EU-CONEXUS in a Europe-wide consortium of six university alliances has secured the European Commission’s support for ED-AFFICHE, their joint proposal to pilot the European Degree label funded by the Erasmus+ program.

This unprecedented collaboration among European University Alliances will enable Una Europa, 4EU+, CHARM-EU, EC2U, EU-CONEXUS and Unite! to make bold steps towards realising the transformative potential of the European Degree label. Pooling their collective expertise, the consortium will seek to improve the process of developing joint degrees as a central strand of the project.

Frederick University is the only University in Cyprus to participate in the consortium, as a full member of the EU-CONEXUS European University alliance.

"Frederick University's participation in the DE-AFFICHE project through the EU-CONEXUS European University alliance, is a step further towards the implementation of our University’s strategic goal of internationalization and extroversion. A new vision for transnational university collaboration is pioneered under the European Degree label and we are particularly proud to be part of it. Through our participation in international university networks, we seek to offer unique opportunities for our students to obtain degrees at bachelor, master and doctoral level and combine high quality education in other European countries", says Frederick University’s Rector, Professor George Demosthenous.

“This initiative aims to transform the European map of joint degrees, proposing the criteria that joint programmes must meet to obtain the European Degree label, in collaboration with the ministries and quality assurance agencies, both national and regional”, says Professor José Manuel Pagán Agulló, Rector of Catholic University of Valencia (UCV), representing the EU-CONEXUS Alliance in this project consortium. 

“We saw potential in this call to pilot the European Degree label that goes beyond the immediate objectives of this policy initiative and the lifetime of the project. With this powerhouse of a consortium, we hope to bring about tangible progress towards our common aim of making the development and implementation of joint degrees in Europe a less complex and resource-intensive undertaking. We aim to achieve meaningful impact for all types of universities across the European Higher Education Area”, says Professor Luc Sels, Rector of KU Leuven, representing Una Europa in this project consortium.

The project applicants represent a diverse and high-powered consortium that unites a total of 51 higher education institutions from 22 different countries across the European continent. It is supported by 18 national and regional ministries in charge of higher education, as well as key players in the area of higher education, accreditation and quality assurance. The participating universities are deeply rooted in their respective ecosystems, have a long tradition of international collaboration and a strong track record in the development of joint programmes. Together, the universities represent a combined student and staff body of nearly 2 million people. This community of students, professionals and academic staff will be actively empowered to take part in the project activities.

Over the course of one year, the project consortium will take a comprehensive look at the state of joint programmes, conduct an in-depth mapping exercise on its extensive portfolio, and organise strategic activities both at national and European levels to facilitate an open dialogue between universities and their national/ regional legislators. The consortium aims to gain further insights into the most pressing challenges that exist in the development of joint programmes today and initiate the exchange of best practice at European level. It is this process of mutual learning between stakeholders across Europe that may ultimately lead to the development of transnational strategies to overcome these hurdles.

Frederick University is a full member of the European University EU-CONEXUS which focuses on Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability. The Joint Master Program in Marine Biotechnology offered by EU-CONEXUS is one of the joint degree programs created under the "European Universities" initiative, accredited in accordance with the European procedure and secured the support of the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Scholarship of the Erasmus+ program.

The European Degree Label is a flagship initiative of the European Strategy for Universities along with the European Universities initiative for boosting transnational collaboration in European higher education and positively impacting the attractiveness and competitiveness of the European Higher Education and Research on the world stage.