CHARM-EU European University

The University of Montpellier and the CHARM-EU Alliance

Since 2019, the University of Montpellier has been a member of the European CHARM-EU alliance, alongside eight partner universities across Europe. Together, they are developing an innovative university model to enhance the quality, appeal, and competitiveness of higher education in Europe.

In this context, CHARM-EU has developed a project called CHARM-eight, funded by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), which supports cooperation and innovation initiatives among institutions.

What is a European university?

European Universities are alliances funded by the European Union and supported at the national level.

Their goal:

• Developing new forms of learning
• Strengthening research and innovation
• Promote international cooperation

Launched in 2018 with 41 partnerships, the initiative now has 65 partnerships as of 2025.

CHARM-EU stands out for the diversity of its member universities, which come from different countries, cultures, and academic traditions. This diversity enables us to develop a collaborative, innovative approach focused on addressing today’s major challenges.

CHARM-EU’s vision: to reconcile humanity with the planet

CHARM-EU aims to strengthen cooperation among universities, promote mobility, and foster a shared European identity in order to address today’s major challenges.

The alliance's objectives:

1. Offer courses grounded in mobility and inclusion, designed by intercultural and interdisciplinary teams.
2. To offer innovative, student-centered education that can serve as a model for universities across Europe.
3. Develop a joint scientific program based on the principles of responsible research and innovation, gender-responsive innovation, equality and inclusion, transdisciplinarity, and open science.
4. Encourage the professional development of staff.
5. Strengthen ties between teaching, research, and external partners.

CHARM-EU is constantly evolving and regularly offers new activities for students, academic and administrative staff, as well as external partners.

CHARM-EU's Key Actions

CHARM-EU offers innovative educational and mobility programs for students and academic staff:

• Transnational Online Learning (TOL): TOL is a catalog of online courses offered by partner universities. These courses are open to students at all levels from universities within the alliance and may be eligible for ECTS credit recognition by the student’s home university.
  Learn more about TOL and its course catalog here.
• Blended Intensive Programs (BIP): BIPs are short, hybrid courses that combine an online learning phase with a short in-person study period at a partner university. Students work in international, interdisciplinary teams on real-world challenges, often related to sustainability or societal issues. This educational format fosters collaboration and the development of intercultural skills.
  Discover the BIP opportunities offered by the CHARM-EU network.
  Are you a teacher interested in organizing a BIP within the CHARM-EU network? Contact us via .
• Micro-certificates (MC): CHARM-EU supports and promotes continuing education and professional development. To this end, the alliance highlights the micro-certificates (MC) offered by its member universities, which are accessible through a shared catalog. It also encourages collaboration among institutions to create MCs involving multiple instructors from different universities and enables learners to receive a CHARM badge upon completion of their training.
  More information on micro-certificates.
• CHARM-ED: CHARM-EU also promotes short-term educational initiatives among the alliance’s universities (creating a collaborative master’s program, uploading a course to TOL, collaborative educational projects, implementing CHARM principles in existing courses, etc.) through CHARM-ED calls for proposals, which provide funding ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 euros and promote selected projects on the website.
  More information on CHARM-ED.
• Networking events: Designed as collaborative and participatory formats, these events bring together academic and administrative staff as well as students around shared themes to foster the development of new collaborations at the European level. Structured around interactive workshops, agile methods, and group reflection sessions, these events help strengthen ties between partners, share best practices, and generate concrete projects. As part of a continuous improvement process, they actively contribute to building a sustainable, inclusive, and innovative CHARM-EU community.
• Peek-App: CHARM-EU also uses interactive digital tools such as the Peek-App to offer educational activities in the field. This app allows students to follow geolocated routes and complete various tasks or observations related to the program’s themes.
  Discover the Alliance’s Peek-Apps.
• SPARK: The SPARK platform is dedicated to internships for Alliance students. It centralizes internship opportunities offered by partner universities and their networks, allowing students to develop their professional skills and expand their international network.
  Explore the Alliance’s internship opportunities.
• Master’s Program in “Global Challenges for Sustainable Development”: The program is offered jointly in a hybrid format at five CHARM-EU universities, and students have opportunities for study abroad.
• International Mobility: There are numerous mobility opportunities at the alliance’s universities, for both students and staff. For more information, contact the international relations office at your school or department.
  Access the CHARM-EU network’s mobility opportunities for staff.

Educational resources and tools

• Online Toolkit: resources developed by CHARM-EU on teaching models, governance, mobility, inclusion, and more.
• Knowledge Creating Teams: interdisciplinary teams that collaborate and develop joint projects.
• Support for "CHARMifying" training programs: internationalization, competency-based learning, and inclusion, with the assistance of an instructional designer, as part of the PédagoNUM initiative.

Interested in getting involved in an innovative European initiative?

Whether you're a student, faculty member, staff member, or external partner, there are plenty of opportunities waiting for you in the CHARM-EU network!

If you have any questions, please contact us at