Discover

Dive into our vision for European University Alliance.

Our Mission

At U!REKA, we empower future generations through cross-border collaboration in higher education. By uniting diverse perspectives and expertise, we aim to nurture inclusive, innovative, and environmentally conscious professionals who will lead Europe towards a sustainable and equitable future.

U!REKA is a European University Alliance of over 30 higher education institutions and partners. By working together across borders and building on each other’s expertise and strengths, we educate the European professionals of tomorrow: inclusive, intercultural, open-minded professionals who accelerate Europe’s shift towards climate neutrality.

U!REKA today

In early 2023, U!REKA unveiled a new strategy and mission as part of its aim to participate in the European Commission’s European Universities Initiative. Our proposal, called U!REKA SHIFT (Sustainable Human Inclusive Future-proof Transition), was successful. This means that, as of 2024, U!REKA is an official Erasmus+ co-funded European University Alliance. Our expanded partner network now includes over 30 partners from across Europe (6 full partners and 24 associate partners).

U!REKA SHIFT aims to, through long-term structural cooperation, integrate our partners education and research activities into a European University with a clear focus on three objectives, which include establishing an inter-university campus, sharing best practices and accelerating the transition to climate-neutral and smart cities.

The goals of the European Green Deal and the EU-mission for 100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities are embedded in our strategy. U!REKA SHIFT is one of the few EUA-projects with only universities of applied sciences as the main partners. We are extremely proud to participate in this programme!

Our history

U!REKA stands for the Urban Research and Education Knowledge Alliance. Our story started in 2016, when six founding universities decided to create a network focused on sharing best practices in education and research and offering students and employees opportunities to collaborate internationally. Our founding partners include the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands); Edinburgh Napier University (Scotland); HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Belgium); Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (Germany); Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki (Finland); and OsloMet (Norway).

Our network has transformed since those early days. In 2020 we welcomed two new full partners: Politécnico de Lisboa (Portugal) and VSB – Technical University of Ostrava (Czech Republic). In early 2020 our Scottish partner Napier become an associate partner due to Brexit and a year later we said goodbye to one of our founding partners, OsloMet.

From 2016 – 2023, U!REKA focused on establishing collaborative projects in the areas of teaching, research, mobility initiatives and more. We created many successful initiatives in that time, such as the Urban Commons Lab, Research Support Group and the U!REKA Change Agents programme for students, among others. Our annual networking event, U!REKA Connects, is the highlight of the year for our network.

Vision and values

Our vision

U!REKA European University envisions an inclusive, innovative, and enduring academic community that connects people across countries and empowers individuals to co-creatively tackle the pressing urban challenges of our time.

We are committed to creating a sustainable inter-university campus that fosters an inclusive and connected learning environment for all, promoting equal access to education while driving the green and digital transitions. Through this initiative, we aim to cultivate transversal skills, ensure seamless mobility, and promote European values and intercultural understanding across our campuses. Guided by principles of good governance, we create opportunities for growth that reflect the diversity of our society.

Our ambition is to become a lighthouse European University for challenge-based learning and innovation. By integrating education with research and innovation, we emphasize co-creative and challenge-based learning approaches that prepare future professionals to be change-makers in the transition to a sustainable future. We foster quadruple helix collaboration—engaging academia, industry, government, and civil society—while sharing best practices to lead the transformation of the European higher education sector.

Moreover, we are dedicated to shaping future-proof urban professionals equipped with the skills to accelerate the transition toward climate-neutral and smart cities. Our curriculum is designed to embed ecological, social, and economic sustainability, offer digital transition courses, develop joint degree programs, and offer micro-credentials focused on green and digital skills. This prepares students and lifelong learners across various levels of education to become leaders in their fields.

Through these efforts, U!REKA aims to empower not only our cities but also our broader European network to address societal challenges and achieve climate neutrality.

Our values

The U!REKA values are intrinsically linked, each reinforcing the other to shape our identity and drive our mission. Inclusion ensures that diverse voices are heard and valued, creating the foundation for meaningful collaboration. Co-creation thrives in this inclusive environment, as we work together across boundaries to generate innovative solutions. Boldness complements these values by encouraging us to explore new possibilities and embrace ambitious goals.

Together, these three values form a mindset that guides our efforts to build a more inclusive, collaborative, and forward-thinking academic community.

1. Inclusion

Inclusion is at the core of our identity. We are committed to creating an open and welcoming academic environment where diverse perspectives are valued, and everyone is given the support needed to ensure equal opportunities for success. By continually striving toward greater inclusion in every aspect of our European University Alliance, we ensure that everyone can thrive, regardless of background or circumstance. Inclusion is a continuous journey of listening, learning, and growing together.

2. Co-Creation

Co-creation is central to our approach to innovation and collaboration. We believe that genuine curiosity and trust form the foundation of effective co-creation. It’s about investing in relationships to fully engage all stakeholders. Whether we are collaborating with students, staff, researchers, or external partners, our goal is to create and share knowledge across disciplines and sectors to address societal challenges and co-create solutions together that make a meaningful impact. This process also extends to the communities around us as new environments for immersive learning. “If you want to go far, go together” reflects our belief that shared effort leads to better, more sustainable outcomes.

3. Boldness

Boldness inspires us to explore new possibilities and aim for ambitious goals. It’s about having the courage to break away from convention and take risks—whether it is acknowledging uncertainty or trying new approaches without fear of failure. More than fostering an individual trait, we seek to inspire this mindset in others. Boldness means not holding back from stepping outside one’s comfort zone and creating safe spaces for others to do the same – we want to inspire others to be bold. As an alliance, we aim to move forward by embracing new ways of working, being agile in decision-making, and empowering our community to think big and dare to innovate.

Partners

U!REKA is a vibrant network, bringing together 30 partners from across Europe.

Our European University includes higher education institutions, cities and municipalities, regional councils, prominent European networks and non-profit organisations.