The ECIU renews European funding to continue driving the transformation of higher education
The ECIU, the UAB's European alliance, has secured 7.2 million euros from the European Commission to roll out a new phase of the project between 2026 and 2028, focusing on educational innovation, mobility, and digital campus development.
Starting in November 2026, the ECIU will launch a new strategic phase, ECIUn-PLUS-2, after receiving 7.2 million euros from the European Commission. This funding will enable the 11 member universities to continue working for two years on the development of the digital campus and the transformation of European higher education.
The ECIU, one of the first 17 European university alliances launched by the European Union, began its pilot phase in Barcelona in 2019. Following the current period (2022–2026), this third stage will extend until 2028 and be guided by the ECIU Long-Term Mission Strategy (2026–2036), aligned with the Erasmus+ call.
According to Oscar Jané, vice-rector for International Relations of the UAB, the renewal of funding "confirms the consolidation of the European Universities Initiative as one of the European Commission’s key commitments to transforming higher education". Jané also notes that "the ECIU has been one of the pioneering alliances in this process, achieving significant milestones such as the rollout of a joint portfolio of short, challenge-based courses, the creation of shared academic management structures, the implementation of systems for issuing and recognising digital micro-credentials, and faculty training in innovative teaching methodologies".
In this new phase, the alliance will deepen a student-centred, research-based educational model, incorporating support measures such as the automatic recognition of prior learning, inclusive guidance, and expanded international mobility opportunities. It will also strengthen the "Flexible Learning Pathways" educational model, develop the Digital eXperience Platform (DXP), and promote a more coordinated institutional transformation involving universities, stakeholders, and student representatives.
The goal is to consolidate shared tools, harmonised processes, expanded mobility programmes, and long-term strategic commitments that enable the alliance to increase its impact at the European level and advance towards a fully integrated European university. This stage also aims to intensify institutional cooperation, expand joint educational activities, and extend innovative teaching methodologies to the member universities' curricula, with the aim of strengthening the quality, attractiveness, and international competitiveness of European higher education.
The priorities of this phase also include supporting lifelong learning through skills retraining and upskilling programmes, increasing the mobility of the university community, expanding staff training, and strengthening community-building activities.
Mireia Galí, ECIU institutional coordinator at the UAB, explained that the new phase "will focus on consolidating and growing the alliance". She noted that "efforts will focus on expanding educational offerings and increasing the number of participating students, fostering the co-design of academic activities among member universities, and enhancing mobility and collaboration opportunities for the entire university community".