OpenLobby.EU
Explore

Aurora Universities Network

Aurora

Aurora is a network of research-intensive universities, united by their commitment to match academic excellence with societal relevance and impact in education, research and service to society.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Ekaterina Zaharieva (Commissioner) and

14 Nov 2025 · Exchange on AURORA Network contributions to European R&I

Response to European Research Area (ERA) Act

8 Sept 2025

Aurora Universities Network welcomes the call for evidence for an ERA act. Many of the past and current ERA action in the ERA Policy Agenda have a voluntary character with fragmented implementation throughout Europe, which can be better addressed by an ERA Act legislation. In the attached document we set out our points of agreement and our recommendations for uptake or change. In general, the establishment of fundamental principles of research as well as emphasizing scientific autonomy and linking research and (higher) education are key. Increased R&I investment is essential for excellent, innovative, research (both individually and collaboratively). Hence, raising the national R&I budget spending to 3% of GDP can contribute to more job security and mobility, whereas the focus should not only be on political, technological, defence or valorisation goals, but should include blue sky fundamental and collaborative, international and SSH-type research. Coordination of funding priorities between EU and national levels may indeed be positive. However, overarching research goals should be overseen and steered by R&I fields and experts. Regarding research and research managers careers (being an essential aspect of the R&I community), we agree that the ERA actions including 'research assessment reforms' and 'gender equality and inclusiveness' contribute to this and need to be connected and further strengthened. This will contribute to reducing research inequalities and more mobility. Also the European Universities Alliances play their role in this regard and could be mentioned. Including science for policy in the ERA Act may also be an asset to rebuild, regain and establish trust in science by all actors including politicians and citizens. But only if all of these actors are permanently engaged. For details, please read our attached position paper which also encompasses scientific freedom and the 5th freedom as referred to by Enrico Letta (2024).
Read full response

Meeting with Christian Ehler (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and European University Association and

27 Jan 2025 · FP10

Response to Attractive and sustainable careers in higher education

2 Feb 2024

In general, we support this initiative to develop a recommendation for a framework of academic careers. As this applies to higher education institutions such careers a diversity of functions and paths within and across academia. However, some aspects need to be taken into account, especially the multidimensional aspect of academic roles and careers. We recommend to assure: - coherence and alignment with EU Council recommendation [1] on research careers and retaining talent, as well as the CoARA [2] principles, and the research management career framework being developed under ERA Action 17 on increasing the research management capacity. - inclusion of education (teaching), research, innovation, societal outreach in academic careers as many employees in academic institutions have hybrid careers (double functions incl. staff and/or research management apart from teaching) or shift between functions in academia. - the initiative on attractive and sustainable careers in higher education needs to take into account the multidimensionality of academic careers and align with the CoARA principles. This includes a broader recognition and rewarding for academics, with less emphasis on the number of publications, and more emphasis on other domains in which academics operate, such as teaching, impact including societal engagement, research support and management, leadership and patient care [3-6]. In this academic career system, teaching, fundamental and applied research, impact, patient care, research management, and leadership are equally recognised and rewarded. Academics must meet the basic requirements for teaching and research, and the impact thereof, and excel by choice and agreement in one of the domains of teaching, research, or impact. But one, including academic staff, does not need to be specialised in all of these aspects: there needs to be more room for and recognition of the development of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary skills [7.8]. In addition, the background document of this initiative points to the joint European degree, the European Universities Initiative and the quality assurance. Regarding these topics we emphasize that: - limiting the career-related aspects to joint degree programmes and European University Alliances is too short-sighted. According to the European Strategy for Universities the academic careers are part of the strategy just like the joint European degree and the European Universities initiative do. The development of a common framework addressing hybrid careers in higher education, including research, staff and research management, would be helpful in order to better incorporate international experience into evaluations. A common framework that also targets international experience in consortia other than in the European Universities Initiative more broadly, could, for example, solve the problem that different Member States and their universities deal differently with the recognition of such international experience. This may reduce the barriers for academics who can currently not participate in international programmes due to non-recognition of their career paths. - whereas quality assurance is indeed needed and more alignment across the EU and minimum levels needs to be defined, any new European quality assurance should not be less than the current national ones. This also applies to academic careers: current national systems addressing the academic careers should not be replaced by lesser systems. (for full text and references, please see attached file)
Read full response

Response to Communication on the Global Approach to Research, Innovation, Education and Youth

23 Mar 2021

The European Commission (EC) pointed out in its work programme for 2021 that a renewal of the current strategy for international cooperation is needed. The EC wants to co-create the international cooperation strategy based on current prioritised European themes, global challenges, geo-political considerations as well as integral inclusion of education in this strategy. The Aurora Universities Network welcomes this initiative as this aligns with our vision: matching academic excellence (against global standards) with societal relevance towards global sustainability and well-being. The Aurora partners actually work together as higher education institutions (HEIs) with students and society around the world to learn from each other and to become better at what we care about most: learning together and researching for a strong and bright future for students, researchers, businesses, policymakers and the wider society, contributing to achieving global challenges. In line with and as a follow up on our position paper regarding the European Education Area (EEA) and European Research Area, Aurora prepared its input for the new Global Approach strategy with 8 recommendations. The recommendations include: 1) working together, across sectors as well as with the branches of primary, secondary and tertiary education and engaging young people around the world with new, creative ideas to improve our transformative literacy; 2) stimulating interoperability of information systems in higher education developed under the EEA globally; 3) finding a new balance between EU and UK to secure the longstanding and established collaborations on R&I and education; 4) using higher education institutes to foster democratic culture and practices through more interaction on education and research; 5) focus on the UN SDGs as a compass for international cooperation activities in R&I and education; 6) installing a sustained strategy and mechanism to include non-EU based organisations to become (beneficiary) partner in European Universities Alliances in order to address the UN SDGs from a worldwide perspective; 7) providing sustainable support for European Universities Alliances to continue serving as linking pin between research, innovation, all levels of education and skilling, and the wider society; and 8) using the principles mentioned in the EEA and ERA 2020 communications as a basis for international cooperation in R&I and education. For the full position paper we refer to the attached document or to the publication on our website: https://aurora-network.global/aurora-eu-global-approach-strategy/
Read full response

