Accessibility Tools
This report is the second of a two-part flagship study and contains data from 32 university systems in Europe. It is accompanied by an online tool containing the full dataset on public funding to universities in Europe as well as individual country sheets and a methodological note offering more details about the data sample and the research approach.
The first part of this study released in October 2020 provides a detailed picture of the immediate impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on university funding and offers insight into the implications expected in the years to come.
The EUA Public Funding Observatory is a flagship initiative with annual updates and reports.
Methodological note 2020/21
The European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) was created in 2015 in order "to strengthen the attractiveness of investing in Europe and in the infrastructure of a modern knowledge economy [...] b ...
In June 2015, the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) came into force. It is part of the Investment Plan for Europe, the major instrument to address the first key priority of the Juncker Co ...
In line with the campaign “EU funding for universities”, which gathers support from the bulk of the university sector across Europe, EUA is also partnering with other university networks ...
This policy brief marks a new phase in EUA’s campaign and underlines that the sector is unlikely to benefit from the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), given the loan-financing mec ...
Addressing Europe’s key challenges and ensuring sustainable development requires the EU to have a well-functioning budget and to revisit its investment priorities. Cooperation in research ...
As the European Union prepares the next generation of EU funding programmes for the post-2020 period, budget discussions are increasingly geared towards performance, European added value, trust and ef ...
To ensure the financial sustainability of Europe’s 5,000 plus universities, EUA is calling on governments (as underlined in its Prague Declaration) to commit to increasing investment in higher e ...
European higher education systems have been affected very differently, to some extent reflecting the general impact on their respective national economies. They have also been affected at different st ...
Despite the tremendous diversity that exists in Europe, all universities face the challenge of sustainable funding more acutely than ever. Unprecedented massification has enormously benefited European ...
The results of the continuous EUA monitoring of the crisis clearly show that European higher education systems have been affected very differently, which reflects to some extent the impact that&n ...
With this statement, EUA responds to the public consultation launched by the European Commission in the spring of 2016 ahead of the review of the EU’s Financial Regulation. The Financial Regula ...
As negotiations move forward in hammering out the design of Horizon Europe, this EUA briefing serves as a practical document for policy makers. It provides strategic and practical recommendations for ...
In 2016, EUA launched the EUA Member Consultation on the Horizon 2020 Mid-Term Review, which addressed several aspects of Framework Programme simplification and revealed the need for further ...
In September, the Council of the European Union (EU member states) formally approved its position on the EU draft budget for 2015, which has been proposed by the European Commission. The Council of th ...
In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, and its expected economic impact, this EUA briefing explores the possible implications for university funding in Europe in the short to medium term. ...
This briefing looks at the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on higher education in Europe over the past six months. In particular, it examines the sudden shift to emergency remote learning and teaching, ...
Universities have much to say and deliver in the policy areas set forth in NextGenerationEU. They have a role to play in facilitating the green and digital transitions, in contributing towards smart a ...
As elsewhere in the world, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, universities in the EHEA have had to adjust to the sanitary measures. EUA conducted a snapshot survey of its national rectors’ conference mem ...
Based on data collected in 2021 by the International Association of Universities (IAU), Michael Gaebel and Henriette Stoeber reflect on the impact of the pandemic on European higher education. ...
The DEFINE project, the findings of which underpin the present analysis, has taken funding efficiency in higher education as the main focus of its research and activities. The project notably inc ...
The report “Performance-based Funding of Universities in Europe” gives an overview of performance elements in public funding for universities in 28 systems across Europe and focuses in particular ...
This briefing outlines EUA’s proposals to national and EU funders on how to make the EU reporting and control environment more efficient and effective. This is a matter of strategic importance t ...
As negotiations continue on the future Horizon Europe programme, the discussion on the Model Grant Agreement is fundamental for effective and smooth implementation. Not only does the Model Grant Agree ...
Building synergies between education, research and innovation across disciplines is crucial to tackling the major challenges our societies face. As the European Union projects ambitious policy goals, ...
The European Commission’s Industrial Strategy for Europe and the European Digital Strategy launched in the spring of 2020 offer an opportunity for a broad and holistic approach to fundamental challe ...
The process to renew the European Research Area (ERA) is gathering pace and is set to continue in the coming weeks, months and years. Building on previous policy positions, this policy input further e ...
