Are you attracted to international and intercultural environments or the chance to  share training, research, and innovation experiences etc. with people linked to universities in other countries? If so, you will probably want to find out more about the opportunities offered by EUTOPIA, an alliance of leading European universities of which UPF is a member, together with another 10 centres throughout Europe and 6 global partners from other parts of the world. The other European universities linked to the alliance are from Belgium, Romania, Italy, France, Germany, Sweden, Slovenia, Portugal and the United Kingdom and the international partners are based in Colombia, the USA, South Korea, Australia, Morocco and South Africa.

EUTOPIA is more than a network of higher education institutions. It is a suprauniversity, an umbrella organization for institutions, students, teachers and researchers to create a groundbreaking, interdisciplinary educational model without barriers and with an international outlook that is reimagining and transforming higher education. Its goal is to empower the new generations and bring knowledge to society, building the European university of the future that is inclusive, innovative, sustainable and global.

The alliance began in 2019 and since then the project has continued to evolve and mature to offer a wide range of activities and opportunities to the different university community collectives. Currently, UPF is playing a pivotal role within the alliance as coordinator of the EUTOPIA More programme (2022-2026), its main project  at the moment. The programme receives European funds, as EUTOPIA is part of the main strategic project of the European Commission for higher education (European Universities Initiative), whose aim is to making European higher education courses more attractive and competitive and better adapted to the challenges of the future. EUTOPIA aims to create a European educational quality brand that contributes to these goals. 

Throughout 2025 and 2026, UPF will be undertaking the organization of activities that are particularly prominent on the EUTOPIA agenda. The main event is scheduled for the end of 2026, when UPF will be hosting EUTOPIA Week, one of the alliance’s most important regular meetings, at which those in charge of EUTOPIA and their representatives at member universities discuss the alliance’s strategic lines and schemes and also have the opportunity to exchange views.

EUTOPIA Weeks are held twice a year and are organized on a rotating basis by the different member universities. Between 22 and 27 November 2026 it will be UPF’s turn. The event will undoubtedly help our university community become more familiar with the alliance.

Beforehand, however, other events are scheduled, the most important of which is EUTOPIA Day, which is commemorated on 10 November and this year will be dedicated to promoting inclusion in university environments. Under the slogan “Empowering the EUTOPIA Identity through Inclusive Practices”, during the day different activities will be organized to discuss and share good practices on how to promote inclusion in university environments, to guarantee diverse and equal coexistence between people of different sexes, races, ethnicities, origins, economic status..., as well as the integration of people with functional diversity.

At the beginning of an academic year during which EUTOPIA will enjoy special visibility among our university community, below we summarize the opportunities offered by the alliance to the various groups of the university community and we provide testimonials of people who have already enjoyed some of them.

What opportunities does EUTOPIA offer the different groups of the university community?  

If you are a student

• Access to a flexible, international range of courses: you will be able to join courses and follow itineraries at all the universities of the network and adapt your syllabus to your needs and interests. These integrated, borderless educational itineraries will be backed by an internationally recognized seal of quality.

• Support for international mobility: you will be able to enjoy grants and opportunities to participate in activities, workshops, conferences and other international experiences without the costs being an obstacle.

• Innovative learning models in connection with society: you will be able to develop your theoretical and practical skills and knowledge to deal with global challenges through projects based on real social challenges and problems that enjoy the collaboration of the ecosystem of local agents (companies, institutions, organizations, etc.) of each region.

• The possibility of interacting with students from other countries with whom you can lead and undertake projects: the alliance’s international environment promotes values of diversity, inclusion and collaboration among young people around the world. It also fosters interculturality, teamwork, opportunities for connection and networking and the opportunity to lead projects with young people from other countries.
• More professional skills and career opportunities throughout Europe: you will be able to acquire academic, intercultural and professional skills that will enrich your curriculum and make it stand out. You will also have greater access to professional and networking opportunities in different countries in Europe.
• The possibility of making your voice heard in Europe: you will be able to participate actively in decisions and initiatives that affect higher education in Europe by joining the EUTOPIA Student Council, or by taking part in other international student forums. 

The experience of a UPF student in EUTOPIA

Since he began his journalism studies at UPF in the 2023-2024 academic year, Eudald has become involved in the EUTOPIA project. In 2023, he participated in the Ideas Club, held at CY Cergy Paris University, a discussion forum for students concerning European challenges. He is currently vice-chair of the EUTOPIA Student Council.