Response to Achieving the European Education Area

26 Aug 2020

The AURORA Universities Network supports the development of a strong vision on the European Education Area/EEA, interconnected with the European Research Area/ERA. Although the roadmap points out the way to get a new EEA, it less specifically describes the goals and expected achievements Europe needs. In order to improve the text, including vision, goals and achievements or deliverables, we address some aspects below. In brief, the roadmap 1) mainly focuses on training and skills/competences (esp. on skills for digitalisation and green transition). We recommend to add aspects of “education” i.e. on citizenship, critical thinking, democracy and political polarisation, individual prosperity and growth, and wellbeing; 2) will benefit from mentioning a strong vision on the connection between education, training and research. 3) is referring to EU-level flagship actions. More specifically, it will benefit from mentioning the strategic contribution of the European University alliances to both EEA and ERA; and 4) does not specify how an all-inclusive, meaningful, structured and sustained engagement of stakeholders will be achieved apart from “targeted consultation”. As with the research agenda setting the development, implementation, execution and evaluation of a new EEA needs proper co-creation and co-design in all phases with all stakeholders to fulfil all ambitions via a broadly supported and effective EEA strategies. As a universities network AURORA published its position paper on the EEA and ERA (see: https://aurora-network.global/eea-era-position/). We emphasize that: * the EEA needs strong European and national funding to fulfil its ambitions; * both EEA and ERA are open to the world beyond the EU fostering all dimensions of knowledge; * SDGs must be the guiding themes and compass for both EEA and ERA to engage (younger) people and contribute to the solutions; * EEA and ERA need to develop and strengthen European identity, values, standards of education and research to complement existing identities, values and standards; and * EEA and ERA need to be developed at national and institutional levels – and supported by champions at all these levels. The higher education and research sector contributes to this. Therefore, AURORA recommends and supports: * a meaningful international experience as a component of all study and learning paths rather than an obligation of learning abroad as such; * the acceptance of (subject-specific, general academic, personal) competences for the purpose of work, study and civil life regardless of the place where or the mode through which these competences were acquired, rather than just qualifications recognised across the EU; * the matching principle of academic excellence with societal relevance in education, research and outreach to society, which is core to our vision; and * a clear vision on the role of European University alliances in the establishment and achievement of an interconnected EEA and ERA from which the full European higher education sector should benefit.
Read full response

Response to Communication on the future of research and innovation and the European Research Area

22 Jul 2020

The European Research Area (ERA) must advance the free circulation of researchers, scientific knowledge and technology. Its aim is to enhance effective national research systems, transnational cooperation and competition, to establish research infrastructures, and to bring about an open labour market for researchers. Gender equality and mainstreaming in research, international cooperation, knowledge transfer and use (open innovation), and open access to data and results (open science) will close the gap between Research and Education in Europe. However, national barriers remain, both in the ERA and European Education Area (EEA) as well as to the integration of EEA and ERA, preventing open European exchanges. Differences in priority assigned to research and education are also an issue. These questions are at the centre of on-going discussion on widening access, the resources for education and research and innovation (R&I), on closing the salary gap between researchers in the EU, full acceptance of citizen science and engaging citizens in R&I, and on the openness of ERA and EEA to the world. ERA should position R&I as important enabler of sustainable solutions for societal and global challenges and needs with Sustainable Development Goals as main drivers, improving well-being of all, improve circulation of researchers, knowledge and technologies, and reduce the brain drain. ERA should also support excellent, fundamental, “blue sky” research. AURORA agrees that the new ERA should focus on: i) overcoming barriers; ii) transformative changes; iii) broad societal engagement and increased social responsiveness; iv) optimising the attractiveness of research careers across European countries; and v) research-based, knowledge-driven sustainable growth leadership rather than global competitiveness. These actions call for the development of a dynamic knowledge cycle based on the principles of Open Science, the co-design of R&I, ensuring the diversity of Europe’s R&I systems, and establishing a novel R&I driven sustainable growth and development model. This requires breaking down barriers for research careers, facilitating mobility across European countries and making recognition, reward and social security systems interchangeable. Research intensive universities cherish institutional autonomy and academics cherish academic freedom. In AURORA, we believe that these values do not confer a privilege of freedom from external influence or pressure. Rather, they are to be understood in the sense that universities and academic R&I and education must respond to a multitude of external influences. A balance is required between such external influences and internal drivers. Views on what is to be taught, researched and innovated in universities come from national and regional governments, European institutions, the corporate sector, civil society, citizen organisations, and the media. Universities and academics must accept that they will be held accountable for the choices they make, for the ways in which these external pressures influence them, as well as their own convictions and drivers. Universities and academics must reject external claims to precedence or a monopoly of influence, or an expectation of blind obedience from the academic world. In line with the European Parliament and academia, we emphasize that sufficient budgetary resources should be provided to support excellent science and education, to fulfil the bottom-up ambitions, leading to breakthrough knowledge and “innovations”. AURORA universities also stress that funding is necessary to enable them to address societal and global challenges and ambitions, and to involve EU countries with less well elaborated R&I and education systems (widening). Alternatively, EU ambitions should be adapted to the available EU budgets. Please read our full position paper on the EEA and ERA (https://aurora-network.global/eea-era-position).
Read full response