Entitled ‘Funding for excellence’, it is the first in a series of three thematic reports that outline many of the key findings of the EUA-led DEFINE project, which analyses the impact of funding e ...
Given their education, research and societal missions, universities are important actors in the transition towards carbon neutrality, sustainable societies and economies. They are well placed to play ...
As part of the “Designing strategies for efficient funding of higher education in Europe (DEFINE)” project, the European University Association (EUA) has been collecting information and data from ...
The European Universities Initiative has been at the centre of many discussions in European higher education and research for the past couple of years. Universities across the continent enthusiastical ...
The European Commission’s new proposal for the next seven-year budget of the European Union together with the Next Generation EU recovery plan falls short of much needed investment in research, inno ...
As European leaders work towards an agreement on the European Union’s next seven-year budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework, and the related Next Generation EU recovery plan to help the EU’s ...
Fifteen university associations join together to call for an ambitious long-term EU budget for research, innovation and education to boost efforts to solve the manifold future challenges. ...
Growing expectations placed on teaching and research, along with squeezed public budgets are increasingly endangering the financial sustainability of Europe’s universities. EUA’s monitoring o ...
This report follows EUA’s first study on financially sustainable universities, which looked at the development of full costing in European universities and the ways to improve their capacity to ...
Since 2005, EUA had been examining the issues of funding, autonomy and accountability through engaging its members, some 800 European universities in 46 countries and 35 national r ...
This EUA study was undertaken in the first half of 2004 to meet the need for informed European policy discussions with an overview of the main trends and developments in the financing o ...
...
The report confirms that while the impact of the crisis on national systems varies widely across Europe, no national higher education system has been left completely unaffected. The report groups coun ...
The report provides a new analysis of the pressures that many countries face in terms of funding for higher education institutions, in particular by taking account of the impact of inflation and chang ...
The observatory analyses both the evolution of funding over the last year (2013-2014) and longer-term developments in university funding since 2008, also taking into account the impact of inflation, c ...
The 2015 edition records worrying signals from Northern Europe, a region that has so far kept up investments in higher education and research. Concerns particularly relate to Denmark and Finland, wher ...
The Public Funding Observatory 2016 data reveals that capital funding and investment in infrastructure for universities are decreasing. Student aid is declining and costs are being passed on to studen ...
The Public Funding Observatory 2017 report captures the very latest funding trends in Europe and offers the most up-to-date information on 34 different higher education systems. ...
The Public Funding Observatory 2017 report captures the very latest funding trends in Europe and offers the most up-to-date information on 34 different higher education systems. For the ...
Ahead of the adoption of the European Commission’s proposal for Horizon Europe, university practitioners from 12 European countries provide solid data based on their direct experience managing n ...
A substantial share of public investment is spent on public procurement in the European Union and quality public services depend on well-managed and efficient modern procurement. Public higher educati ...
The Public Funding Observatory Report 2018 offers the most up-to-date information on 33 different higher education systems across Europe. ...
The 2018 Public Funding Observatory report comes with individual country sheets. They offer an overview of the data collected for each system, including funding, inflation, student and staff numbers i ...
The Public Funding Observatory Report 2019/20 offers the most up-to-date information on 34 higher education systems across Europe. ...
The Public Funding Observatory report 2019/20 is accompanied by individual country sheets with specific data on the 34 higher education systems covered in the study. The sheets offer an over ...
In early 2020, EUA conducted a survey on international strategic institutional partnerships and the European Universities Initiative that gathered responses from 219 higher education institutions from ...
There is a legitimate need for data on the performance of higher education institutions. It is important for the institutions themselves, as well as their stakeholders, including society. The use of i ...
This report provides a detailed picture of the immediate impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on university funding and offers insights into the implications expected in the future. It concludes with 10 ke ...
Digitally enhanced learning and teaching is widely used across the European Higher Education Area, with general acceptance growing over the years and institutions widely acknowledging the benefits it ...
In Europe today, almost every higher education institution uses digitally enhanced learning and teaching. Since EUA began exploring this topic in 2013, digitally enhanced learning and teaching has bee ...
In response to the Covid-19 crisis, higher education institutions around the world adjusted their activities to an emergency online mode in the first half of 2020. As institutions have the main respon ...
The Public Funding Observatory report 2020/2021, Part 2 is accompanied by individual country sheets with specific data on the 32 higher education systems covered in the study. The sheets off ...
