EGAI – Unita as a Model for Institutionalized University Cooperation: from the European Grouping of Economic Interest to the European Grouping of Academic Interest
In April 2023 the project EGAI was launched. EGAI was funded through the ERASMUS+ program, within the call “Pilot institutionalised EU cooperation instruments to explore the feasibility for a possible European legal status for alliances of higher education institutions”.
EGAI Project examined, tested and facilitated the use of a European Grouping of Economic Interest (EEIG) as an instrument of institutionalized university cooperation, with the final goal of designing a new grouping, the European Grouping of Academic Interest (EGAI).
EGAI included the six founding members of UNITA-Universitas Montium alliance, supported by national authorities in the field of higher education, the other Universities associated to Unita, the Italian authority competent for the registration of the EEIG (CCIAA of Turin) and other alliances or entities interested.
A team composed by 15 legal and/or economic experts from all the partners conducted an in-depth analysis to define the activities to be entrusted to the EEIG, the legal tools to ensure the sharing of personnel, data and material resources within the EEIG, and its economic and financial needs. These analyses lead to a proposal for the improvement of the existing institutionalised cooperation EU instruments.
Results were presented in a scientific conference held at the Université Savoie-Mont Blanc and in a spring school held at the University of Vest Timisoara.
EGAI team has been working for one year in closed connection with the DG EAC of the EU Commission and participated in the final conference of all the pilot project organised in Brussels, in April 2024.
The results of the project are summarised in this EU Commission document.
