Erasmus+ funding worth EUR 7.2 million for ambitious FORTHEM NEXUS project
9 July 2026
The European FORTHEM Alliance has been awarded new Erasmus+ funding for its project "FORTHEM NEXUS – Nurturing Excellence and Talent through Exchange with Universities and Society," starting in November 2026. Established in 2019 with seven partners and meanwhile comprising nine European universities, including Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), FORTHEM aims to further strengthen its mission to develop a sustainable Transnational Joint Campus and deepen cooperation across Europe, leading to the consolidation of the transnational joint campus, and the further integration of alliance activities into the everyday academic life of the partner universities.
A total of 37 proposals were submitted for the new two-year European Universities Initiative (EUI) funding. As the European Union announced today, 20 alliances succeeded, among them the FORTHEM Alliance secured its new project phase.
Under the project "FORTHEM NEXUS – Nurturing Excellence and Talent through Exchange with Universities and Society," the alliance will receive nearly EUR 7.2 million to support its ambitious program of activities over the next two years. This is a step from successful project-based cooperation towards a more permanent, sustainable, and institutionally embedded European University model.
Contributing to the European Education Area
The European Universities Initiative is a key component of building the European Education Area. Since its launch in 2019, five funding rounds have supported 65 European University alliances, involving more than 570 higher education institutions in 35 countries. FORTHEM Alliance was one of the first 17 networks selected in 2019. Previous FORTHEM funding phases covered the years 2019 to 2022 and 2022 to 2026, laying the groundwork for today's expanded collaboration.
Building on more than seven years of successful cooperation, FORTHEM now enters a new phase focused on consolidation, scaling up, and long-term sustainability. At the core of this new phase is the development of a Transnational Joint Campus, aligned with the alliance's strategy to 2030.
FORTHEM NEXUS in everyday academic life
FORTHEM NEXUS is part of a long-term strategic collaboration among nine European universities, including the University of Burgundy (UB) in France, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in Germany, the University of Jyväskylä (JYU) in Finland, the University of Opole (UO) in Poland, the University of Palermo (UNIPA) in Italy, the University of Latvia (UL) in Riga, the University of València (UVEG) in Spain, and – since late 2022 – Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu in Romania and the University of Agder in Norway. The partners foster deep integration across education, research, and stakeholder engagement and aim to embed their activities into everyday academic practices, making them accessible, reliable, and inclusive for students and staff.
During the upcoming funding period, the FORTHEM Alliance will focus on
- scaling internationalization and mobility from individual opportunities to embedded elements of curricula and study pathways,
- expanding pedagogical innovation and academic skills development as shared alliance-wide practices,
- strengthening support structures for early-stage researchers and enabling more sustainable research collaboration across the alliance,
- broadening FORTHEM's societal impact by advancing democratic resilience, entrepreneurship, and service-to-society activities in close cooperation with external partners.
The key objectives of the FORTHEM NEXUS project are to deepen the structural integration of the partner universities, embed successful FORTHEM formats into institutional practice, and further develop shared pathways, support structures and collaborative processes across the alliance. In doing so, FORTHEM NEXUS will help advance the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area by creating more integrated transnational pathways for learning, research collaboration, talent development, and societal engagement.
Driving impact through cooperation and innovation
With more than 15,000 students already involved in FORTHEM activities, the alliance will continue to expand opportunities for mobility, joint learning, and international collaboration. The new funding will enable FORTHEM to
- scale up successful alliance formats across the partner universities,
- expand mobility and collaboration opportunities for students, researchers, and staff,
- strengthen shared structures for sustained transnational cooperation,
- launch new joint activities with external partners in areas such as artificial intelligence, democracy, entrepreneurship, and service to society,
- introduce new initiatives in areas such as multilingualism, AI, democracy, and entrepreneurship, alongside flagship activities including Democracy Week and innovation programs.
Towards a sustainable European University model
FORTHEM NEXUS represents a major step toward a permanent and resilient European University alliance, embedding shared governance, standards, and collaboration tools into institutional practice. By 2028, the FORTHEM Alliance aims to further enhance joint research, education pathways, and stakeholder engagement, ensuring that transnational cooperation becomes a natural and integral part of academic life across Europe.
About FORTHEM
Founded in 2019, the FORTHEM Alliance – short for "Fostering Outreach within European Regions, Transnational Higher Education and Mobility" – is one of the European Universities alliances supported by the European Commission. It is dedicated to shaping the next generation of creative, responsible, and engaged citizens through collaboration in education, research, and innovation.
The FORTHEM Alliance brings together nine universities across Europe, supported by over 60 associated partners including regional authorities, businesses, NGOs, and research organizations. The collaboration involves approximately
- 230,000 students
- 2,500 doctoral candidates
- 19,000 researchers and faculty members, and
- 17,000 administrative staff.
Together, these actors form a vibrant ecosystem connecting education, research, innovation, and society at local, regional, and European levels.
FORTHEM at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
FORTHEM is a central pillar in the internationalization strategy of Mainz University. As a founding member of this European University alliance, JGU is working together with eight partner universities to help shape a shared European higher education area in which studying, teaching, research, and knowledge transcend national borders.
"Following two successful funding periods – from 2019 to 2022 and from 2022 to 2026 –, we are delighted by this renewed recognition of our long-standing commitment to FORTHEM. We would like to thank the EU for its continued trust in our vision of a European University," emphasized Professor Georg Krausch, President of JGU. "Over the years, we have established sustainable partnerships within FORTHEM, learning from and with one another as well as fostering close cooperation in teaching and research."
Professor Stephan Jolie, Vice President for Learning and Teaching at JGU, added: "In the new funding period, the focus will be on strengthening successful formats and embedding them more firmly in the day-to-day academic and working life of our universities. Above all, this benefits our students, who will gain ever more opportunities for collaborative learning and international experience."