.

The purpose of the paper is to examine the participation of Portuguese HEIs in EUAs using a mixed-method research design and to address the following research question: what are the key features of Portuguese HEIs involved in the alliances? The quantitative aspect of the research will utilize descriptive statistical analysis to characterize the Portuguese HEIs involved in EUAs, based on multiple datasets (ETER, U-Multirank and EDUSTAT). The qualitative approach will be held in two stances: first, an analysis will be conducted to highlight the social and legal context in which the EUAs emerged in Portugal, referring to it as an operationalization of the Lisbon Strategy guidelines. Later, a document analysis will be applied to examine the mission statements of the HEIs and the alliances, using information available on their respective websites to identify the drivers for participating in these initiatives.

By focusing on Portuguese HEIs within the EUAs, the study will fill the existing gap in the literature and It can also be served as a foundation for further comparative analysis across different countries and will contribute to the broader understanding of the European higher education landscape. This is a work in progress. The preliminary findings of the study reveal that Portuguese HEIs have embraced the European Universities initiative. Currently, out of a total of 102 HEIs in Portugal, 19 institutions (about 19%) actively participate in 17 alliances. As the EUAs continue to develop and expand, further research endeavors will be crucial in unraveling their full potential and fostering collaboration, innovation and excellence in European higher education.

Keywords:

European University Initiative, European University Alliances, Erasmus+, Collaboration, Internationalisation, Lisbon Strategy, Portugal.