Durham joins Arqus university alliance to help shape higher education across Europe

Durham University has joined the Arqus European University Alliance (Arqus) as an associate member.

What is Arqus’

In 2019, the European Commission launched the European University Alliance (EUA) initiative, to boost excellence and inclusion and establish a European Education Area.

Arqus was one of the first 17 alliances selected for funding and there are now 64 EUAs in total, involving more than 560 higher education institutions of all types, from across Europe.

Arqus is a multilateral alliance consisting of nine universities working together to substantially enhance the educational, research, transfer and outreach activity of its members through deep collaboration and partnership.

Caption: Map shows Arqus member universities.

The alliance brings together the universities of Granada, Graz, Leipzig, Lyon 1, Maynooth, Minho, Padua, Vilnius and Wroclaw; all leading research-intensive, comprehensive European universities with a strong commitment to regional engagement.

The Arqus alliance aspires to build on the member universities’ sound experience in collaboration to enhance the education of critically engaged European and global citizens, to increase and improve the joint research capacity of the partner universities, and better respond to the grand societal challenges of the 21st century in Europe and beyond.

Why Durham is joining Arqus

This new multilateral partnership opens up further opportunities for academic excellence and international collaboration, strengthening Durham’s position at the forefront of European higher education.

Durham shares Arqus’ commitment to driving sustainable change and empowering its communities to contribute positively through its research, education and institutions.

The alliance has identified interdisciplinary challenges as priority areas for joint actions in the future and Durham has committed to joining Arqus in focusing on two of these priority areas in year one of our association. This includes their Living Labs for Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability, and European Identity and Heritage.

Additionally, we look forward to engaging with several Arqus work packages focussed on teaching innovation, PhD mentoring, student mobility and research support.

Joining the alliance

Durham’s admission to Arqus was celebrated on Monday 4 November, when five Arqus representatives travelled to Durham for a signing ceremony.



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