Universities wary of potential funding shift for alliances

03 Jul 2025 | News

Moving the European Universities alliances from Erasmus+ to the Competitiveness Fund could undermine long-term support, academic groups say

Photo credits: Nathan Dumlao / Unsplash

A suggestion that funding for European Universities alliances could be moved from the Erasmus+ education programme to the new European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) is causing concern among academic networks. 

Rumours of a change in their funding are circulating ahead of the publication of the next Multiannual Financial Framework on July 16, which will be accompanied by proposals for the ECF and the next Framework Programme for research and innovation. 

The alliances bring together more than 570 higher education institutions in order to develop joint curricula and stimulate mobility for students across the continent. Under Erasmus+ the alliances have been built on voluntary collaboration between universities in areas of mutual…