Scope

The European Excellence Initiative in its widening dimension aims to raise excellence in science and in knowledge valorisation of Europe’s universities through cooperation. The action will engage with universities and empower them further to be actors of change.

Through the geographically inclusive cooperation and practice exchange in the European Universities alliances, universities from different capacities benefit and institutional changes towards increased attractiveness and access to excellence are accelerating (connected to ERA policy agenda action 16).

By developing closer cooperation with economic and industrial partners within local and regional innovation ecosystems, academic researchers and support staff will be provided the opportunity to be trained in knowledge valorisation, entrepreneurship, access to finance, at any stage of their careers (connected to ERA policy agenda action 7 and 15), and to take into account the variety of academics’ activities in their career assessment (specifying ERA policy Agenda action 3 and 4).

Cooperation of universities will be supported to create critical R&I mass and pursue specific objectives that contribute to accelerating key areas of own choice, such as the Green Deal and Mission areas. The European Excellence Initiative in its widening dimension is open to any network of universities, not only to European Universities alliances, and allows for variable geometries (where for instances universities participating in alliances for specific themes may team up with other partners to pursue other specific themes or objectives). Under this call the centre of gravity of the action must be in widening countries. Applicants have to convincingly demonstrate this geographical focus e.g. by a budget allocation of at least 70% to participants from widening countries.