EURECA-PRO: From a memorandum of understanding to an international non-profit organisation

This marks a milestone for the European university alliance EURECA-PRO: its formal establishment as an independent legal entity. It paves the way for an internationalised European university with a stable governance framework and joint funding opportunities for research and teaching.

On behalf of all nine partners in the university alliance, Professor Bernard Vanheusden, Rector of the University of Hasselt in Belgium, signed the founding documents in Brussels on 30 June 2026.

Professor Volker Tolkmitt, Rector of Mittweida University of Applied Sciences:

EURECA-PRO’s status as a legal entity is an important step. It brings us closer to our goal of facilitating cross-border teaching, research and lifelong learning within Europe. Academics and students in Mittweida, as well as the people and businesses in the south-west Saxony region, are already benefiting from the contacts and expertise within our alliance. Conversely, we are bringing our expertise to Europe.

Having a separate legal entity is crucial for the growth and sustainability of European higher education alliances – so far, only 14 of the 73 alliances have achieved this. The shared commitment of all partners to institutionalisation creates the necessary structures to deepen cooperation and achieve a lasting impact.

The nine partner institutions currently have three key projects on their agenda:

Students can more easily have academic credits earned abroad recognised by their home university towards their degree. The universities are removing further administrative barriers. Recently, during the EURECA-PRO Review Week, the nine vice-chancellors signed a new framework for the automatic recognition of modules.

Gaining international study experience is made easier by alternatives to the traditional semester abroad. Under the umbrella of EURECA-PRO, the nine partner institutions are expanding their range of short-term study abroad programmes, including digital preparation (Blended Intensive Programmes) and online courses, and are developing short, certified learning units (microcredentials) that can be combined and demonstrate the skills acquired. The latter allow students greater flexibility in shaping their academic pathway. Many of the online courses and microcredentials on offer are also open to anyone wishing to further their education, whether for professional or personal reasons.

A joint Master’s programme focusing on EURECA-PRO’s key educational and research area, Responsible Consumption and Production, is already in place. A joint Bachelor’s degree programme is set to launch simultaneously in the winter semester of 2026, initially at the Montanuniversität Leoben in Austria, the Silesian University of Technology in Poland and the Technische Universität Bergakademie in Freiberg.

The European University on Responsible Consumption and Production (EURECA-PRO) brings together nine higher education institutions from eight European countries that promote sustainability in higher education and research in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 12, ‘Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns’. In addition to Mittweida University of Applied Sciences and the TU Bergakademie Freiberg in Saxony, the partners include the Technical University of Crete (Greece), the Silesian University of Technology (Poland), the Université de Lorraine (France), the Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria), Hasselt University (Belgium), the University of León (Spain) and the University of Petroșani (Romania).