EU R&D funding for European Universities Initiative hailed

Horizon 2020 funding for R&D elements of EUI described as ‘historic moment’

The European Universities Initiative, an EU endeavour to strengthen research and higher education across the continent by supporting cross-border cooperation among institutions, will this year be funded through the bloc’s Horizon 2020 R&D programme for the first time, in what has been hailed as a major shift in funding policy.

Thomas Jørgensen, a senior policy coordinator at the European University Association, said the move to fund the EUI through Horizon 2020 was an “historic moment”, because of its focus on institutions as a whole rather than specific R&D projects.