EPICUR secures funding until the end of 2028 and welcomes three new partner universities
Freiburg, 23/07/2026
EPICUR is strengthening its position as a European University Alliance by expanding transnational collaborations and joint programmes. As part of the EU’s Erasmus+ ‘European Universities’ call for proposals, the alliance has been awarded a two-year grant of €7.2 million. Furthermore, the alliance is expanding to include three new partner universities.
EPICUR is embarking on the next phase of the project with three new partner universities. Photo: Yannis Tsouflidis
The European University Alliance EPICUR has been awarded a two-year grant totalling 7.2 million euros until the end of 2028. This grant was awarded under the EU’s Erasmus+ ‘European Universities’ call for proposals. The alliance is also expanding to include three new partner universities. The extension of funding until 2028 and the expansion of the European university alliance is a significant milestone for EPICUR. This renewed funding marks the third time that EPICUR has been supported under the European Universities initiative. This ongoing support solidifies the alliance’s long-term development and paves the way for further expansion of joint activities in research, teaching, and knowledge transfer. The project highlights EPICUR’s continuous commitment to shaping the future of European higher education in a sustainable and transformational way.
Three new partners strengthen the European higher education network
Funding has been awarded under the Erasmus+ ‘European Universities’ call (ERASMUS-EDU-2026-EUR-UNIV) for the two-year EPICUR-SHAPE-IT-PLUS project (2026–2028). This opens up new opportunities for EPICUR to consolidate existing initiatives, further develop innovative approaches and expand mobility within the alliance – together with the three new member universities:
• Pablo de Olavide University, Seville (Spain)
• Roma Tre University, Rome (Italy)
• University of Basel (Switzerland)*
* Associated partner. An associated partner contributes to the alliance’s activities and objectives without receiving EU funding under the programme, and has a clearly defined role.
University of Freiburg leads work package on teaching and mobility
Within the EPICUR-SHAPE-IT-PLUS project, the University of Freiburg is leading the work package ‘Innovative & Inclusive Teaching and Learning’ (WP3). The aim is to further develop the alliance’s joint teaching and learning programmes, integrate mobility more closely into the curricula, and expand European learning pathways, as well as providing greater academic support for students.
‘The University of Freiburg has been part of EPICUR from the outset and has played a key role in shaping the alliance’s development. I am delighted that we can continue on this path together and play a central role in the further development of teaching and mobility. Europe is also taking shape at our universities – through joint study programmes, daily academic exchange and personal encounters for all members of our university community, including through staff exchanges,’ says Prof. Dr Melanie Arndt, Vice Rector for Internationalisation and Sustainability at the University of Freiburg.
„The University of Freiburg has been part of EPICUR from the outset and has played a key role in shaping the alliance’s development. I am delighted that we can continue on this path together and play a central role in the further development of teaching and mobility. Europe is also taking shape at our universities – through joint study programmes, daily academic exchange and personal encounters for all members of our university community, including through staff exchanges.“
Prof. Dr. Melanie Arndt
Vice Rector for Internationalisation and Sustainability at the University of Freiburg
An alliance for an open and diverse Europe
In its new configuration, the EPICUR Alliance now comprises 280,000 students, 29,000 researchers and 17,000 administrative and technical staff from eleven universities across nine countries. Eight European languages are spoken within the alliance. EPICUR thus strengthens its role as a diverse European academic community, championing an open and globally oriented Europe.
‘EPICUR is a broad-based, diverse, committed and resilient academic community that continuously champions humanist values and the European social model. As a networked community, it works every day to develop solutions to the major social, economic, climatic, scientific and geopolitical challenges of our time,’ says Prof. Dr Jean-Marc Planeix, Vice-President for International Partnerships and Strategic Coordinator of EPICUR at the University of Strasbourg. He adds: ‘Thanks to EPICUR, today’s students – and those of the future – will be the key players in making our world a sustainable and liveable place.’
„EPICUR is a broad-based, diverse, committed and resilient academic community that continuously champions humanist values and the European social model. As a networked community, it works every day to develop solutions to the major social, economic, climatic, scientific and geopolitical challenges of our time.“
Prof. Dr Jean-Marc Planeix
Vice-President for International Partnerships and Strategic Coordinator of EPICUR at the University of Strasbourg
EPICUR: Shaping the European Higher Education Area Together
Founded in 2019, EPICUR (European Partnership for an Innovative Campus Unifying Regions) is a multidisciplinary, research-intensive university alliance bringing together long-established and young universities united by a shared vision of establishing a long-term European University Alliance. This new funding phase marks an important step in the alliance’s ongoing development. It strengthens the partnership between European universities, enabling EPICUR to continue working towards its goal of shaping an innovative, attractive, and internationally competitive European higher education system within the European Research Area.
Over the next two years, EPICUR partners will deepen their cooperative efforts in the areas of teaching, research expertise, innovation, and social engagement. By strengthening regional innovation and expanding these joint structures, the alliance will contribute to the development of the EU’s ‘European Universities’ initiative, as well as to innovation and social cohesion in Europe more broadly.