{"id":1313,"date":"2025-10-08T14:14:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T12:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/?p=1313"},"modified":"2026-02-10T12:27:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T11:27:11","slug":"openeu-launched-the-first-step-to-a-pan-european-open-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/2025\/10\/08\/openeu-launched-the-first-step-to-a-pan-european-open-university\/","title":{"rendered":"OpenEU launched, the first step to a pan-European open university"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1313\" class=\"elementor elementor-1313\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-adc1dc7 e-con-full menu-pagina e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"adc1dc7\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c47a84c elementor-nav-menu__align-center elementor-nav-menu--dropdown-tablet elementor-nav-menu__text-align-aside elementor-nav-menu--toggle elementor-nav-menu--burger elementor-widget elementor-widget-nav-menu\" data-id=\"c47a84c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;layout&quot;:&quot;horizontal&quot;,&quot;submenu_icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-caret-down\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 320 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M31.3 192h257.3c17.8 0 26.7 21.5 14.1 34.1L174.1 354.8c-7.8 7.8-20.5 7.8-28.3 0L17.2 226.1C4.6 213.5 13.5 192 31.3 192z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;},&quot;toggle&quot;:&quot;burger&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"nav-menu.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<nav aria-label=\"Menu\" class=\"elementor-nav-menu--main elementor-nav-menu__container elementor-nav-menu--layout-horizontal e--pointer-underline e--animation-fade\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul id=\"menu-1-c47a84c\" class=\"elementor-nav-menu\"><li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3477\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/about\/\" class=\"elementor-item\">About<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3475\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/news\/\" class=\"elementor-item\">News<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3473\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/volunteer-portal\/\" class=\"elementor-item\">Volunteer Portal<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"Desactiva el enlace padre del men Governance menu-item ahref anothref pointer-events none cursor default Oculta submen si no tiene real sub-menu display important menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-has-children menu-parent-item menu-item-3675\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"elementor-item elementor-item-anchor\">Participation<\/a>\n<ul class=\"sub-menu elementor-nav-menu--dropdown\">\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3467\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/work-package-spaces\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item\">Work Package Spaces<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3479\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/community\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item\">Communities of Practice<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3469\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/governance-boards\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item\">Governance Boards<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-3481\"><a href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/users\/sign_in\" class=\"elementor-sub-item\">Login<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3471\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/contact\/\" class=\"elementor-item\">Contact<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3465\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/subscribe\/\" class=\"elementor-item\">Subscribe<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\t\t\t<\/nav>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-menu-toggle\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Menu Toggle\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"elementor-menu-toggle__icon--open e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-menu-bar\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M104 333H896C929 333 958 304 958 271S929 208 896 208H104C71 208 42 237 42 271S71 333 104 333ZM104 583H896C929 583 958 554 958 521S929 458 896 458H104C71 458 42 487 42 521S71 583 104 583ZM104 833H896C929 833 958 804 958 771S929 708 896 708H104C71 708 42 737 42 771S71 833 104 833Z\"><\/path><\/svg><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"elementor-menu-toggle__icon--close e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-close\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M742 167L500 408 258 167C246 154 233 150 217 150 196 150 179 158 167 167 154 179 150 196 150 212 150 229 154 242 171 254L408 500 167 742C138 771 138 800 167 829 196 858 225 858 254 829L496 587 738 829C750 842 767 846 783 846 800 846 817 842 829 829 842 817 846 804 846 783 846 767 842 750 829 737L588 500 833 258C863 229 863 200 833 171 804 137 775 137 742 167Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<nav class=\"elementor-nav-menu--dropdown elementor-nav-menu__container\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul id=\"menu-2-c47a84c\" class=\"elementor-nav-menu\"><li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3477\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/about\/\" class=\"elementor-item\" tabindex=\"-1\">About<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3475\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/news\/\" class=\"elementor-item\" tabindex=\"-1\">News<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3473\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/volunteer-portal\/\" class=\"elementor-item\" tabindex=\"-1\">Volunteer Portal<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"Desactiva el enlace padre del men Governance menu-item ahref anothref pointer-events none cursor default Oculta submen si no tiene real sub-menu display important menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-has-children menu-parent-item menu-item-3675\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"elementor-item elementor-item-anchor\" tabindex=\"-1\">Participation<\/a>\n<ul