Within the two selection calls, organized in 2019 and 2020 under the umbrella "European Universities" initiative, the European Commission identified 41 European university alliances that proposed visionary projects regarding the development of inter-institutional cooperation frameworks and strategic collaboration actions in the fields of education and research.
In this context, nine of the ten higher education institutions in Romania that are part of such consortia constituted, at the end of 2020, a network of Romanian universities implementing projects Erasmus+ European Universities. These are: Technical University of Constructions in Bucharest, University of Bucharest, "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University Iași, "Iuliu Hațieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca, University of Petroșani, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Politehnica University Timișoara , the Polytechnic University of Bucharest and the West University of Timișoara.
The purpose of this network is twofold:
• the exchange of best practices in the implementation of Erasmus+ European Universities projects between the nine higher education institutions;
• the formation of a representative nucleus of Romanian universities that will take part in defining the future of European higher education, with the aim of using the experiences and results of activities from the nine European alliances, for the benefit of all students and teaching staff in Romania through the transfer of good practices or contributions to the development of public policies in the field.
Given the importance of student representation in such an endeavor, The National Alliance of Student Organizations from Romania (ANOSR) became a partner of the network mentioned above since the initial phase of its organization.
Following the work meetings organized between January and March 2021 at the network level three major themes were identified, of interest to all the nine universities involved:
- micro-certifications,
- joint degree study programs and
- virtual mobility
It was also concluded that the successful implementation of the activities undertaken within the consortia of which these universities are part, can become an incubator for the transfer of good practices to other universities in the country. In this sense, the universities involved submitted the conclusions of the working groups on the above-mentioned topics at the beginning of March and launched an invitation to dialogue to the following institutions in Romania:
- Ministry of Education (General Directorate of University Education, General Directorate of International Relations and European Affairs, National Center for the Recognition and Equivalence of Diplomas),
- The Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education,
- National Qualifications Authority and
- National Agency for Community Programs in the Field of Education and Vocational Training.
Thus, on Wednesday, 31.03.2021, a virtual round table was held that brought together representatives of all the institutions invited to the dialogue, as well as of ANOSR, together with those of the universities in the network. The most important result of the meeting was the fact that there is a general agreement regarding the need for common, collaborative actions regarding the challenges and the opportunities of the Erasmus+ European Universities initiative for those who implement these projects, in particular, but also for the entire higher education system in Romania, in general. In April, the working groups already existing at the level of the RO European Universities network will be completed with colleagues from the central institutions, in order to deepen, together, these subjects and to advance in the direction of the objectives we proposed: development and exchange of good practices in order to generate systemic changes.
The rector of UVT, university professor Dr. Marilen Gabriel Pirtea, confirms the results of the dialogue: "After a focused discussion on the three themes addressed (micro-certifications, joint degree study programs and virtual mobilities), each institution assumed specific commitments towards the development of legislative initiatives and public policies that maximize the opportunities offered by the Universities European. The first results of this process will be seen in the development of the legislation regarding joint degree study programs, in which Romania was deficient and which represents a priority for the internationalization of universities."
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The Western University of Timisoara is part of such a European university alliance, UNITA, within a project that is implemented together with: Università degli studi di Torino, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, University of Zaragoza and University of Beira Interior. The consortium brings together universities whose communities total over 165 students from European countries speaking Romance languages (Italy, France, Spain, Romania and Portugal), and which operate in similar geographical, cultural and socio-economic ecosystems.
The UNITA university alliance has over 50 associated partners, higher education institutions, non-governmental organizations, public and private companies, local and regional government institutions, which turns UNITA into a model of good practices for the future of European education connected to the economic, social environment and cultural.
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