ENHANCE+ European Alliance moves forward

The European Universities of Technology Alliance receives new Erasmus+ funding to continue its work on the European Universities initiative.

ENHANCE, the Alliance of European Universities of Technology, has been awarded €14.4 million in Erasmus+ funding for 2023-2027.

In January 2023, the ENHANCE Alliance submitted a joint proposal under the 2023 Erasmus+ European Universities call, which attracted 65 bids, involving over 500 institutions. This call continues the rollout of the European Universities Initiative and, as announced by the European Commission on 3 July 2023, will support 30 existing and new alliances with a total record budget of €402.2 million over the next four years.

ENHANCE is delighted that our ambitious proposal, titled ENHANCE+ and prepared jointly by the ten Alliance members, has been successful. We look forward to building on the work of the past three years to reach our core goals of enabling European education without barriers, fostering the knowledge and talent needed for the future of Europe, and building an Alliance based on shared European values.

The ENHANCE Alliance was founded in 2019 with the common goal of driving responsible transformation for the benefit of society, turning global challenges into opportunities. ENHANCE received Erasmus+ funding under the 2020 European Universities call as a consortium of seven universities. In 2022, the Alliance welcomed three new partners, expanding our membership to ten excellent European universities of technology: Technische Universität Berlin (Coordinator), Chalmers University of Technology, ETH Zurich, Gda¿sk University of Technology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Politecnico di Milano, RWTH Aachen University, TU Delft University of Technology, Universitat Politècnica de València, and Warsaw University of Technology.

Nine of the Alliance members participate in the new ENHANCE+ project as beneficiaries, together with 14 Associated Partners, including Alliance member ETH Zürich. Further Associated Partners include Arts et Metiers Institute of Technology (A&M IT), Siemens, IBM Research, the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI), the Falling Walls Foundation, local municipalities, and more, all of whom who will work closely with the Alliance on special activities throughout the project period.

Chair of the ENHANCE Steering Committee and Vice-Rector for Education at Politecnico di Milano, Prof Stefano Ronchi, welcomed the announcement, “We are very pleased to hear today’s news. The ENHANCE+ project is the result of a fantastic joint effort by all ENHANCE members. It represents a significant next step in the development of Europe as one integrated higher education area. It is much more than a long-term project; it is a shared vision to foster European values. Together with our three new Alliance members, and excellent Associated Partners, we are now excited to get working on the further consolidation of our Alliance and to continue building on the successful work of the first three years. We have already seen the positive, transformative impact the first ENHANCE project has had on our institutions, and together, we can continue to develop our vision and expand our offer for students, staff researchers, and lifelong learners across our countries. Together we will prepare our graduates to tackle future global challenges."

The Rector of Universitat Politècnica de València, Jose E. Capilla, also expressed his enthusiasm for the news, stating, 'We at UPV are thrilled to be part of the ENHANCE+ project. This significant achievement results from the collective efforts of all the alliance members. As we continue to break down barriers in European education, we are committed to fostering an environment that nurtures innovation, inclusivity, and a shared vision for a better future. ENHANCE+ will enable us to further our mission and contribute to transforming higher education in Europe.

The ENHANCE+ project is an ambitious proposal that spans all core missions of the Alliance members in its pursuit of the European Universities Initiative objectives. The ENHANCE One Campus, for example, works to dismantle administrative barriers and foster borderless mobility of students and staff, and the Joint Education Strategy will be further developed and the learning offer and use of innovative formats expanded. Whilst education is at the heart of the ENHANCE mission, research, innovation, and service to society are also central to this vision. Building on the success of the ENHANCERIA project (SwafS 2021-2024) and our close cooperation with societal and industry partners, we enable synergies with teaching and learning activities. With the new Erasmus+ funding, the Alliance can drive progress across all these areas.

ABOUT

The ENHANCE Alliance was founded in 2019 to develop one joint European campus, free of physical, administrative, or educational barriers, where students, faculty and staff can move freely to experience the European Education Area. The mission of ENHANCE is to drive responsible societal transformation and to promote the development and utilisation of science and technology – for the benefit of society. ENHANCE participates in the ERASMUS+ programme European Universities Initiative and the Horizon 2020 programme Science with and for Society (SwafS). The Alliance brings together ten member universities: Technische Universität Berlin (Germany) as the Coordinator, Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), TU Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands), ETH Zurich (Switzerland), Gdansk University of Technology (Poland), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway), Politecnico di Milano (Italy), RWTH Aachen University (Germany), Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain) and Warsaw University of Technology (Poland).