CHARM-EU secures funding to expand and continue its activities
Back in 2019, the CHARM-EU (Challenge-driven, Accessible, Research-based, Mobile European University) Alliance was among the first 17 European Universities selected by the European Commission in the European Universities Initiative designed to foster the quality and competitiveness of European higher education. Since then, CHARM-EU has been building up a deep and successful collaboration between its partners that resulted in designing several innovative tools, models, programmes and practices, one of them being the first accredited Master’s degree programme under the criteria of the initiative. The alliance has brought together academic staff of different disciplines and universities within Knowledge Creating Teams, engaged external stakeholders and developed a governance model with innovative administrative structures supported by the CHARM-EU core values. The Alliance has also started shaping its Research and Innovation dimension through the TORCH project, which aims to develop a common R&I agenda for CHARM-EU based on transdisciplinarity and interculturality.
The new Erasmus+ grant will support the CHARM-EU Alliance to expand, to increase its innovative activities and implement its long-term vision to drive systemic, structural and sustainable societal impact at all levels. Within the new CHARM-EIGHT∞ project (CHARM Expansion, Inter-institutional campus, Governance, Higher education, Transformation), the Alliance will focus on expanding and boosting its impact while continuing living lab activities. CHARM-EU will consolidate and strengthen governance and cooperation, develop its challenge-based learning lab and its educational portfolio with a visible link to research, business and society, while creating an inter-institutional, intercultural, transdisciplinary and inclusive campus. CHARM-EU will mainstream successful innovation and best practices for the direct benefit of its partner institutions while continuing to develop, implement, evaluate and disseminate innovative tools and models as well as build new partnerships at all levels.
As a first step of expansion, the Alliance composed of the University of Barcelona (coordinator), Trinity College Dublin, Utrecht University, Eötvös Loránd University, and the University of Montpellier will expand with Åbo Akademi University, Julius-Maximilians University Würzburg and Hochschule Ruhr West. The integration of the three new partners will contribute to achieving CHARM-EU’s ambitious vision and objectives while providing experiences from different educational systems, including curriculum design, teaching and learning and digital transformation. Prof. Joan Guàrdia, Rector of the University of Barcelona highlighted that “all the universities that are members of CHARM-EIGHT∞ are very excited about this new phase” and that the new members make CHARM-EU stronger as an alliance.
With the support of the new Erasmus+ grant, the CHARM-EU Alliance will continue to provide an innovative, transdisciplinary and intercultural environment for the benefit of students, university staff members and extra-academic stakeholders. As Prof. Joan Guàrdia, emphasized, “CHARM-EIGHT∞ is a shared commitment to the future that involves universities and society stakeholders in the structure of a new European university”. CHARM-EU will continue to engage in creating a transformative and sustainable European educational and research experience and to contribute positively to shaping the role of Europe in the world as it undergoes a deep transformation to reconcile humanity with the planet.
For more information, please access the press release of the CHARM-EU Alliance or visit https://www.charm-eu.eu/.