At YUFE (The Young Universities for the Future of Europe) we are ten universities[1], building our version of the European University of the Future. Our partners aim to shape an inclusive future for European students, learners, and their society. The Alliance started with a white canvas and step by step filled it with a vibrant painting. With a total of 64 selected Alliances and as a first-generation Alliance active for five years, we have left the pilot phase behind us. After the first baby steps back in 2019, we are now entering adolescence. We currently build sustainable structures for the future and institutionalise our core business. YUFE is here to stay. In the following paragraphs we will give a short insight into our past achievements and future plans. For more details, please visit our brand new website www.yufe.eu.
YUFE Education – pioneering new learning opportunities across boarders
YUFE advocates for open, flexible, and inclusive learning pathways for students, staff and lifelong learners. OPEN YUFE is our answer for personalised learning paths, offering a catalogue of over 1200 existing virtual and physical academic courses and informal learning activities. Over 1300 students have enrolled in the Open Programmes so far, with 3600 expected by 2027. Our YUFE Minors offer challenge-based learning opportunities of 30 ECTS, combining physical and virtual courses across partner universities. By launching our YUFE Bachelor on Urban Sustainability in the academic year 2025/2026, we bring our open curriculum methodology to a next level of commitment. We believe that our joint YUFE Bachelor with seven degree awarding partners (the rest of the members being involved as mobility partners) is the logical answer to the European Commission’s Blueprint for a European Degree, already fulfilling most of the European Degree criteria.
YUFE Culture – building our Alliance on values
In the past years we have created a YUFE Culture with a strong emphasis on Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (ED&I), Quality Assurance and student centeredness. This year, the leadership of our member universities reinforced their commitment to enabling student engagement within YUFE to the highest possible degree. Students are co-creators of YUFE, represented in all decision-making processes of the YUFE Governance. In the past year YUFE, has made enormous efforts to create a robust and clear governance structure for the Alliance, culminating in the foundation of the YUFE legal entity. This enhanced governance, with the YUFE Central Office embedded in the legal entity and based in Brussels, demonstrates the partners’ clear long-term commitment to collaboration. It ensures that YUFE is resilient to changes from inside and outside and looks into a sustainable future. The YUFE Quality Assurance Framework, built on the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle is also crucial for guaranteeing sustainability and resilience. It ensures that monitoring and evaluating Alliance activities go hand in hand with continuous improvement and innovation.
YUFE for Society – becoming a successful model of a socially responsible European University
With our YUFE Community Engagement Manifesto, we encourage, support and reward community-engaged teaching, learning and research, fostering YUFE universities as civic-minded learning communities. We integrate community and environmental dimensions into YUFE alliance policies, governance, and actions as well as foster our students and staff to engage with (g)local communities.
The Horizon 2020 YUFERING project, spanning from March 2021 to February 2024, has successfully concluded, delivering significant advancements in research, innovation, and knowledge transfer throughout Europe. Funded by the EC, it focused on human capital development, open science, knowledge valorisation, and community-engaged research and innovation (CERI). Recognised by major organizations and being commended for its significant results and potential impact, YUFERING’s initiatives are expected to have a lasting impact on the YUFE Alliance and the European research landscape at large.
YUFE Talent – nurturing individual capacities in all career and life stages
With its various activities, YUFE serves a diverse community of learners. We firmly believe that significant learning happens throughout people´s lives. Currently, we are exploring a possible YUFE Lifelong learning offer through a Skills for the Future pilot.
Early career researchers, can follow the novel YUFE doctoral and post-doctoral training programmes, working with mentors from both academia and the business world, expanding their career perspectives and international networks. Over 300 doctoral candidates are expected to enrol by 2027. YUFE also offers 60 postdoctoral positions through the Horizon Europe YUFE4Postdoc programme. Professional service staff can also benefit from YUFE. The YUFE Staff journey provides staff with virtual and physical mobility opportunities, fellowships, networking, on-the-job training and professional mentorship. Our staff development programme offers coherent training modules on topics like research leadership, open science, and talent development.
Summary
A lot has been achieved since the beginning of YUFE and even more is possible for the future. After piloting various offers and models, we are now in the phase of consolidation and becoming an ‘adult Alliance’. In the coming years, we will put our energy into developing our partnership from the top-scoring European University Alliance project into an initiative that is autonomous, sustainable, convincing in concept, and highly demanded.
[1] YUFE academic partners are: Maastricht University (coordinating institution) – The Netherlands, University of Antwerp – Belgium, University of Bremen – Germany, University of Carlos III de Madrid – Spain, University of Cyprus – Cyprus, University of Eastern Finland – Finland, University of Essex – United Kingdom, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris-France, University of Rijeka – Croatia, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun – Poland.
