European University Viadrina joins the European Reform University Alliance

The European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) has joined the European Reform University Alliance (ERUA). The European university alliance exists since 2019 and unites five universities so far: the Université Paris 8 (France), the Roskilde Universitet (Denmark), the University of Konstanz, the University of the Aegean (Greece) and the New Bulgarian University. Since November 2022, the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) is an associate member of this university network, which is funded under the European Commission's call for the establishment of European universities (so-called Macron Initiative).

The goal of the European Reform University Alliance is to innovatively shape the future of universities in Europe, rethinking teaching and learning as well as research and social engagement from a critical, European and inclusive perspective.

The Alliance's self-image states, "We share the view of universities as creative places of innovative education and skills development, research collaboration, and international and intercultural encounters within the framework of a common long-term vision and shared structures. We understand diversity and engagement as a promise and create a more just, open and inclusive society."

As part of the ERUA, Viadrina is engaged in a dialogue on the future of higher education, collaborating on concepts for responsible research and teaching and developing projects for engagement in the local context. It contributes to the design of an ERUA campus by working with partners to build a program of joint courses, training, and services.

The President of the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder), Prof. Dr. Eva Kocher, said on the occasion of the admission: "We are very pleased to be a member of the European Reform University Alliance and thus part of a community of reform universities that is committed to critical, forward-looking thinking. We bring innovative teaching concepts, our in-depth experience in promoting key competencies, and concrete measures for inclusion and equality to the Alliance. At the same time, by joining ERUA, we are strengthening our international research collaborations and mobility opportunities for our students, researchers, and administrative staff at Viadrina."

In addition to the European University Viadrina, the ERUA admitted three other partners as associate members in November 2022: the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw, the Universidad de las Palmas in Gran Canaria, and the University di Macerata Italy.