A boost for European alliances
EUT+ and the other European higher education alliances are a model of success and should therefore continue to receive funding from the European Union beyond 2027. The European higher education alliances are taking these strong signals back with them from Brussels. An international conference on the future of higher education alliances, initiated by the State of Hesse and organised by Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, took place there, bringing together high-profile people from the worlds of politics and the EU. More than 200 guests attended the event at the Hesse State Representation.
01/16/2026
“They have exceeded our expectations. We are very satisfied with the results achieved so far by the European university alliances,” said Vanessa Debiais-Sainton of the European Commission, who is responsible for higher education programmes and European university alliances. There were also positive signals from Laurence Farreng, Member of the European Parliament and a member of the CULT Committee on Culture and Education: EUT+ and the other Hessian and European higher education alliances should remain part of Erasmus+ in the next funding period, 2028–2034. “You can count on the European Parliament in this regard.”
Hesse’s Minister for Science, Timon Gremmels, was also on the podium in Brussels. He called for the alliances to be firmly embedded within Erasmus+ and for stable future funding. He also argued that the percentage of the Erasmus budget earmarked for European higher education alliances should be explicitly stipulated.
Vanessa Debiais-Sainton from the European Commission was impressed by the achievements of the European university alliances. “They have exceeded our expectations.” All photos: Hessian State Representation / Eric Berghen
Laurence Farreng from the European Parliament spoke out in favour of EUT+ and the other 64 higher education consortia continuing to receive funding from Erasmus+ in future. “You can count on the European Parliament in this regard.”
Hesse’s Minister for Science, Timon Gremmels, spoke out in favour of stable future funding for European university alliances during the panel discussion. In Hesse, five further consortia have been established alongside EUT+.
Alongside the EUT+ team, the five other European university consortia also made their presence felt at the Hessian State Representation in Brussels. The conference was organised by Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences.
h_da President Prof. Dr Arnd Steinmetz also emphasised the importance of stable funding for university alliances in order to establish uniform structures. Of all the funded alliances, the European University of Technology in particular is the one that genuinely aims to develop into a European higher education institution with its own legal status. Among other things, this would require overcoming a number of regulatory hurdles. This makes planning certainty all the more important at all levels. Vanessa Debiais-Sainton expressed her understanding of this and emphasised that establishing planning certainty was a key objective. In view of current geopolitical uncertainties, she also sought understanding for the fact that future funding would, in some cases, need to be allocated more flexibly.
The panellists were in agreement on the great importance of higher education alliances for a European Higher Education Area and, ultimately, for a united and strong Europe. Laurence Farreng emphasised that the alliances had strengthened European identity and would highlight European values, including the defence of academic freedom. Vanessa Debiais-Sainton highlighted that the major challenges of the future could be tackled much more effectively within higher education consortia.
h_da President Steinmetz agreed with this view. EUT universities were already reaping the benefits of their merger on many other levels. In the field of research, for example. In the field of engineering in particular, competition for top-class researchers is fierce. Here, the university benefits from a European network that spans the entire continent and convinces researchers to choose Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, for example.
He cited three further examples from the European University of Technology which demonstrate how closely the network has already grown together and, as a result, strengthens the European ideal: The ‘Common Research Affiliation’ enables researchers to publish on behalf of their own university and, at the same time, on behalf of the ‘European University of Technology, European Union’, thereby raising the profile of European research.
Students in particular benefit from the ‘Mobility Maps Database’. Here, they can easily see which subject areas are already recognised across universities and thus plan their studyabroad programs more effectively. According to Steinmetz, the next step should be a European student ID card to further facilitate study abroad. The Entrepreneurship School is also aimed at EUT+ students. Here, EUT+ student teams present their start-up ideas, and selected teams receive funding.
Strengthening Europe for the long term
“Through our European alliances, we have successfully set out to rethink – and put into practice – higher education at a European level: as European universities,” summarised h_da President Prof. Dr Arnd Steinmetz. “We are paving the way so that our students can study seamlessly across multiple campuses in future. In teaching, research and administration, we are already drawing closer together across national borders. In doing so, we are bringing the experience and values of the German higher education system to this new European structure. As strong academic alliances, we stand for innovation, freedom and democracy, and are helping to strengthen Europe in the long term.