Universities wary of possible funding shift for alliances

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, writes Juliette Portala for Science|Business.

Rumours of a change in their funding are circulating ahead of the publication of the next Multiannual Financial Framework on 16 July, 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 interest. The ECF, in contrast, is likely to direct money to specific topics considered of strategic importance by policy-makers in Brussels.
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