New national recommendations support Finnish higher education institutions in European Universities Alliances

Programmes Higher education Erasmus+ Erasmus+ for higher education Internationalisation Education development

The close and ambitious cooperation carried out within the European Universities Alliances funded by Erasmus+ creates new demands for international interoperability in education and for digital solutions. As Finnish higher education institutions participate extensively in these alliances, the need for shared national operating principles has become increasingly important.

Photo: European Universties, European commission

In 2024, the cooperation group for student services, teaching support services and administration in higher education institutions (KOOTuki group) established a dedicated working subgroup to support Finnish higher education institutions in the activities of the European University Alliances.

The subgroup included key actors from higher education administration, digital services and educational development, such as CSC – IT Center for Science, OHA-forum, AMK-OHA, AAPA, Fucio, the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) and Digivisio.

New recommendations and a roadmap to guide alliance cooperation

The national support group for European University Alliances developed national operating principle recommendations for working within the alliances, as well as a roadmap for international interoperability. These aim to strengthen interoperability between higher education institutions, support national coordination and promote smooth European cooperation.

The operating principle recommendations emphasise strengthening national collaboration networks, clarifying internal governance structures within institutions, and making use of European standards in secure data exchange.

The roadmap for international interoperability provides an overall view of the services and systems that Finnish higher education institutions can utilise when participating in European alliances. Its purpose is to serve as a shared message on which services and solutions should be used in inter-institutional cooperation.

Higher education institutions have called for common guidelines

“Finnish member institutions of university alliances have been calling for national recommendations for alliance cooperation. The recommendations prepared by the working group are very welcome and will hopefully help institutions develop collaboration within the alliances,” comments Laura Lalu, Lead Adviser at the National Agency for Erasmus+ in EDUFI.

Team Leader for Erasmus+ mobility and Lead Adviser Mari Pohjola, continues: “There are already various digital tools and solutions in use across Europe, such as the services developed under the European Student Card Initiative (ESCI) of the Erasmus+ Programme, which promote interoperability. The newly published recommendations and roadmap make these solutions more visible and enable their use in supporting alliance cooperation.”

Strengthening Finland’s position in Europe

The aim of the shared operating principle recommendations and the roadmap is to develop interoperability within the Finnish higher education sector and increase Finland’s influence in European higher education policy.

The work on the operating principle recommendations will continue in the coming years through further development of guidelines and practices.

The text has been prepared in cooperation with CSC.

European University Alliances in brief

The European Commission aims to create a European Education Area where students’ studies, mobility and cooperation between higher education institutions function smoothly across national borders. A key role in achieving this goal is played by the European Universities Initiative – networks of higher education institutions from different countries coordinated by the European Commission and funded through the Erasmus+ Programme. The alliances focus particularly on developing digital learning environments, virtual campuses, and solutions to support student mobility and assessment.