The EMERGE University Alliance: Empowering the Margins of Europe through Regional and Global Engagement
What is EMERGE?
"European Universities" are university alliances that aim to combine the strengths and diversity of European education and research in new structures in order to address the challenges that Europe is facing. The aim is to create an outstanding European educational area, as well as to strengthen the international competitiveness and improve the attractiveness of European universities in the fields of education, research and innovation. In this context, the Europa-Universität Flensburg joined forces with eight strategic partner universities from Ireland, France, Spain, Norway, Greece, Cyprus and Slovakia to found the EMERGE University Alliance in 2019. From 01/01/2025, EMERGE will receive official status as a "European University" and EU funding of 14.3 million euro.
The EMERGE vision and mission
Despite being far from the European center or the national centers respectively, the EMERGE partner universities hold European ideals and values as central. The goal is to extend the collaboration with our peripheral regions and their respective organizations and communities, in particular marginalized groups, and to create a model of excellence in the fields of higher education and lifelong learning, research and transfer, languages and cultures, campus development as well as sustainable governance that engages students, staff, and the local organizations and communities.
Our vision and mission is presented in our short EMERGE film.
Activities
Current and planned activities include, for example, the integration of European Academic Pathways with elements of physical, blended and virtual mobility in existing study programs, applications for collaborative project funding within Erasmus+ Key Action 2 with our EMERGE partner universities, and the establishment of so-called EMERGE Third Places. A Third Place is a regionally anchored and internationally oriented platform for research and networking activities, joint third-party funding applications, publications and events as well as research- and project-based learning. There is also a regular exchange between staff (Staff Weeks) and a forum for student representatives from the participating universities.
What are the cooperation universities?
- University of Limerick, Ireland (UL) (Project coordination)
- Rennes 2 University, France (UR2)
- University of Southern Brittany, France (UBS)
- Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway (INN)
- Matej Bel University Banská Bystrica, Slovakia (UMB)
- Neapolis University Pafos, Cyprus (NUP)
- Democritus University of Thrace, Greece (DUTH)
- University of A Coruna, Spain (UDC)
- Europa-Universität Flensburg, Germany (EUF)
Contact persons
If you would like to get involved in research activities (for example, in an international research project or an EMERGE Third Place) or teaching activities (for example, in an international teaching and learning format) within EMERGE, you are welcome to contact us.
- For general questions on the EMERGE University Alliance: Dr. Thomas Duttle, Institutional EMERGE Coordinator
- Research: Dr. Isabella Tegethoff, EMERGE Research Coordinator
- Educational programs for students: Merle Struve, EMERGE Coordinator for Educational and Mobility Programs
- Educational programs for adults: Eleonora Zheleznikova, EMERGE Coordinator for Languages, Cultures and Lifelong Learning
- Mobility and exchange opportunities: Merle Struve, EMERGE Coordinator for Educational and Mobility Programs
- Language and cultural offerings: Eleonora Zheleznikova, EMERGE Coordinator for Languages, Cultures and Lifelong Learning
- EMERGE Student Forum: AStA
The alliance-wide EMERGE internet site is: https://euemerge.eu/