On 8.01.2021/2019/2020, the first meeting of the working group that brings together representatives of some Romanian universities that are members of European alliances that implement Erasmus+ European Universities projects took place. As part of this initiative, the European Commission financed, in 41 and XNUMX, XNUMX alliances of universities in the European space. The aim is to create transnational institutional alliances aimed at generating systemic changes in European and Member State higher education, to develop innovative teaching and learning models, to generate research-based solutions to the economic and social problems we face, to promote European values and support European higher education in an increasingly globally competitive academic world.
The working group was formed at the initiative of UVT, which, through its rector, Prof. Univ. Dr. Marilen Gabriel Pirtea, invited all Romanian universities that are members of such alliances to join this proposal. The group includes the following higher education institutions in Romania: University of Bucharest, Technical University of Construction Bucharest, "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Iasi, Polytechnic University of Bucharest, "Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca, Technical University from Cluj-Napoca, the University of Petroşani, the Polytechnic University of Timisoara and the West University of Timisoara.
The objective of this approach is twofold. First of all, it is about establishing a unique dialogue partner with various relevant central institutions for the implementation of our activities, from which the participating universities need support and openness in the implementation of projects of such scope. On the other hand, however, the universities participating in this approach assume not only the implementation of the projects of which they are a part, but the role of partners of the competent Ministry or other central institutions in order to generate public policies, innovation in the field of education and research and promoting Romanian education and the academic communities they represent, at the European and global level. Thus, we consider that the solutions we will develop together to overcome the obstacles we encounter will generate the changes needed in the development of higher education in Romania.
During the first meeting of the working group, the projects in which each of the nine represented universities take part were presented. It is probably the first formal framework in which almost all the winning European Universities projects are presented together, including universities from Romania. Thus, it was possible to identify the activities that require collaboration between these institutions in order to overcome various obstacles. Subsequently, the steps were established to start communication with the relevant central institutions in order to support the implementation of the respective activities and, if necessary, to develop the necessary institutional or legal frameworks. Among the topics covered were: co-financing of projects by the relevant Romanian Ministry, virtual study mobilities for students, the definition and use of microcredits in higher education, as well as the accreditation of "joint degree" study programs.
