Speaker
Description
Background. European University Alliances (EUAs) are positioned as strategic instruments to transform higher education and strengthen the European Education and Research Areas. Despite strong political support and ambitious integration agendas, many alliances remain structurally dependent on temporary, project-based funding and fragmented governance arrangements. This creates a sustainability paradox: alliances are expected to operate as long-term, transformative structures while simultaneously functioning under short-term, unstable coordination conditions. Existing governance research increasingly highlights tensions between collaborative governance ambitions and institutional fragmentation (Ansell & Torfing, 2021; Pierre & Peters, 2020).
Aim. The aim of the ongoing study is to explore the sustainability paradox of European University Alliances and to identify the governance-related mechanisms, factors, and tensions that shape their long-term continuity.
Methods. The study applies a qualitative Grounded Theory approach based on Strauss and Corbin’s methodology (1998). Data collection includes semi-structured expert interviews, a roundtable with alliance leaders and governance actors, policy and strategic document analysis, and observational insights from European University Alliance activities and governance processes. The ongoing analysis focuses on sustainability dimensions, governance dynamics, projectification effects, and meta-organisational coordination mechanisms. <...>
| Presenting author | Edita Lenkauskaite |
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