class=\"sub-menu elementor-nav-menu--dropdown\">\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3467\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/work-package-spaces\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item\" tabindex=\"-1\">Work Package Spaces<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3479\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/community\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item\" tabindex=\"-1\">Communities of Practice<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3469\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/governance-boards\/\" class=\"elementor-sub-item\" tabindex=\"-1\">Governance Boards<\/a><\/li>\n\t<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-custom menu-item-object-custom menu-item-3481\"><a href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/users\/sign_in\" class=\"elementor-sub-item\" tabindex=\"-1\">Login<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3471\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/contact\/\" class=\"elementor-item\" tabindex=\"-1\">Contact<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-3465\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/subscribe\/\" class=\"elementor-item\" tabindex=\"-1\">Subscribe<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\t\t\t<\/nav>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-268a023c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"268a023c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-205cfe1d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"205cfe1d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.openeu.eu\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>OpenEU<\/u>(External link)<\/a>&nbsp;alliance, coordinated by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), brings together 14 universities and 13 academic, business, rural, municipal and civil society associations from across Europe to create a pan-European open university&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OpenEU will contribute to the&nbsp;<strong>digital transformation of higher education<\/strong>&nbsp;institutions and the&nbsp;<strong>integration of technology<\/strong>&nbsp;in teaching and learning<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OpenEU is one of the 14 new alliances awarded funding as part of the European Commission&#8217;s latest&nbsp;<strong>European Universities initiative<\/strong>&nbsp;call for proposals&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>OpenEU&#8217;s objective<\/strong>&nbsp;as the first pan-European open university is to strengthen the&nbsp;<strong>digital, green and social<\/strong>dimension of the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=http%3A%2F%2Fehea.info%2Fpage-members\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>European Higher Education Area (EHEA)<\/u>(External link)<\/a>&nbsp;by offering access to&nbsp;<strong>high-quality higher education and lifelong learning<\/strong>&nbsp;to all, providing accessible and sustainable international experiences for all students, and contributing to the digital transformation of institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;<strong>European Commission has decided to back the OpenEU project<\/strong>&nbsp;as part of its&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Feducation.ec.europa.eu%2Feducation-levels%2Fhigher-education%2Feuropean-universities-initiative\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>European Universities initiative<\/u>(External link)<\/a>, selecting it from among 56 proposals submitted by European alliances. OpenEU can now forge ahead thanks to the 14.4 million euros it has been awarded. The alliance brings together Europe&#8217;s leading open and distance universities alongside five on-campus universities that are committed to pushing forward with their digital transformation. Together they promote education that is student-centred, inclusive, digital and green, strengthening the EHEA and ensuring no one is left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The UOC will take charge of leading the project over the next four years. In the words of the UOC rector and president of the alliance,&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.uoc.edu%2Fportal%2Fen%2Fespai-rectora%2Findex.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><u>\u00c0ngels Fit\u00f3<\/u><\/strong>(External link)<\/a>, &#8220;OpenEU represents a&nbsp;<strong>unique opportunity<\/strong>&nbsp;<strong>to extend the scope and impact of Europe&#8217;s open and distance universities<\/strong>. Leading the OpenEU alliance is a privilege, and it lets us drive forward with a large community of international students who are committed to their learning; strengthen joint projects with social agents, businesses and other organizations; and boost innovation in technology-mediated pedagogies. This initiative, which my predecessor as rector,&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.uoc.edu%2Fportal%2Fen%2Fmetodologia-online-qualitat%2Forganitzacio%2Fgaleria-rectors%2Fjosep-a-planell%2Findex.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Josep Anton Planel<\/u><strong><u>l<\/u><\/strong>(External link)<\/a>, will allow us&nbsp;<strong>to move towards an up-to-date version of the European Higher Education Area that will provide the backbone for lifelong learning<\/strong>&nbsp;in Europe.