The ARQUS European University Alliance brings together universities of Granada (Spain), Graz (Austria), Leipzig (Germany), Lyon (France), Maynooth (Ireland), Minho (Portugal), Padova (Italy), Vilnius (Lithuania) and Wroclaw (Poland), nine longstanding comprehensive research universities who share extensive experience in joint projects and a common profile as internationalized institutions with deep regional engagement in medium-sized cities.
ARQUS MAJOR GOALS:
Effective barrier-free cooperation at all levels of institutional activity in order to better respond to existing and emerging societal challenges;
Joint evidence-based institutional learning, arising from acting as a common laboratory beyond the mainstream, innovating in pursuit of systemic, structural and sustainable impact;
Engaged communities of learners, academics, professionals and alumni in multi-level habitats working together for sustainable progress;
Co-created attractive flexible challenge-based and research-driven academic offer;
Joint transformational disciplinary and interdisciplinary research and innovation;
Enhanced intercultural competence, global understanding and respect for diversity throughout our communities.
For more information about the alliance please visite this website.
The Rectors’ Council is composed of the rector or president of each partner university. It is responsible for establishing general policy, long-term and medium-term strategies, and major goals for the Alliance.
The Executive Council is the policy and strategic decision-making body that processes different decisions and discussions before these reach the Rectors’ Council. It strengthens institutional links among partner universities.
The Alliance is set up in Boards that assure smooth and efficient implementation of Arqus policies and activities. These shall be at least three, corresponding to the three major university missions: education, research and innovation and societal engagement.
Each Arqus university shall appoint an Institutional Coordinator with sufficient experience and expertise in European higher education, responsible for ensuring local coordination of support for Arqus activities. They compose the Project Management Team, together with the Alliance Coordinator and the Secretary General.
For each area of activity determined in Arqus work plans and funded projects, Working Groups shall be established. These shall be standing or temporary Working Groups, in accordance with work plans. Working Groups are assigned to the Arqus Board or Boards most directly linked to their area of activity.
The Management Team is composed of one Institutional Coordinator from each Arqus full member University, with an institutional mandate to represent their university, plus the Alliance Coordinator and the Secretary General.
The Institutional Coordinators have sufficient experience and expertise in European higher education, and are responsible for ensuring local coordination of support for Arqus activities.
On the basis of the overall strategies determined by the Rectors’ Council, the Management Team shall have the following functions:
decision-making on an operational level (e.g. form of data collection).
supporting the implementation of work plans at all levels.
supporting the coordination of the governing bodies.
The student council is composed of two student representatives from each partner university. It is responsible for representing students opinions on Alliance strategy, mission-related work; liaising between the Alliance and the local student representation; fostering collaboration with other Alliances and student organizations; ensuring student representation in decision-making processes within the Alliance; ensuring the representation of the Alliance in local student bodies and coordinating student involvement in Arqus’ governance structures.
The International Advisory Board is composed of five to eight independent and internationally recognized experts in higher education. Its members are not directly affiliated with any of the Alliance’s universities, ensuring objectivity and impartiality. The International Advisory Board is responsible for monitoring, quality assurance and external advice, including policy advice on the Alliance’s long-term strategy and goals. It provides feedback from an external expert perspective on methodological appropriateness, relevance, integrity, internal coherence and compliance with the established requirements, Work Plan and timelines.
ARQUS involves a network of more than 317000 students, 23800 academics and 14500 technical staff of different nationalities from all over Europe.
