"We are delighted to have received renewed confidence from the European Commission for our work within FORTHEM. The alliance is an important part of UiA's internationalisation strategy, and we have learned a great deal through close collaboration with universities in other European countries," says Rector Sunniva Whittaker.
UiA has been a member of the European university alliance FORTHEM since September 2022. The alliance comprises nine universities from nine countries, which collaborate on education, research and mobility across national borders.
A total of 37 university alliances applied this spring for two-year funding through the European Commission's Erasmus+ scheme. On 9 July, it was confirmed that the FORTHEM alliance was among the 20 awarded funding.
More opportunities for collaboration, both at home and abroad
More than 220.000 students and almost 30.000 staff from nine universities in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Finland, Poland, Latvia, Romania and Norway make up the FORTHEM university alliance.
The new award brings the alliance a total of around 80 million kroner for the next two years.
Membership in FORTHEM gives students, staff, businesses, schools and other organisations at UiA access to a range of opportunities for international collaboration in education, research, innovation and societal engagement.
Among other things, students have the opportunity to take up traineeships, language courses, and shorter or longer periods of study abroad. Staff and researchers have the opportunity for job shadowing, exchanges and collaborative projects with colleagues at other universities.
"Building a shared culture takes time, and we can now reap the rewards of the work we put into the alliance during the first funding period," says Whittaker.
About FORTHEM
- FORTHEM is one of 65 European university alliances funded by the European Commission's Erasmus+ programme.
- The alliance comprises nine universities from nine different countries, which collaborate across national borders on education, research, innovation and societal engagement.
- UiA became a member of the alliance in September 2022.
In the next period, the alliance will focus in particular on developing joint courses across the universities, building stronger research networks, and strengthening collaboration with partners outside academia.
UiA also received around 22 million kroner from the EU in 2022 through its membership in the alliance, for a four-year period.
Read more about the award on FORTHEM's website