Graphic map of Europe and the OpenEu universities marked on it
June 28. 2024EU Funding Awarded for Digital Development in Higher Education
The European Union has awarded the OpenEU university network more than €14.5 million to support the digital advancement of higher education. In Icelandic krónur, the grant amounts to just over ISK 2 billion.
This four-year project aims to strengthen the digital transformation of higher education institutions and enhance technological integration in teaching and learning.
Earlier today, the European Union announced the results of the latest funding round within the European Universities Initiative. A total of 56 applications were submitted, and OpenEU was among the 14 collaborative projects selected for funding.
The OpenEU university network is establishing the first Open University operating on a pan-European basis, thereby contributing to the objectives of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) in digital, green and social development. The initiative promotes open access to high-quality higher education, supports sustainable international mobility for learners, and drives the digital transformation of educational institutions.
The network brings together Europe’s leading open universities and distance-learning institutions, along with five campus-based universities, all working collectively towards digital transformation. The partners share a commitment to advancing digital development grounded in student-centred, inclusive and sustainable higher education.
Bifröst University participates fully in the OpenEU collaboration and leads the work package focused on societal engagement, stakeholder communication and digital wellbeing in distance learning. The aim is to offer personalised learning opportunities and strengthen communication within university communities through digital solutions.
Bifröst University also contributes to strengthening OpenEU’s engagement with external stakeholders in areas such as professional development, democratic participation, regional development, climate action and digital transformation.
The motivation behind establishing OpenEU was to develop solutions to the key challenges facing education systems across the European Higher Education Area — namely the digital transformation of universities, increased inclusion and equal access to higher education, and the growing need for diverse lifelong learning opportunities.
The OpenEU university network consists of 14 universities and 13 associate partners representing education, industry, municipal interests and regional development. In total, the collaboration includes 27 partners spread widely across Europe. Within the network, there are approximately 368,000 university students, the vast majority of whom (84%) work alongside their studies. A further 709,000 graduates have completed their degrees at these institutions.
Àngels Fitó, Rector of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and President of the OpenEU university network, stated:
“The OpenEU partnership represents a unique opportunity to expand the reach and impact of open and distance-learning universities across Europe. Our goal, which we are honoured to lead, is to support a diverse international community of learners and to strengthen social cooperation in higher education through innovative technologies in teaching and pedagogy. This collaboration will accelerate digital development within the EHEA and lay a solid foundation for equitable access to higher education for all.”
Margrét Jónsdóttir Njarðvík, Rector of Bifröst University, said:
“We warmly welcome the significant support provided by the European Union to this ambitious collaborative initiative. By enhancing digital transformation and advancing the development of distance learning at university level, this project will contribute greatly to widening access to higher education across Europe.”
OpenEU is supported by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ European Universities Alliances.
For more information about the project and its objectives, click here.