Eudald believes that, by connecting students from different countries, EUTOPIA provides a “forum where you can find common problems and learn about the unique characteristics of each country” and “address common issues that affect young people in Europe”. When he participated in the Ideas Club at CY Cergy Paris University, he was able, with other young Europeans studying different disciplines, to discuss the issue of inclusion, one of the alliance’s pillars. “For example, students of language and psychology analysed and shared with the others the challenge posed by inclusion in our societies” - recalls Sanz, who considers this interdisciplinary debate “highly enriching”.

Based on his experience, he does not hesitate to recommend that other students should participate in the alliance. “Participating in the EUTOPIA project allows students to have a short but very complete international experience. You study and learn about current issues such as AI or climate change and have the opportunity to meet and make friends with young people from all over Europe”, he concludes.

If you are a teacher or a researcher

• International and interdisciplinary collaborations: you will be able to work with European colleagues, create interdisciplinary research groups and collaborate in teaching and research projects with an impact that goes beyond your university.

• Flexible spaces for teaching innovation: you can experiment with new teaching methodologies, incorporate international teachers and students into the classroom, and conduct innovative teaching projects. 

• Resources, funding and shared infrastructures: sources of funding for academic activities, access to research infrastructures shared by the member universities, and opportunities to access different positions as a researcher are available. 

• Make your voice heard: teachers and researchers can also participate actively in the decision-making and governance of the network.
• Training and access to competitive European projects: training is provided in key cross-cutting areas for the research community, such as scientific communication. In addition, it enables accessing competitive European research projects driven by the Alliance, such as EUTOPIA-SIF and EUTOPIA-Health.

The experience of a UPF researcher in EUTOPIA

Oriol, a researcher with the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences who is an expert in molecular biology, leads one of the so-called EUTOPIA “Connected Communities”, which serve to facilitate the exchange of knowledge between researchers who pursue common lines of research. In his case, he coordinates the “Bioimage Analysis” Connected Community. 

The Connected Community led by Oriol Gallego aims to improve microscopy image analysis for basic research with a great deal of emphasis on biological and medical perspectives. For Gallego, the creation of this Connected Community was the “click” that enabled articulating a network of researchers and achieving greater visibility, so that new researchers could join the group. “Above all, it has given me visibility at other centres in the alliance. We have also received resources that, though limited, are helping us to go ahead with a summer school on the development of AI tools applicable to microscopic image analysis”- the researcher explains.

For Gallego, EUTOPIA “can also provide complementary incentives that help pursue research collaboration initiatives” among the partners, but he advocates that the alliance should be more ambitious in this field. 

If you are a member of the PTGAS (technical, management and administration and services staff)

• New mobility opportunities and international experience: you will be able to get access to a privileged network to participate in projects and activities at other universities, expanding your international and professional experience.

• Work on innovative and global projects: you can take part in collaborative projects to lay the foundations of the EUTOPIA European university, in collaboration with professionals from different universities. 
• Develop intercultural skills: by working in international teams, you will be able to overcome cultural barriers in intercultural, collaborative environments.
• Practical learning in real environments: you will be able to learn new university management practices and apply them in your work environment by observing other professional practices and strategic projects first hand. 

Let’s hear the testimony of a PTGAS representative

Anaís Tarragó is the director of the UPF Foundation and a member of the EUTOPIA working group dedicated to promoting the alliance’s relations with its external partners, or in other words, to enhancing the connections of member universities with the local ecosystems.

EUTOPIA’s local partners are very diverse, but they all “bring to the alliance their experience and willingness to collaborate with the university so that it opens up beyond its walls and achieves veritable collaboration and knowledge transfer”, explains Tarragó, for whom the experiences of each university with its partners can be inspiring for the others. 

Indeed, at the end of last year, UPF hosted the EUTOPIA Innovation Challenge in which young Europeans sought innovative solutions to misinformation in four major areas (fact-checking, deep fakes, mental health, and democratic fragility), with the collaboration of a local partner in each of them: Verificat, Rain Film Festival, Fundació Joia and Canòdrom: “The partners’ perspectives and expertise were key to providing context and defining the challenge to be solved and to provide feedback”. Experiences like this one are proof that EUTOPIA “is an opportunity to learn about how people work in other environments, good practices, and to identify new opportunities for collaboration”, she concludes. 

If you want to continue discovering more about the EUTOPIA alliance and its activities at UPF, check out the following websites:

• EUTOPIA UPF office
• EUTOPIA Alliance