1/14/25 · Institutional

OpenEU takes initial steps to becoming the first pan-European open university

More than 368,000 students and 24,000 faculty members, researchers, and administrative staff from Europe's leading open and distance universities will benefit from this alliance
Open EU

OpenEU, the alliance for the first ever pan-European open university, has taken its first steps. The rectors of the ten participating universities – which include the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), leading the project, and the Spanish National Distance Education University (UNED) – are meeting in Barcelona to define the roadmap for the coming years on 16 and 17 January.

This major coalition, supported by the European Commission through the European Universities initiative, involves 27 academic and non-academic organizations, and aims to transform higher education by centring on a more inclusive, equitable and digitally enabled model focused on lifelong learning.

 "At a time when private, for-profit online universities are springing up all over the place, OpenEU offers an opportunity to advocate the need for quality online higher education as a cornerstone of the European Higher Education Area," said Àngels Fitó, rector of the UOC and president of the alliance. "As Europe's open and distance learning universities, we have a responsibility to continue to provide learning opportunities for individuals who, for whatever reason, do not have the option of attending university in person." 

Ricardo Mairal, rector of the UNED, said "The impact of OpenEU comes from its unique nature: of the 64 existing European university alliances, OpenEU is the only one that brings together the continent's leading open universities, and this puts it at the cutting edge of internationalization and educational innovation. We want to further highlight the value of our methodology and our social role, and in this regard, thanks to the combined efforts of the ten member universities and our extensive reach, we'll be able to broaden the horizons of millions of students, not just in Europe but all over the world."

 

First steps and major challenges

OpenEU's strategic objectives for the next four years are the three major challenges in higher education: lifelong learning, inclusion and equity, and digital transformation. "The challenge and our ambition is to build a pan-European open university that further expands access to and coverage of higher education," said Pastora Martínez, commissioner for international action and coordinator of the alliance. "Thanks to our methodology, we can address some of today's major challenges, such as lifelong learning and the digitalization of higher education."

Among other initiatives, the alliance will work to develop a comprehensive catalogue of educational opportunities offered jointly by its members. This will include the first transnational bachelor's degree: a three-year programme in software development developed together with UNED and the Open Universiteit Nederland. In addition, a shared virtual campus will be created to enable interaction between the different members of the university community. The alliance will also support five European higher education institutions in integrating digital education into their curricula.

Predoctoral research will be another cornerstone of the project, fostering collaboration between research teams from the alliance universities. This will be achieved through various initiatives, including summer and winter schools, seminars, training sessions and opportunities for exchanges with other institutions. The possibility of interuniversity doctoral programmes will also be explored, with the aim of establishing a highly active and collaborative predoctoral research community.

 

368,000 students to benefit from greater mobility and more job opportunities

OpenEU will represent over 368,000 university students, most of whom have non-traditional profiles: the average age is 36, and 84% juggle their studies with work commitments. Also in its favour, the alliance has 709,000 graduates and 24,000 staff across all participating institutions.

The alliance will provide international experiences for students from its ten member institutions through virtual, hybrid and face-to-face exchanges. Students, academic staff, researchers and administrative teams within OpenEU will benefit from increased opportunities for mobility between the consortium universities, enabling the community to strengthen collaboration, share best practices and address common challenges.

A common portfolio of microcredentials in key areas such as climate change, European values and democracy, and digital transformation will also be developed. Students will be able to enrol in courses offered by any of the universities in the consortium, increasing their opportunities for specialization and creating more flexible learning pathways. In this context, the OpenEU alliance will work to ensure that these microcredentials are integrated into curricula, promoting their recognition at the European level and creating new options over the course of students' academic trajectories.

One of OpenEU's first initiatives will be the launch of an open master's degree in climate change, which will be offered in all of the participating universities, enabling unique and diverse learning pathways tailored to individual needs.

The interuniversity alliance will revolve around three key areas, addressing major challenges that are not only European but also global: the climate emergency, digital transformation and democracy. Accordingly, all academic programmes developed within the OpenEU framework will focus on at least one of these areas, as will its communities of practice and communities of thought, involving teaching and research staff, students and administrative staff within the consortium.

 

A joint programme to promote entry into the job market

The alliance is also committed to improving students' career prospects through initiatives such as a shared jobs and internships exchange, which will guarantee transnational hybrid, virtual and face-to-face experiences, and a virtual employment fair, which will launch in the project's third year.

To further empower students to develop their skills and improve their employability, OpenEU will create a virtual career guidance tool informed by real labour market data.

OpenEU will work closely with networks such as Eurocities, Stifterverband and the Bulgarian Industry Association to provide vocational training tailored to the needs of the European labour market. This collaboration aims to meet societal needs with a coherent and transnational education offer that develops essential employability skills.

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