Expanding Horizons: The EELISA Enlargement Strategy

A PURPOSE-DRIVEN ENLARGEMENT STRATEGY

Building on the achievements of its first years, EELISA is charting new pathways for growth and global collaboration. This new chapter of EELISA envisions strategic expansion, deeper partnerships, and a bold commitment to shaping the future of European higher education. Guided by an ambitious enlargement strategy, the Alliance is welcoming new partners who share its mission to transform education, research, and innovation across borders and disciplines.

At its core, this strategy reflects EELISA’s belief that diversity, collaboration, and excellence are key to shaping the universities of the future. The enlargement process aims to:

Strengthen EELISA’s ability to tackle Europe’s grand challenges — from digital transformation to sustainability.
Broaden the Alliance’s impact beyond its current eight countries, fostering a truly European and global network.
Attract new students, researchers, and partners who share a passion for innovation and societal transformation.
Contribute to the European Commission’s vision of an innovative, globally competitive, and inclusive European Higher Education Area.

THE VALUE OF PARTNERING WITH EELISA

Joining EELISA will allow you to:

Integrate a high-impact European University Alliance characterised by its academic excellence and European recognition.
Strengthen your international reputation and networking.
Access to EELISA joint education and mobility opportunities.
Access to EELISA research opportunities and to its entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem.
Institutional development and funding access.

PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

EELISA’s growth model is designed to be inclusive yet strategic, offering several partnership formats to engage institutions and organisations across sectors:

FULL PARTNERS

EELISA welcomes a limited number of new higher education institutions as full partners, ensuring complementarity with existing members while maintaining an agile and cohesive structure. Full partners actively contribute to all alliance missions and participate in governance and decision-making.

ASSOCIATED PARTNERS

These partners — such as universities, research institutions, industry associations, and innovation hubs — play a vital role in supporting EELISA’s activities and strategic goals. They bring unique expertise to specific initiatives, expanding the alliance’s reach and capabilities. Associated partners do not receive EU funding but gain access to EELISA’s vibrant ecosystem of collaboration and visibility.

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

Public institutions, city councils, accreditation bodies, and similar organisations may engage as supporting partners, offering institutional, financial, or project-based support that reinforces EELISA’s activities and impact.

A TRANSPARENT AND RIGOROUS EVALUATION PROCESS

Each potential partnership undergoes a careful evaluation process based on its alignment with EELISA’s mission, its capacity to contribute to strategic goals, and its potential to enhance collaboration within and beyond Europe. For full partners, this involves a detailed assessment of institutional fit, long-term commitment, and added value to the Alliance, while for associated and supporting partners, the focus is on specific competencies, strategic relevance, and opportunities for mutual benefit. This structured approach ensures that EELISA grows with purpose—welcoming partners who strengthen its vision, expand its network, and deepen its collective impact.

A FUTURE OF SHARED EXCELLENCE

With its new enlargement strategy, EELISA paves the way for a more connected, dynamic, and resilient European University Alliance. Together with its existing members and partners, EELISA will continue to inspire innovation, foster inclusion, and shape a brighter, more sustainable future for higher education and society.

We invite visionary institutions and organisations to join us on this journey, contributing their expertise and ambitions to a shared mission of transforming education, research, and innovation across Europe and beyond.