INGENIUM and BI4E: how they relate to each other to transform European Higher Education

The INGENIUM Alliance of European Universities is a network of ten higher education institutions from ten different EU countries that aims to create a single European Campus where students and staff can benefit from high-quality study and qualification programs with digital components. The alliance was established in 2020 as part of the European Universities Initiative of the European Commission, which supports transnational cooperation and innovation in higher education.

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The Boosting Ingenium for Excellence project (BI4E) is a complementary initiative that seeks to enhance the capacity of the INGENIUM partners, especially those in widening countries, to address major challenges such as the green and digital transition, climate change and global problems related to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The project is funded by Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation program.

INGENIUM and BI4E have a common goal of improving the quality, diversity and inclusiveness of higher education in Europe by enabling partner universities to collaborate and exchange with each other. They both adhere to common values such as excellence, innovation, sustainability and social responsibility, which guide their actions and decisions.

However, INGENIUM and BI4E differ in their scope, duration and focus. INGENIUM is a more ambitious and long-lasting project that aims to create a single European Campus where students can choose from a wide range of courses offered by any partner university, regardless of their location or background. BI4E is a more targeted and short-term project that aims to enhance the research and innovation capacities of partner universities by offering them various opportunities for training, mentoring, networking and funding. Moreover, INGENIUM and BI4E have different sources of funding: INGENIUM is supported by Erasmus+, the EU’s programme for education, training, youth and sport, while BI4E is supported by Horizon Europe, the EU’s programme for research and innovation.