170 senior representatives of higher education in Spain meet to foster European alliances objectives
The 1st Forum of Spanish Universities in European Universities (UEUE, by its Spanish acronym), held in Madrid on 4 and 5 November, brought together senior representatives from across the higher education landscape in an unprecedented institutional meeting to promote the transformation of universities towards a greater integration of the European Higher Education Area. A delegation of the University of Cantabria represented EUNICE European University: the Vice-Rector for University Transformation, Gabriel Moncalián; the Director of European Strategy, Lidia Sánchez; and the Director of the EUNICE Office at the UC, Miriam Gómez.
In addition to Spanish representatives from 55 alliances of the European Universities Initiative, 6 European alliances with the Seal of Excellence, the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and the European Commission, national bodies such as the Spanish Education Internationalisation Service (SEPIE), the ANECA verification agency and the Conference of Rectors (CRUE), as well as student associations such as CREUP and ESN, also participated, allowing challenges to be addressed from a broad and collaborative perspective.
From left to right: M. Gómez, L. Sánchez and G. Moncalián | Family porttrait of the 1st UEUE Forum
The first day included parallel sessions in which working groups addressed key issues for advancing the European Degree, micro-credentials, funding, the legal personality of alliances, and the role of universities coordinating European alliances.
The second day focused on plenary sessions and thematic panels that addressed the current state of the European Universities Initiative and its future prospects, as well as the academic impact and structural challenges of the alliances. The forum ended with the UEUE General Assembly, consolidating this space as a strategic meeting point to advance the European integration of the Spanish university system.
UEUE
The UEUE Forum was established in 2024 with the aim of creating an environment of cooperation for sharing knowledge, experiences and good practices among Spanish higher education institutions in order to deepen the integration of the European Higher Education Area. It also collaborates in the adaptation of national policies in collaboration with national and European bodies.
This first meeting, in addition to highlighting the progress made thanks to the joint efforts of Spanish universities within the framework of European Alliances, clearly addressed the challenges that still remain to be resolved. The attendees were invited to a future meeting to be held in March, with a commitment to continue advancing in this line of strategic collaboration.
