| Formation: | 2019 |
| Type: | Education and research |
| Headquarters: | Brussels, Belgium |
| Region Served: | Europe |
| Website: | Una Europa |
Una Europa is an international network of European research-intensive universities.[1] Launched in early 2019, the alliance is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium and connects eleven universities, nine of which are in the European Union.[2] Taken together, the participating universities teach almost 500,000 students with over 75,000 staff.[3]
The network was formed in response to the European Commission's European Universities Initiative launched in 2017, which aims to create several transnational alliances of universities across Europe.[4] The proposal for Una Europa was selected by the European Commission for funding in its first call in 2019, and became operational the same year.[5] Some of Una Europa's initiatives have received additional funds from the European Union's Horizon programmes (previously known as the Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development) intended to foster cooperation in the European Research Area.[6]
The network's ultimate goal is an integrated multinational university that enables student and staff mobility between its member institutions. This involves the creation of shared professorships,[7] transnational double degrees, doctoral programs, and research projects.[8] The cooperation will focus on five main areas: cultural heritage, data science and artificial intelligence, European studies, public health, and sustainability.
Una Europa launched its first transnational joint degree in October 2022, the Joint Bachelor of Arts in European Studies (BAES).[9] The degree is the first of its kind in Europe, and allows students to study at several universities in the network during the three-year program. Students begin the program in one of four 'start universities' (Leuven, Bologna, Madrid, or Krakow), and go on mobility programs to one or two different universities (Berlin, Helsinki, Edinburgh, Paris, or Zurich) during their second and third years.[10] [11]
| Institution | Country | Founded | Students | Staff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KU Leuven |  Belgium | 1834 | 58,045 | 11,534 | |
| University of Helsinki |  Finland | 1640 | 31,200 | 7,838 | |
| Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University |  France | 1971 | 40,483 | 2,770 | |
| Free University of Berlin |  Germany | 1948 | 31,500 | 5,143 | |
| University College Dublin[12] |  Ireland | 1854 | 33,321 | 3,781 | |
| University of Bologna |  Italy | 1088 | 87,590 | 5,778 | |
| Jagiellonian University, Kraków |  Poland | 1364 | 35,517 | 3,942 | |
| Complutense University of Madrid |  Spain | 1293 | 86,159 | 11,162 | |
| University of Zurich |  Switzerland | 1833 | 25,732 | 5,753 | |
| Leiden University | 1575 | 32,806 | 7,100 | ||
| University of Edinburgh |  United Kingdom | 1583 | 35,375 | 11,079 |