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Creation of a pan-European open university<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OpenEU wants to make the most of its&nbsp;<strong>collective experience&nbsp;<\/strong>to strengthen the EHEA by leveraging the potential of&nbsp;<strong>digital tools to create a pan-European open university<\/strong>&nbsp;that can guarantee learning opportunities for all, anytime and anywhere, regardless of time constraints, place of residence or people&#8217;s personal or professional circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.openeu.eu\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>OpenEU<\/u>(External link)<\/a>&nbsp;represents over&nbsp;<strong>368,000 university students&nbsp;<\/strong>(the vast majority are not traditional university students: their average age is 36, and 84% work and study at the same time), more than 709,000 graduates and 24,000 staff. It has been created in response to the main challenges facing the EHEA: the&nbsp;<strong>digital transformation of university institutions<\/strong>, the&nbsp;<strong>promotion of more inclusive, more equitable higher education<\/strong>, and the need to provide&nbsp;<strong>opportunities for lifelong learning&nbsp;<\/strong>for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The alliance is committed to maximizing its impact and can count on a total of 14 universities from all regions of Europe as well as thirteen associate partner bodies and organizations. The core members of the alliance are the&nbsp;<strong>eight leading online, open and distance universities, alongside two on-campus universities<\/strong>:&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bifrost.is%2Fenglish%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Bifr\u00f6st University<\/u>(External link)<\/a>, Iceland;&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdu.lv%2Fen%2Fhome%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Daugavpils University<\/u>(External link)<\/a>, Latvia;&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fernuni-hagen.de%2Fenglish%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>FernUniversit\u00e4t in Hagen<\/u>(External link)<\/a>, Germany;&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eap.gr%2Fen%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Hellenic Open University<\/u>(External link)<\/a>, Greece;&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ou.nl%2Fen%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Open Universiteit<\/u>(External link)<\/a>, the Netherlands;&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ouc.ac.cy%2Findex.php%2Fen%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Open University of Cyprus<\/u>(External link)<\/a>;&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.uned.es%2Funiversidad%2Finicio%2Fen%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Universidad Nacional de Educaci\u00f3n a Distancia<\/u>(External link)<\/a>, Spain;&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fportal.uab.pt%2F%3Flang%3Den\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Universidade Aberta<\/u>(External link)<\/a>, Portugal;&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.uoc.edu%2Fportal%2Fen%2Findex.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Universitat Oberta de Catalunya<\/u>(External link)<\/a>, Spain, and&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.uni-vt.bg%2Feng%2F%3Fzid%3D1\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>St Cyril and St Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo<\/u>(External link)<\/a>, Bulgaria. Furthermore, the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.open.ac.uk%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Open University<\/u>(External link)<\/a>&nbsp;of the United Kingdom, Albania&#8217;s&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unkorce.edu.al%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Fan S. Noli University<\/u>(External link)<\/a>, the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.euroeducation.net%2Feuro%2Fukr025.htm\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Ukrainian Engineering Pedagogics Academy<\/u>(External link)<\/a>and North Macedonia&#8217;s&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mit.edu.mk%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>MIT University<\/u>(External link)<\/a>&nbsp;are also participating in the project to help drive the digital transformation of the EHEA.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three of the&nbsp;<strong>leading international academic networks<\/strong>, the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Feadtu.eu%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>European Association of Distance Teaching Universities<\/u>(External link)<\/a>&nbsp;(EADTU), the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iau-aiu.net%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>International Association of Universities<\/u>(External link)<\/a>&nbsp;(IAU) and&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.uni-med.net%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Mediterranean Universities Union<\/u>(External link)<\/a>&nbsp;(UNIMED), will contribute to the alliance&#8217;s growth, providing their experience and ability to publicize the results obtained. In addition, the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fied.fr%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Interuniversitaire de l&#8217;enseignement \u00e0 distance<\/u>(External link)<\/a>&nbsp;(FIED) of France will collaborate with its expertise in distance education. Likewise, a number of&nbsp;<strong>industrial associations and national and European clusters<\/strong>&nbsp;have expressed their support for the alliance and&nbsp;<strong>will collaborate<\/strong>&nbsp;in the different initiatives that OpenEU wants to develop. They are&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.brightlands.com%2Fen%2Fbrightlands-smart-services-campus\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Brightlands Smart Services Campus<\/u>(External link)<\/a>&nbsp;from the Netherlands,&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.bia-bg.com%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Bulgarian Industrial Association<\/u>(External link)<\/a>&nbsp;(BIA),&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mentoringeurope.eu%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Mentoring Europe<\/u>(External link)<\/a>,&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.secartys.org%2Fes%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>SECARTYS<\/u>(External link)<\/a>&nbsp;from Spain,&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stifterverband.org%2Fenglish\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>Stifterverband<\/u>(External link)<\/a>&nbsp;from Germany, and Bulgaria&#8217;s Digital National Alliance. Lastly, the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurocities.eu%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>EUROCITIES<\/u>(External link)<\/a>&nbsp;association, a network of over 200 cities in 38 countries, and the&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=http%3A%2F%2Felard.eu%2F\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><u>European Leader Association For Rural Development<\/u>(External link)<\/a>(ELARD), with more than 2,500 local action groups, will help connect the alliance&#8217;s projects with local needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A shared mission, ten targets and four years to make it happen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OpenEU unites the shared visions and experiences of 10 universities that are each rooted in their territories. Together they have a joint mission and 10 targets to meet over the next 4 years:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1.