Strategies for the financial sustainability of European Universities alliances

Aligning institutional purpose, sustainable funding and effective leadership are essential for European Universities alliances – as well as other cooperation formats – to become stable and durable components of Europe’s higher education landscape.

Indeed, the focus of the alliances debate has recently shifted from the challenges of implementation to their long-term financial sustainability. There is growing awareness across the sector that alliances cannot remain dependent on short-term project grants and need to gain a clearer understanding of costs, value and funding responsibilities.

As such, this briefing analyses survey evidence and develops a conceptual framework that can support a structured and strategic discussion about the future of alliances. It puts forward a comprehensive model for the financial sustainability of alliances, building on EUA’s broader work on funding principles, leadership, governance and institutional transformation.

This framework highlights institutional purpose and added value as the foundation of sustainable cooperation. It also identifies four key pillars that shape the financial and organisational viability of alliances:

• A clear understanding of the full costs,
• Income diversification,
• Efficiency and effectiveness, and
• Leadership and governance.

In addition, this briefing situates European Universities alliances within the wider public funding landscape, drawing on EUA’s work on funding models and allocation principles, in order to spark a more structured reflection on how responsibilities should be shared across national and European levels. This broader perspective is essential, as the financial sustainability of alliances cannot be understood in isolation from the structural conditions of higher education funding in Europe.

Strategies for the financial sustainability of European Universities alliances

Enora Bennetot Pruvot, Thomas Estermann

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