Higher education institutions are key actors in the transition towards carbon neutrality and sustainable societies, as well as in reaching the objectives of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and the E ...
This report presents the expectations of national university associations across Europe in terms of funding and system governance in the medium term (2022-2024). ...
The turbulent economic context of the last decade has been conducive of reforms seeking to enhance efficiency and steering of universities’ use of public funds. In this publication, EUA revisits the ...
This publication provides an up-to-date overview of important developments in doctoral education in Europe. It serves as a follow-up publication to the previous large-scale study “Doctoral education ...
The secretariat of the Education Department of the Council of Europe launched a call for applications for the Best Practice Programme in Promoting Academic Integrity. The deadline for applications is ...
On 17 November, EUA released the findings of a snapshot survey on the impact of Covid-19 on universities starting the academic year. Conducted at the end of October, it is based on the replies of 26 n ...
In the context of the European Parliament plenary vote on the EU budget for 2022, EUA calls on the Council to revert the proposed cuts and support the full implementation of a future-oriented Horizon ...
Scholars at Risk – Ireland and ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, organise the online conference “Academic freedom and intellectual dissent” on 8 June, from ...
Update: the new draft annotated grant agreement was published on 30 November 2021, with changes to articles 1 to 6 and article 20. ...
The Education Department of the Council of Europe launched the application period for Best Practice Programme in Promoting Academic Integrity during Covid-19, open until 20 August. ...
EUA has joined SDG Watch Europe to provide input into the upcoming European Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation on education for environmental sustainability. The Recommendation will look ...
EUROSTUDENT organises the EUROSTUDENT VII final conference online on 18 and 19 May 2021. Registrations are now open and free of charge. ...
On 16 June 2021, the European Commission adopted the long-awaited main work programme of Horizon Europe for 2021-2022. It sets out funding opportunities with the total amount of €14.7 billion, most ...
On 17 May 2021, the Education Ministers of EU member states adopted Council Conclusions on the European Universities Initiative. The Council Conclusions come at a crucial point as the mid-term evaluat ...
The Eurasian Universities Union (EURAS) organises the Eurasia Higher Education (EURIE) Summit on 3 – 5 March 2021. ...
The university sector must use the window of opportunity provided by the EU recovery plan (Next Generation EU), to present sustainable solutions for campus development and innovation, proposing green ...
The European Distance and E-learning Network (EDEN) organises the European Online Distance Learning Week (EODLW) on 2 – 6 November, with one extra day on 9 November focusing on the European Vocation ...
EUNIS, the European University Information Systems organisation, opened the registrations for the EUNIS2020 Congress “Virtual Helsinki”, which will take place online from 10 to 12 June 2020. Regis ...
The European Commission launched EUvsVirus, a pan-European non-profit online hackathon on 24, 25 and 26 April to connect civil society, innovators, partners and buyers across Europe to develop innovat ...
The Research Data Alliance (RDA) set up a Fast-Track working group on Covid-19 and launched a call for contributions to provide recommendations on the creation of a common framework for research ...
Due to the coronavirus crisis, the EHEA Ministerial Conference has been postponed to 18 -20 November 2020. The Conference will take place in the same location, La Nuvola Conference Centre. ...
EUA has launched the latest edition of its Public Funding Observatory, which offers information on 33 different higher education systems across Europe. The data is presented in a report and an online ...
EUA, CESAER and EARTO have released a joint statement following the publication of the European Commission’s Assessment of the Lump Sum Pilot 2018 - 2020: Analysis of qualitative and quantitative fe ...
Thomas Estermann from the European University Association examines the university efficiency debate, explaining that behind the push to save money there is actually much more, including a silver linin ...
Ireland’s universities have joined forces to transform capacity and performance in order to deliver a sustainable, competitive university system. To do this, they have launched “Ireland’s Future ...
When universities come under financial fire, ideas flourish on how to be more efficient and effective. Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger, Rector of Vienna University of Economics and Business, discusses the Aus ...
Leading a university can become very difficult when finances are strapped and difficult decisions must be made. Petra Wend, Vice-Chancellor of Queen Margaret University, discusses how university leade ...
More than ever before, universities in Europe are becoming interested in fundraising. Christian Vranek discusses the different kinds of income-generating partnerships for universities and why they mat ...
