Der Beitrag reflektiert den EULiST-Seminarcheck, ein Beratungsangebot zur Öffnung von Lehrveranstaltungen für Partneruniversitäten einer Hochschullallianz durch frei lizenzierte Materialien. Anhand eines beispielhaften Beratungsprozesses wird gezeigt, wie ein Kurs innerhalb der Allianz als Boundary Object fungiert und so bottom‑up Kooperation in der Hochschullehre ermöglicht. Die Reflexion bietet „lessons learned“ und theoretische Denkanstöße. Es wird argumentiert, dass der Prozess als Boundary Object erfolgreich das Spannungsfeld von Standardisierung und interpretativer Flexibilität in der Allianz navigiert; und dass die notwendige Grenzarbeit der Lehrenden Zeit, Know‑how und Ressourcen erfordert.
Meta-organisations such like the European Universities Initiative (EUI) alliances require complex processes of institutional cooperation where the structural differences of the participating universities are translated into similarity, common aims and thus organisational identity. This article analyses how different actors within an EUI alliance project – namely operational academic staff and university rectors from nine Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) – shape an organisational identity with regard to the goals and transformations to be achieved. Based on qualitative group and expert interviews, we show that their organisational identity is formed bottom-up by inward and outward processes that aim at managing change and transformation by maximizing institutional value, whereas university leaders play a rather symbolic role at the time of the interviews. Our findings suggest that the organisational identity approach offers an analytical framework for analysing change and impact putting forward the importance of project benefits management within EUI alliances.
This paper examines how Swiss Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) engage with European University Alliances despite being excluded from Erasmus+. Drawing on the experience of the authors as practitioners, this paper examines the specific case of Switzerland and highlights the various pathways and strategies through which Swiss HEIs have become involved in alliances. The authors also explore whether—and in what ways—the Swiss policy and funding context shapes the form of Swiss participation in the European University Alliances. Findings show that most Swiss HEIs are active, turning the alliances into a vital “lifeline” that connects Switzerland to the broader European academic landscape and reinforces its attractiveness, inclusiveness and European identity.
The European University Initiative aims to strengthen innovation across Europe through transnational alliances. Yet limited understanding exists of how universities within alliances can collaboratively develop innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems. While research on Third Mission activities focuses on university-industry transfer, inter-university collaboration remains underexplored. This exploratory case study examines EELISA, analyzing strategic documents and interviews with entrepreneurship coordinators from ten member universities. Findings reveal that alliances serve as valuable platforms for mutual learning and joint entrepreneurial educational development. However, integrating regional ecosystem partners and achieving genuine complementarity beyond knowledge exchange remain significant challenges.
European University Alliances seek to integrate teaching, research, and administration across borders by aligning digital and internationalisation strategies. This paper first outlines the alliances’ common objectives and governance models. It then highlights the pivotal role of a federated IT infrastructure—providing identity management or interoperable learning systems—and explains why ongoing technical decisions are necessary to meet evolving regulations and the need for scaling and interoperability, as described, for example, in the Higher Education Interoperability Framework (HEIF). Using the Technical Commission (TC) of Unite! as a case study, the article maps its mandate, composition, and end‑to‑end workflow. The final sections reflect on lessons learned, noting success factors and future directions (e.g. the implementation of the TC within the core organisation of the alliance) to sustain transnational collaboration.
European University Alliances (EUAs) are increasingly emerging as collective actors within the European higher-education policy landscape. Drawing on meta-organization theory, this article conceptualizes EUAs as sectoral interest groups whose legitimacy depends not only on institutional coordination but also on participatory governance. Focusing on student co-creation practices, the study argues that structured participation functions as a strategic governance resource that enhances internal cohesion and external representational credibility. Empirical illustrations from EUGLOH demonstrate how student-led initiatives institutionalize distributed authority and contribute to alliance-level legitimacy formation. The article concludes that the consolidation of EUAs as policy-relevant actors requires the systematic embedding of participatory co-governance within alliance structures.
This article examines how sensemaking shapes institutional transformation in the European Universities Initiative (EUI). Drawing on qualitative doctoral research on EUI implementation, the paper reinterprets selected findings through a theoretical-conceptual lens. Focusing on the intersection between individual belief in the initiative and institutional context, the analysis shows how governance is continuously negotiated through discursive and relational processes. The paper contributes to a nuanced, power-aware understanding of European higher education governance as a negotiated and relational process.
