I am very happy to announce that the newest issue of the „Journal for Higher Education Development (ZFHE)“ has been published. Together with my colleagues Channa and Elena, we did an issue about „European University Alliances in Action„
Through the European Universities Initiative (EUI), the European Commission has, since 2019, been pursuing the goal of establishing transnational higher education alliances as the universities of the future. These alliances are intended to structurally deepen cooperation between European higher education institutions in education, research and innovation, facilitate the mobility of students and staff, and develop joint, student-centred curricula and research strategies. At the same time, the initiative aims to strengthen European values and enhance the continent’s competitiveness – thereby making a key contribution to the integration of the European Higher Education Area.
Table of contents:
- „We need a certain mindset”: Operational and Strategic Drivers of Identity Formation in EUI Alliances
- Swiss Higher Education Institutions within European University Alliances: Strategies, Challenges and Impact
- Participatory Governance and Institutional Legitimacy in European University Alliances
- Sensemaking and Institutional Transformation in European University Alliances
- Bridging EU Ambitions and Local Practice in ECIU’s Challenge-Based Learning
- Implementing a Technical Commission in a European University Alliance: Role and Processes in Unite!
- Boundary Objects & Open Education: Reflections from the Bottom-Up Practice of a European Alliance
- U!REKA Lab: Urban Commons as a Pedagogical Space of Transformation in the U!REKA European University Alliance
- European University Alliances and Their Third Mission: The Case EELISA
The full issue you can find here: [Link to Issue 21/2]
Finally, our editorial is online as well:
[editorial @ ZFHE homepage]
[editorial @ ResearchGate]
Cite as: Ebner, M., Van der Brug, C., & Wilhelm, E. (2026). European University Alliances in Action. Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung (Journal for Higher Education Development), 21(2), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.21240/zfhe/21-2/00

