European Universities, the Highlight of International Cooperation in Higher Education. The Romanian Perspective on EU-CONEXUS
Article information:
Volume VIII 2024, No 1, Pages: 5-32
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24193/JRHE.2024.1.1
Oana Luiza Barbu, Teaching Assistant, Technical University Of Civil Engineering of Bucharest, Romania, email: oana.luiza.barbu@utcb.ro
Raluca Mihaela Ghențulescu, Associate Professor, Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest, Romania, email: raluca.ghentulescu@utcb.ro
Abstract: Inter-university cooperation has always been a desideratum of higher education institutions. It has developed at a slower or faster pace, for different reasons, depending on the era. Gradually, this cooperation has become more complex, giving rise to a new concept – the internationalisation of higher education. Supported by the development of technology and the increasing liberalisation of borders, cooperation in education has evolved from bilateral agreements to consortia of universities and eventually to European universities. Created at the initiative of the European Commission in 2017, European Universities are transnational alliances that over the last four years have brought about a paradigm shift in inter-university cooperation. This paper aims to discuss the participation of the Technical University of Civil Engineering of Bucharest (UTCB) in a European consortium, and its contribution to internationalisation at the institutional level. We will try to identify the advantages of being a member of this alliance, as well as the difficulties encountered throughout the cooperation and the means to overcome them.
Keywords: cooperation, higher education, internationalisation, European university, EU-CONEXUS.
