An EU application for funding in support of joining the EC²U, opens an external URL in a new window was submitted in the spring and approved on July 3, 2023. The Alliance aims to create a pan-European campus to support the seamless mobility between the partner universities and their home cities. The cooperation will encompass students, academic faculty, administration, and university management, with the goal of being finalized this year.

In July, a EC²U coordination team visited the JKU to welcome the university as a new partner.

Ludovic Thilly, general coordinator of the EC2U Alliance, remarked: "EC²U is a shared vision which aims to create the university of the future - an open and inclusive space where everyone takes part in acquiring and disseminating knowledge and expertise. EC²U is about shared values that harness everyone's talents into serving society."

The presentation about the Alliance attracted a great deal of interest amongst academics, scholars, Senate members, and within the JKU's administrative departments. Rector-elect Stefan Koch spoke with the EC²U coordinator, Prof. Ludovic Thilly (University of Poitiers, France), to discuss the strategic importance of the European University EC²U and just how the JKU can contribute to the project's success.

The next step will be to send a JKU delegation to the EC²U expansion kick-off meeting in Poitiers (France), in October, which will take place as part of the annual EC²U Forum.