Aufgrund der engen Kooperation zwischen Praxispartner und [Hochschule] sowie des angestrebten Ziels, Forschung in engem Kontakt mit dem Praxispartner durchzuführen, scheinen sich in der Tandembeschäftigung für Promovierende auf den ersten Blick Potenziale für eine transdisziplinäre Forschung zu eröffnen. In diesem Beitrag reflektieren wir, basierend auf ausgewählter Literatur und empirischen Daten aus unserer eigenen Forschung, die Potenziale und Herausforderungen, Transdisziplinarität als Promovierende:r im Kontext eines Tandembeschäftigungsverhältnisses zu praktizieren.
Mit der European Universities Initiative (EUI) verfolgt die Europäische Kommission seit 2019 das Ziel, transnationale Hochschulallianzen als Universitäten der Zukunft zu etablieren. Diese Allianzen sollen die Zusammenarbeit europäischer Hochschulen in Bildung, Forschung und Innovation strukturell vertiefen, die Mobilität von Studierenden und Lehrenden erleichtern sowie gemeinsame, studierendenzentrierte Curricula und Forschungsstrategien entwickeln. Gleichzeitig ist der Anspruch formuliert, europäische Werte zu stärken und die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit des Kontinents zu erhöhen – und damit einen zentralen Beitrag zur Integration des Europäischen Hochschulraums zu leisten.
European higher education alliances are commonly treated as administrative instruments, yet their pedagogical and cultural dimensions remain underexamined. This article presents the U!REKA Lab: Urban Commons as a transformative educational space within the U!REKA European University. Drawing on theories of experiential and project-based learning (Dewey, 1938), world-centred learning (Biesta, 2022), situated participation (Lave & Wenger, 1991), critical transformative learning (Mezirow, 2000), commons governance (Ostrom, 1990; Bollier & Helfrich, 2019), the analysis shows how students learn in the U!REKA Lab through embodied engagement, co-creation, governance practices and intercultural comparison. Examples from the U!REKA cities Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Ghent, Helsinki, and Ostrava, illustrate how the U!REKA Lab enacts participatory and engaged research, explores timely pedagogical approaches, and aims to foster commons thinking, while simultaneously modelling new forms of international cooperation.
This study examines tensions and opportunities in implementing Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) within the [ALLIANCE] University alliance, focusing on interdisciplinarity and internationality. Empirical data shows that CBL fosters interdisciplinary teamwork and international collaboration among students. However, there is a persisting gap between the EU’s vision for innovative education and local implementation, as structural constraints impede sustainable integration. We argue that unlocking CBL’s transformative potential demands pedagogical commitment and systemic changes in university governance and cross-border collaboration.
Studentische Partizipation verharrt in der Hochschulpraxis oft auf der Ebene der Scheinbeteiligung. Der Beitrag untersucht anhand einer explorativen Fallstudie, inwieweit Serious Slow Game Jams (SSGJ) tatsächliche Partizipation in der Hochschullehre ermöglichen. Grundlage bilden tiefenanalytisch ausgewertete episodische Interviews mit zwei Studierenden des RetailGame-Projekts der Technischen Universität Dortmund. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Einbindung der Studierenden als Partner:innen selbstgesteuertes Lernen fördern kann. Das SSGJ-Format birgt zudem das Potenzial, Studierende von passiven Konsument:innen zu aktiven Mitgestalter:innen ihrer curricularen Lernumgebung zu transformieren. Schlüsselwörter Studentische Partizipation, Serious Slow Game Jam, Ko-Kreation, Hochschullehre, Selbstgesteuertes Lernen
Das interdisziplinäre Netzwerk XY zielt darauf ab, Kooperations- und Kommunikationsfähigkeiten von Wissenschaftler:innen in frühen Karrierephasen zu stärken. Im Fokus stehen Wissenschaft-Praxis-Partnerschaften (W-P-P), in denen Forschende und Praxisakteur:innen zusammenarbeiten, um evidenzbasierte Antworten auf praxisrelevante Fragestellungen zu entwickeln. Der Beitrag beleuchtet Gelingensbedingungen wie gegenseitige Anerkennung, Transparenz in den Zielen und Rollen sowie die Bedeutung von Broker:innen. Erfahrungen aus Projekt XY zeigen, dass W-P-P nicht nur den Wissenstransfer fördern, sondern auch als Lern- und Entwicklungsräume für wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchs wirken können.
