The EMERGE University Network: European Margins Engaging for Regional and Global Empowerment
What is EMERGE?
In 2023, the EU Commission published the fourth round of the "European Universities Initiative" (EUI) funding line under the Erasmus+ program. "European Universities" are university alliances that aim to combine the strengths and diversity of European research and teaching in new structures, in order to address the challenges that Europe is facing. The aim is to create an outstanding European educational area, as well as to strengthen the international competitiveness and improve the attractiveness of European universities in the fields of education, research and innovation. In this context, Europa-Universität Flensburg has joined forces with eight strategic partner universities from Ireland, France, Spain, Norway, Greece, Cyprus and Slovakia to found the EMERGE university alliance. The network is coordinated by the University of Limerick (Ireland).
The EMERGE vision
Despite being far from the European center or the national centers respectively, the EMERGE partner universities hold European ideals and values as central. The goal is to increase the integration and engagement of and with the European periphery, and to create a model of excellence in the fields of higher education, research, languages and cultures, lifelong learning (LLL) as well as sustainable governance that engages students, staff, and the wider society. The alliance promotes a transformative and sustainable educational approach that offers learners a personalized educational journey ("European Education Pathway"), preparing them to effectively address global, European and peripheral challenges.
Our core concept of "productive and creative peripheries" is presented in our short EMERGE film.
Activities
Current and planned activities include, for example, developments in virtual mobility and virtual exchange, applications for collaborative project funding with Erasmus+ Key Action 2 in the area of the internationalization of teaching, and the establishment of so-called EMERGE InnoRT Hubs. An InnoRT Hub is a both international and regional platform for research and networking activities, joint third-party funding applications, publications and events as well as research- and project-based learning. There is also an exchange between staff (Staff Weeks) and a forum for student representatives from the participating universities.
What are the cooperation universities?
- University of Limerick, Ireland (UL) (Project coordination)
- Rennes 2 University, France (UR2)
- University of Southern Brittany, France (UBS)
- Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway (INN)
- Matej Bel University, Slovakia (UMB)
- Neapolis University Pafos, Cyprus (NUP)
- Democritus University of Thrace, Greece (DUTH)
- University of A Coruna, Spain (UDC)
- Europa-Universität Flensburg, Germany (EUF)
Contact persons
If you would like to get involved in research activities (for example, in an international research project or an InnoRT Hub) or teaching activities (for example, in an international teaching and learning format) within the context of EMERGE, you are welcome to contact us.
- For general questions on the EMERGE university alliance: Dr. Thomas Duttle, Coordinator International Cooperation and Virtual Mobility
- For general questions on internationalization: Dr. Isabella Tegethoff, Senior Advisor for European and International Affairs, or Prof. Dr. Ulrich Glassmann, Vice President for European and International Affairs
- EMERGE and research: Dr. Maria Schwab
- EMERGE and higher education didactics: Dr. Kathrin Rheinländer
- EMERGE and teaching, in particular blended and online teaching and learning formats: Dr. Thomas Duttle
- EMERGE and the student forum: AStA
The official EMERGE internet site is: https://euemerge.eu/