A University Partnership for Acceleration of European Universities

aUPaEU is based on the collaboration of five academic institutions from two European alliances under the European Universities Initiative, EPiCUR and Unite!, who are working together to integrate and implement acceleration services in the context of a coordinated support system for higher education institutions (HEIs), networks, alliances of universities, and their umbrella organisations.The partners are experts in identifying effective approaches for R&I modernization that might serve as a model for other European HEIs, networks, and partnerships. Each partner has made significant internal efforts to advance their institutions, has sought new development routes through the European University Alliances, and has contributed to a variety of European and regional university networks.aUPaEU's ultimate purpose is to develop methodologies, sustainability plans, coaching services, and tangible digital technologies to give an acceleration agora. HEIs, university networks, and alliances will achieve integrated, shared, and long-term R&I transformations through this accelerated agora. These transformations are intended to focus on six major areas of the HEI transformation agenda: capacity, infrastructure, and resource sharing; researcher career attractiveness; collaboration with R&I ecosystem actors; open science; societal outreach; and gender equality.Following the Greek concept of the agora, the project will attempt to build a shared space where all stakeholders can give and consume accelerated services while also contributing their knowledge and experience. Access to this place will be accessible, diverse, and inclusive, promoting the reduction of all sorts of disparities, including economic, gender, and other inequalities.Finally, the project will deliver this agora, which will be evaluated by the user groups of two alliances and will serve as a model for other HEIs, networks, or university alliances to emulate.