Der Beitrag analysiert transiente transnationale Gemeinschaften (TTCs) von Lehrerbildner:innen als bislang wenig verstandene Praxisform internationaler Zusammenarbeit. Auf der Grundlage einer qualitativen Längsschnittstudie in einem Erasmus+-Projekt zeigt er, dass transnationale Kooperation weniger durch formale Strukturen als durch sprachlich-interaktionale Prozesse hergestellt wird. Dialoge und Diskussionen erweisen sich dabei als zentrale Räume professionellen Lernens, der Identitätsarbeit und der Ko-Konstruktion. Als forschungsgeleiteter Institutional-Research-Beitrag macht der Artikel damit ein systematisches Entwicklungsproblem sichtbar und leitet konkrete Gestaltungsimpulse ab, die Sprache, Interaktion und relationale Führung als zentrale Ressourcen transnationaler Hochschulpraxis begreifen.
This paper explores the strategic development and piloting of internal networking formats within CHARM-EU, a transnational European University Alliance. Guided by theories of Communities of Practice, Networked Improvement Communities, meta-organizations, and marketing perspectives on identity and participation, a set of guiding principles was co-created and tested through pilot events. Evaluation data from over 90 participants informed iterative improvements and highlighted success factors and challenges. The study contributes to community-building practice in HEI alliances by proposing adaptive roles and formats for collaboration across institutional and cultural boundaries.
Universitäten sehen sich zunehmend mit dem Paradoxon von Stabilität und Wandel konfrontiert. Während ihre Aufgaben in Forschung, Lehre und gesellschaftlichem Engagement unverändert bleiben, haben sich die Bedingungen, unter denen diese Aufgaben wahrgenommen werden, grundlegend verändert. Der globale Wettbewerb, der digitale Wandel und die Erwartungen an die gesellschaftliche Wirkung zwingen Hochschulen dazu, ihre Organisationsmodelle und Führungsstrukturen zu überdenken. Das humboldtsche Erbe der Autonomie und akademischen Selbstverwaltung wird durch den Druck nach Effizienz, Rechenschaftspflicht und Innovation in Frage gestellt.
This article explores the creation and operation of the Italian National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), a research infrastructure established under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). It analyses the governance, multidisciplinary collaborations, and third mission activities within the NBFC, using an ethnographic case study focused on Spoke 6. The analysis highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the Center, offering scenarios for its future sustainability after PNRR funding ends.
This contribution focuses on the digitalization of internal higher education processes in order to assess the digitalization status of HR management at German universities, using the methodology of a systematic literature review (SLR). To this end, the current publications on the digitalization of the higher education sector were analyzed. As a result, it was found that the majority of existing research focuses on the digitalization of teaching, future skills, and the necessary technologies for transforming teaching activities. Thus, this paper provides a previously less considered scientific perspective on the process level of universities through digitalization.
As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms society, universities must shift from reactive to proactive governance models. This paper proposes "anticipatory governance" as a framework for higher education institutions to co-evolve with AI systems. Drawing on evolutionary biology and organizational theory, we argue that successful adaptation requires transformational leadership that fosters collective intelligence and creates meaningful narratives for change. The concept of complementary intelligence positions AI not as a replacement for human capabilities but as a cognitive partner. Universities must develop ambidextrous strategies that preserve institutional strengths while embracing innovation. Through anticipatory governance, institutions can create adaptive structures that enable productive human-AI collaboration across teaching, research, and administration, ensuring universities remain viable and socially responsible in an AI-driven future.
The European Universities Initiative (EUI) marks a significant transformation in the European higher education landscape. Yet, in the fifth anniversary of the first EUI alliances only a few scientific studies examine the practices for building and sustaining successful alliances. This article provides a framework for analysing EUI alliances at actors’ level using innovation-diffusion model to grasp the impact on member universities and its potential for longevity. Based on qualitative group interviews with representatives from the management and implementation level from nine Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), it presents a descriptive, impact-oriented analysis of the strategies and challenges within a European alliance along three dimensions: characteristics, commitment, and coordination. Keywords European university alliances, meta-organizations, neo-institutionalism, impact-oriented, organizational development
