How can European university alliances help shape the future of a more competitive Europe?
As a founding member of the European university alliance Charm-EU, the University of Montpellier is actively participating in its annual conference, organized on November 12, 2025 in Utrecht and online. An opportunity to highlight the structuring role of higher education in strengthening competitiveness, sustainability and inclusion in Europe, in response to major global societal challenges.
The conference in a nutshell
Held in Utrecht (Netherlands), the annual Charm-EU 2025 conference will bring together opinion leaders, European decision-makers, university managers, innovation professionals, Professors and students. Together, they will debate the role of university alliances in strengthening European leadership in professional skills development, talent attraction, mobility, internationalization and regional development. Through plenary sessions and interactive workshops, the event will question the capacity of these alliances to become a strategic lever of competitiveness for Europe.
" European university alliances are more than just academic partnerships - they are driving forces for innovation, competitiveness and the promotion of European values. Charm-EU is at the forefront of this transformation, convincingly defending European values in the quest for a sustainable and democratic world. Through collaborative, cross-border educational offerings based on science, research and academic freedom, Charm-EU is working to redefine the future of higher education," say the rectors of the nine member institutions of the Charm-EU alliance.
Securing Europe's academic future
European university alliances occupy a strategic position in a rapidly changing academic landscape. Supported by the European Commission, the European University Initiative now brings together 73 alliances, representing nearly 650 higher education establishments across the continent. They embody an ambitious and transformative vision of Europe's academic future.
In a context marked by numerous challenges, increased global competition for talent and the dual digital and ecological transition, the Charm-EU 2025 annual conference carries a clear message: universities are not simply places of learning, but strategic catalysts for a stronger, more competitive and more resilient Europe. This dynamic underlines the strategic role of the European Universities Initiative: a visionary undertaking that must be sustained to guarantee Europe's academic future.
Practical information:
- Date: November 12, 2025
- Location: Bar Beton, Pythagoraslaan 101, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Full program: here
- Registration: here
- Press release: here
- More information on CHARM-EU: here
About CHARM-EU
Founded in 2019, CHARM-EU is an innovative European university alliance supported by the European Commission's Erasmus+ program. It brings together nine renowned higher education institutions: University of Barcelona (Spain), Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), Utrecht University (Netherlands), Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary), University of Montpellier (France), Åbo Akademi University (Finland), Hochschule Ruhr West (Germany), University of Würzburg (Germany), University of Bergen (Norway). As a pioneering alliance, CHARM-EU plays a leading role in transnational cooperation in higher education. Among its major achievements: the first joint master's degree carried by an alliance of European universities, challenge-based pedagogical models, the promotion of open science and inclusive education. CHARM-EU has also actively contributed to the European Diploma Label pilot project (ED-AFFICHE).