ATHENA European University | CUAS in Austria

The European Universities Initiative

The European Universities Initiative (EUI) is a flagship initiative of the European Commission (EC). It aims to create ambitious transnational alliances of higher education institutions (HEI) and develop long-term (10 years+) structural and strategic cooperation in all their domains of activities: education, research, innovation, external partnerships, etc. The alliances benefit their students, staff, and society and are run primarily through Erasmus+ funding.

The main goals of the EUI are to:

improve the international competitiveness of higher education institutions in Europe
promote European values and identity

Following five calls between 2019 and 2024, the EUI encompasses 64 European Universities alliances with more than 560 HEI of all types and from all across Europe.

Learn more about the European Universities Initiative

CUAS in the EUI

Carinthia University of Applied Sciences has been involved in the European Universities Initiative since January 2023, when it became an Associated Partner of the ATHENA Alliance. In fact, several ATHENA member institutions were already long-term partners of CUAS.
With its wide-ranging expertise in applied multi- and interdisciplinary teaching and research, CUAS makes a strong contribution to the alliance. Since the beginning of the partnership, our staff has demonstrated a strong commitment, participating in and initiating several joint projects, they make a crucial contribution to advancing the alliance and its common vision.

In June 2024, CUAS became even more deeply involved in the EUI, as a founding member of the ACE2-EU Alliance. It is now one of five UAS in Austria to be part of an alliance and the only Austrian higher education institution that was successful in the 2024 call. Furthermore, CUAS is the only Carinthian HEI to be part of a European University alliance. This outcome is a crucial milestone in the internationalisation strategy of CUAS and will significantly contribute to its integration into the European Education Area.

ACE2-EU

The Applied Connected Entrepreneurial & Engaged European University (ACE2-EU) was one of the fourteen successful alliances in the fifth EUI call, as announced by the European Commission in June 2024 . Its mission is described as “Addressing Future Challenges – Delivering Sustainable Societal Transformation Today”.

ACE2-EU gathers nine member institutions from nine countries: Austria, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain. It encompasses approximately 56 000 students, 3,200 staff, 200 research groups and 53 faculties from a wide variety of institutions, all with an applied focus. In addition, 55 Associated Partners represent society, local and regional authorities, as well as business and industry.

Learn more about ACE2-EU

ATHENA

The Advanced Technology Higher Education Network Alliance (ATHENA) was created in 2020 as part of the second wave of European Universities alliances. In 2024, the European Commission awarded ATHENA the Seal of Excellence, highlighting the quality of the cooperation between all partners.

The alliance draws on their combined strengths to reach a common objective: deliver high-quality education with a positive impact on research, youth employability and social advancement at the national and European levels. It also aims at “transform[ing] our universities into connecting spaces, where the arts, social sciences, and humanities interplay with the natural and engineering sciences across all partner institutions.”

ATHENA is a federation of ten mid-size HEIs from nine European countries: France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Ukraine; with two associated partner HEIs, including CUAS and a second Ukrainian university. It gathers around 160 000 students and 15 000 staff.

The European Universities Office (EUO) at CUAS

The EUO is the Coordination and Liaison Office at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, located on the Villach Campus. The Office ensures the smooth coordination of the project implementation and reliable communication between our European Universities partners and the four schools and various departments at CUAS. It is also actively involved in implementing the university’s internationalisation strategy.

The EUO’s main role can be summarised as follows:

Coordinator: Our office is responsible for project management. It oversees all activities and initiatives within the different work packages and task forces, ensuring that they align with the alliances’ goals and visions and meet high quality standards.
Knowledge Broker: Sharing and disseminating information about opportunities to participate in projects and initiatives in both directions (CUAS internal and alliance partners), as well as experiences and best practices of other alliances; providing vision and knowledge about the European University Initiative (EUI).
Mobilizer: Motivation for the active participation of CUAS in the EUI and its role in transforming the European Higher Education Area.
Supporter: Provision of support in implementing joint activities where applicable and possible.