The increased focus on innovation as a key driver for our societies is influencing every single university mission. As project-based learning and co-creation in research move into the mainstream of un ...
A stronger EU industrial policy is in the cards, including more investments in innovation, writes EUA Rolf Tarrach for The Parliament Magazine.A stronger EU industrial policy is in the cards, includin ...
Innovation is increasingly important for universities – as it is for society. Universities are one of the strands of the so-called “triple helix”, providing impactful research to sustain competi ...
Alexandros Papaderos of the Technical University of Munich talks with EUA about the importance of co-creation, the two types of research and university missions.Co-creation between universities, stude ...
Jean Chambaz, president of Sorbonne University, talks with EUA about the importance of innovation capacity, funding and ecosystems.You have presided over an important merger of University Pierre and M ...
Europe must boost its investment in research and innovation, argue the European University Association’s Rolf Tarrach and Michael Murphy in the Parliament Magazine. The outcome of the recent Europ ...
The new European Commission must make research, education and innovation a priority as it sets out the roadmap for the next five years. In Science Business, EUA President Michael Murphy presents a sim ...
Finding a compromise on the EU’s next budget is no doubt a highly complex task. But after the lean years since the 2008 crash, there must be a commitment to increasing investment in research, innova ...
Grants are important for researchers’ careers and only the best applicants receive them. So, what is the best and how are the best selected? As Helene Schiffbänker from Joanneum Research in Vienna ...
As the coronavirus pandemic impacts the global economy, funding for universities is bound to take a hit. EUA’s Thomas Estermann explains what the crisis means for the higher education sector in Euro ...
Refugees bring with them skills, qualifications and experience – including in the medical field. This has been frequently stated but requires proactive acknowledgement and enhanced integration measu ...
EUA President Michael Murphy assesses the challenges and opportunities brought by the coronavirus pandemic to Europe’s universities, in particular in relation to funding, digital tools, Open Science ...
The coronavirus pandemic demonstrates the renewed importance of universities’ civic engagement, whether it takes the form of a direct contribution to healthcare, research on the virus, or explaining ...
Confinement due to the coronavirus is a great challenge for the international mobility of researchers and students, but international collaboration remains crucial for universities. EUA experts Thomas ...
As universities across Europe move to online learning and teaching amid the coronavirus crisis, questions might arise about what steps may be needed to ensure quality. EUA expert Tia Loukkola explains ...
In Georgia, higher education institutions traditionally offered classroom learning and teaching before the Covid-19 crisis. The state of emergency changed this as universities quickly switched to onli ...
Almost 90% of European higher education institutions moved online in April and May due to the Covid-19 crisis. This would not have been possible some ten years ago. EUA expert Michael Gaebel gives a b ...
In this in-depth analysis of the lessons presented by the Covid-19 crisis for universities, EUA President Michael Murphy delves into the question of what universities might do differently now to grow ...
In the coming academic year, virtual mobility might be the only reliable option for some institutions in the fallout of the Covid-19 crisis. EUA expert Michael Gaebel gives a vision for the future of ...
During the Covid-19 crisis, universities innovated greatly in various fields to bring solutions to complex and unprecedented challenges. This article by Annick Castiaux analyses an innovation project ...
During the Covid-19 crisis, enhanced breakthrough innovation from basic research made it easier for Norway to cope with and recover from the most challenging phase of the pandemic. Toril Nagelhus Hern ...
The university campus matters, which was demonstrated best – ironically – when the campus was closed during the coronavirus crisis. University communities missed both the silence and buzz that are ...
Providing students with the skills for multidisciplinary collaboration and entrepreneurship supports social impact. The Tampere Universities community promotes this endeavour through multidisciplinary ...
Change is in the air. The Covid-19 crisis has turned our lives upside down, but well before this happened there was already a palpable feeling that today’s challenges are changing society in unpredi ...
The Covid-19 crisis led to major push towards Open Access, which is now well on its way to becoming a global reality. EUA Board member Patrick Lévy looks at this key moment in the movement’s histor ...
UNESCO’s Global Open Science Partnership is well-timed in promoting a much-needed global dialogue on Open Science. EUA expert Bregt Saenen discusses the initiative, its evolving backdrop and why it ...
The radical digitalisation of higher education due to the Covid-19 crisis offers an opportunity to engage in deeper institutional change addressing the digital and green transitions. As Natalia Timus ...
