The ten universities of the INGENIUM Alliance are working to transform the way joint study programmes are designed and accredited at the European level.
The project INGENIUM-ED, The INGENIUM European Degree: Transforming Joint Programmes through Alliance-Wide Cooperation and the European Degree Label, which proposes a comprehensive plan to align study programmes with the criteria of the Joint European Degree Label, has secured funding for a period of 36 months, running until December 2029, under the coordination of the University of Oviedo.
The INGENIUM European University Alliance is ready to address the need for awarding the European Degree label to joint degree programmes. The Alliance’s institutional diversity (comprehensive universities, technical universities, a university of medicine, and universities of applied sciences), as well as its extensive geographic coverage (in Northern, Southern, Central, Eastern, and Western Europe), make INGENIUM a true innovation hub for joint programmes capable of operating beyond the edges of national regulatory frameworks.
A project complementary to other Alliance initiatives
INGENIUM-ED is designed to work in direct synergy with the ongoing and future INGENIUM European University projects, as the Next INGENIUM project is. The approval of Next INGENIUM was announced just a few days ago and it will secure funding to expand the INGENIUM educational campus and continue developing the Alliance’s structures, including governance, quality assurance systems, mobility policy, and the operationalisation of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation – EGTC.
While Next INGENIUM aims to continue to build the systemic infrastructure, INGENIUM-ED focuses on outcomes such as tailored or newly created study programmes, and direct support for students.
Three major objectives
INGENIUM-ED pursues three general, interrelated goals:
- Transforming existing accredited joint programmes to align with the criteria of the Joint European Degree Label. Four Erasmus Mundus joint master’s programmes (STEPS, EU4M, EMPHID, ACES-Star) and the joint doctoral programme “Innovative Strategies for Wellbeing” will be adapted. This will demonstrate how consolidated, high-quality international programmes can be systematically aligned with the label’s criteria, creating replicable pathways for similar transformations across Europe.
- Designing new joint programmes developed in accordance with the criteria of the Joint European Degree Label. Starting with the “Chemical and Biochemical Process Technology” (CBPT) programme, which is coordinated by TUIASI, and followed by two other master’s programmes (SMAC2 and MDLST) and a bachelor’s programme in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, INGENIUM-ED will work towards ensuring that a total of four new joint programmes are aligned with the European label criteria from their very inception.
- Piloting the use of a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) as a mechanism to support joint programme development and operationalisation. The EGTC is a novel legal instrument through which the INGENIUM Alliance will become the first European university alliance with its own legal personality, capable of centrally managing scholarships, student services, and administrative support for joint programmes.
Support for at least 200 students
The project will implement a financial support and scholarship mechanism and will pilot the use of mixed funding mechanisms, as well as the INGENIUM European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) as a centralised tool for distributing scholarships and operationalising joint programmes.
A central element of the project is its social dimension. Through an integrated support framework, INGENIUM-ED will directly benefit at least 200 students across its adapted and newly designed programmes, aiming for at least 20% from underrepresented backgrounds, ensuring that European joint programmes become a genuinely accessible pathway rather than a privilege of the few. The support may come through direct scholarships, housing support, and other guidance and support mechanisms.
The project allocates at least 58% of its total budget to this student support component, reflecting the alliance’s commitment to equity and inclusion.
Key performance indicators also include:
- 5 existing joint programmes adapted to meet the criteria of the European degree label
- 4 new joint programmes designed in alignment with the European degree label criteria
- At least 200 students receiving financial or service-based support
- ≥80% student satisfaction rate across supported programmes
- ≥50 staff trained in European degree label governance and European Approach accreditation
- All 10 partner institutions with updated internal joint programme management procedures
- At least 6 engagements with national quality assurance agencies
- At least 3 structured policy dialogues with national or European policymakers
- Accreditation processes initiated for all adapted and new programmes under the European Approach
