Abstract:

The European Universities Initiative is an ambitious EU initiative that aims to create alliances between higher education institutions from across Europe for the benefit of their students, staff and society. A distinctive feature of such alliances is the development of long-term structural, strategic and sustainable cooperation between higher education institutions in European university alliances. This initiative aims not only to improve the international competitiveness of European higher education institutions, but also to develop European values and identity, which is a very important aspect of intercultural literacy. (European University Alliances in Action, 2023). The initiative of European university alliances is likely to be even more useful not only for the higher education institutions themselves, but also for Europe as a whole, than any previous cooperation projects, because by participating in the alliances, students will not only be able to obtain a diploma by combining studies in several European countries, but also get a very high-quality education (s) own intercultural literacy, various skills and competences and European values, as well as gain experience of constructive life, behavior and work in a multicultural society. The similar benefit will also reach all academic community as well as the stakeholders and all the communities of the HEI, as one of the most important characteristics of such alliances is also a very pronounced idea of diversity and inclusion, sustainability and cooperation, pooling resources and efforts for our common future and prosperity. These and related issues and aspects will be analyzed in this presentation based on one of the European university alliances (NEOLAiA), to which Šiauliai State Higher Education Institution belongs to.

Keywords:

European university alliances, higher Education, European values, value development, value implementation.