&nbsp; Build the foundations&nbsp;<\/strong>of a solid and sustainable European open university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Promote innovation<\/strong>&nbsp;in curricula, course delivery and assessment, with a firm commitment to micro-credentials that can be stacked and lead to official qualifications, equipping our learners with needs-based technical and non-technical transferable skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. Expand lifelong learning for employability&nbsp;<\/strong>across Europe, by providing both traditional and non-traditional students with tailored and flexible learning paths and the skills demanded by society and the labour market.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4. Widen participation<\/strong>&nbsp;of traditionally underrepresented and disadvantaged groups in higher education, such as refugees and migrants, women in STEM, disabled people, or those living in underpopulated areas, rolling out solutions in response to their needs and strengthening competencies linked to diversity, equity and inclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>5. Guarantee the quality<\/strong>&nbsp;of digital learning and innovative educational solutions through challenge-based, multidisciplinary research and innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>6. Drive the digital transformatio<\/strong>n of higher education in Europe, sharing OpenEU&#8217;s experience, knowledge and resources with other universities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>7. Broaden internationalization&nbsp;<\/strong>by creating and implementing<strong>&nbsp;innovative and flexible mobility options&nbsp;<\/strong>that let non-traditional students benefit from opportunities for international learning experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>8. Enhance challenge-based knowledge generation, transfer and exchange<\/strong>, focusing on three key issues for Europe: the digital transformation, the climate emergency, and the threats to European values and democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>9. Increase universities&#8217; societal impact<\/strong>&nbsp;in education, research and innovation by engaging with the OpenEU communities and the labour market to establish collaborations with non-academic partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>10. Foster European values<\/strong>&nbsp;by establishing a shared culture in OpenEU that is based on the principles of quality, diversity, equity, inclusion, open knowledge and environmental sustainability to contribute to more resilient economies and societies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>About the European Universities initiative<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The European Commission&#8217;s European Universities initiative aims to trigger and&nbsp;<strong>deepen unprecedented levels of institutional cooperation<\/strong>&nbsp;between higher education institutions, making it&nbsp;<strong>systemic, structural and sustainable<\/strong>. There are currently 64 European alliances, fulfilling the EC&#8217;s target of a total of 60 involving over 500 higher education institutions by 2024.&nbsp;<strong>OpenEU<\/strong>&nbsp;is the first alliance where open and distance higher education plays a leading role to increase access, coverage and participation in higher education in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>OpenEU is supported by the European Commission through the&nbsp;<\/em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/openeu.eu\/link?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Feducation.ec.europa.eu%2Feducation-levels%2Fhigher-education%2Feuropean-universities-initiative%2Ffunding\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em><u>Erasmus+ European Universities Alliances<\/u><\/em>(External link)<\/a><em><u>&nbsp;<\/u><\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The&nbsp;OpenEU(External link)&nbsp;alliance, coordinated by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), brings together 14 universities and 13 academic, business, rural, municipal and civil society associations from across Europe to create a pan-European open university&nbsp; OpenEU will contribute to the&nbsp;digital transformation of higher education&nbsp;institutions and the&nbsp;integration of technology&nbsp;in teaching and learning OpenEU is one of the 14 new alliances awarded funding as part of the European Commission&#8217;s latest&nbsp;European Universities initiative&nbsp;call for proposals&nbsp; OpenEU&#8217;s objective&nbsp;as the first pan-European open university is to strengthen the&nbsp;digital, green and socialdimension of the&nbsp;European Higher Education Area (EHEA)(External link)&nbsp;by offering access to&nbsp;high-quality higher education and lifelong learning&nbsp;to all, providing accessible and sustainable international experiences for all students, and contributing to the digital transformation of institutions. The&nbsp;European Commission has decided to back the OpenEU project&nbsp;as part of its&nbsp;European Universities initiative(External link), selecting it from among 56 proposals submitted by European alliances. OpenEU can now forge ahead thanks to the&hellip;<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/2025\/10\/08\/openeu-launched-the-first-step-to-a-pan-european-open-university\/\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1315,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-noticias-principal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1313"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1313\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4249,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1313\/revisions\/4249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uned.es\/openeu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}