Project Manager for EDUC at USN: Heidi Tovsrud Knutsen
What is EDUC?
USN is part of the university alliance European Digital UniverCity (EDUC), which links eight European universities in seven different countries. Toghether we form a strong triangle of shared knowledge and academic values between Western, Central, Northern and Southern Europe, and develope strong ties between local environments to tackle global challenges of the 21st century.
EDUC is a result of the EU's European Universities Initiatives (EUI) and was one of the first 17 alliances established in 2019. USN became an associate member of the alliance in 2022 and a full member when the alliance entered phase two with funding for four new years starting in 2023.
EDUCs partner universities work together to unite knowledge and resources, aiming to create an integrated European university with transnational campuses.
EDUC supports seamless mobility for students and staff through language diversity, and uses blended, physical and virtual learning and training formats organized on our virtual campus.
The alliance is characterized by close strategic cooperation between partners and the development of an agile, inclusive community of practice in teaching, research and mobility management.
Key figures
- 8 universities
- 7 countries
- 200 000 students
- 31 000 employees
EDUC persue five strategic goals:
The goal of the European Digital UniverCity (EDUC) Alliance is to create a European higher education area in which students, staff, teachers and researchers from the eight partner universities can learn, teach and work together.
1. The integration of the European Higher Education Area
The European Digital UniverCity builds an inclusive, international and mobile community between partner universities. By doing so, it drives the integration of the European Higher Education Area and thus supports the Bologna Process.
2. Europe-wide barrier-free studying
In the future, studying at the Alliance's partner universities should be barrier-free. To this end, formal barriers to entry are to be removed, more flexible and personalized study curricula established for students, and access to funding facilitated.
3. The integration of all students, teachers, researchers and employees
Ongoing communication and interaction processes will be created within each university and also between the six different universities. This will gradually create the conditions for the full integration of all students, teachers, researchers and staff within and between the partner universities.
4. The promotion of a European identity
EDUC promotes the development of a European identity and the dissemination of European values through appropriate educational opportunities.
5. Working together on the challenges of the 21st century
As an active European community of university staff, we address structural and societal challenges of the 21st century together.
Partners