In a rapidly-changing labour market, how can students be prepared to be citizens of the world, as well as the future job creators and workers? Wyn Morgan and Catherine O’Mahony look at the definitio ...
In this article, the EUA Secretary General contributes to UIIN’s newly released “The Future Universities Thoughtbook - Universities During Times of Crisis”. She analyses how universities have ri ...
We enter into a New Year, a world more enriched and more impoverished than just 12 months ago. We have endured great loss of life, a heavy burden of illness and deep economic shock. Yet, lessons from ...
The Covid-19 pandemic presents new challenges for inclusive teaching. This article shares the experience of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy and discusses how to act towards inclusi ...
In Europe, there is little provision of leadership development schemes in higher education. Given the pace and intensity of transformations in our societies and invariably in our universities, institu ...
Students from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds still struggle to participate in higher education. Covid-19 has made inclusion even more difficult. EUA expert Luisa Bunescu discusses three so ...
When Covid-19 forced universities to quickly switch to online and blended learning and teaching, the European University Association was already deep into the preparation of a study on the topic. This ...
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the European University Association, Andrée Sursock analyses two decades of transformation and renewal in Europe’s higher education landscape, and charts ...
The new ERA will need to bring all sides to the table so that we can shape the future of Europe’s R&I sector together, writes the European University Association’s Stephane Berghmans.The much-welc ...
The EU recovery plan offers an immediate chance to invest in education and research as we approach the economic fallout of the Covid-19 crisis. This article, informed by the latest EUA data on public ...
On the occasion of EUA’s 20th anniversary, President Michael Murphy and long-time senior expert and Director Michael Gaebel look back at two decades of global university collaboration. Offering a br ...
The Covid-19 crisis has led to a widening of the scope and role of internal quality assurance at universities and a shifting of the focus of evaluation practices. With the challenge of ensuring the qu ...
The quality-led rationale of digitalisation in learning and teaching slowly moves back onto the agenda of higher education institutions – accelerated and enriched by experiences resulting from the C ...
With billions of euros on the table, Next Generation EU could be a game changer for research and education – especially in countries like Italy where underfunding is already a cause for concern. The ...
Higher education institutions in Europe are highly engaged in addressing environmental challenges through education, research and their own greening initiatives. However, sustainable procurement may b ...
With the rapid growth of the student body, the need to refurbish university real estate and the changing balance between block grants and project-based funding, an in-depth discussion is needed about ...
Promoting and supporting entrepreneurship has become an important issue for universities in recent years. At the University of Siegen, a Master’s programme addresses this topic through support struc ...
What does NextGenerationEU mean for the university sector? Funding expert Enora Bennetot Pruvot outlines investment and reform opportunities, highlighting that the national recovery and resilience pla ...
To increase student engagement and better prepare graduates for the realities of work, universities must re-think how they use and promote teamwork to reflect real-world value. Sondre Kvam, entreprene ...
An unparalleled survey looks at innovation at universities across Europe. EUA expert Stephane Berghmans breaks down the findings, explaining what must be done to boost capacity and build vibrant innov ...
Challenges presented by the contemporary world require researchers to acquire entrepreneurial skills and build bridges between academia and business. Startup co-founder Paweł Gora shares his experien ...
Higher education systems across Europe currently use a variety of funding instruments, with increasing levels of complexity evident. This piece highlights some of the main issues involved, as describe ...
With multi-fold increases in energy bills being felt across Europe, is this one crisis too many for universities? For University World News, EUA’s Enora Bennetot Pruvot and ACA’s Veronika Kupriyan ...
EUA’s newly published Innovation Agenda will help to mobilise and boost the university sector’s innovation capacity for greater strategic engagement to tackle societal challenges, writes Sergiu-Ma ...
For Science|Business, EUA’s Thomas Jørgensen examines the European Economic Security Strategy. He argues that making this strategy work for higher education and research depends on the granularity ...
EUA’s Public Funding Observatory captures the very latest trends impacting Europe’s universities and offers the most up-to-date information on dozens of different higher education systems across t ...
Higher education institutions across Europe face today a demanding and complex financial context in which traditional modes of funding have been transformed and continue to evolve. Moreover, public so ...
Universities across Europe are facing a challenging and complex financial situation in which traditional modes of funding have been transformed and continue to evolve. ...
