A workshop on Business and Economics, held at the University of Cantabria in Spain, brought together eight of EUNICE’s ten universities to advance joint degrees, teaching innovation and cross‑border academic cooperation.
The University of Cantabria (UC, Spain) hosted the first thematic face-to-face workshop of the EUNICE alliance on 28 and 29 April 2026. It was focused on economics and business, and brought together academic representatives from across Europe to strengthen joint teaching and research initiatives. The meeting aimed to advance concrete pathways for a more integrated European higher education space, reflecting EUNICE’s broader ambition to build cross‑border academic ecosystems rather than institution‑centred collaborations.
Over two days, deans and academics from eight EUNICE universities explored new international joint degrees, including the expansion of a pilot master’s degree in ecotourism, and discussed shared teaching formats such as micro‑credentials, virtual courses and Blended Intensive Programmes. Participants highlighted the value of direct, in‑person cooperation for shaping future projects, from dual degrees to master’s programmes combining economics with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
UC’s Dean of Economics, Jesús Collado, emphasised the workshop as a step towards more structured cooperation among European faculties, noting the strong participation as evidence of genuine collaborative potential. UC’s Rector, Conchi López, underlined that these meetings mark a shift towards more operational, project‑driven interaction within EUNICE.
Representatives from universities in Portugal, Belgium, Finland, France, Italy, Sweden and Spain contributed to defining short‑ and medium‑term priorities, including mobility models, academic recognition and scientific cooperation. The workshop reinforced EUNICE’s goal of creating a more dynamic and interconnected European academic landscape, where shared programmes and coordinated innovation become the norm rather than the exception.
