“University mergers in Europe” is the second thematic report published by EUA as part of the DEFINE project. DEFINE explores strategies for efficient funding of universities in Europe, looking in particular at excellence initiatives, university mergers and performance-based funding mechanisms.
University mergers in Europe - Mapping university mergers in Europe
Since 2000, mergers or concentration processes have occurred or been discussed in a large majority of the systems analysed. However, the extent to which mergers are being undertaken or actively considered in different systems varies greatly.
In many countries, National Rectors’ Conferences reported that over the period there have been significant discussions/processes around mergers and concentration measures in the higher education sector (for instance in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden). Download the report “University mergers in Europe”. More...

“University mergers in Europe” is the second thematic report published by EUA as part of the DEFINE project. DEFINE explores strategies for efficient funding of universities in Europe, looking in particular at excellence initiatives, university mergers and performance-based funding mechanisms.
University mergers in Europe - Typologies of merger and concentration processes
A first distinguishing feature of such processes is the relative size of the institutions involved. Where mergers take place between similarly sized institutions, and for the purposes of this report, these are referred to as “horizontal” mergers. This has been the case in France, for example, where the recent round of large-scale university mergers has, for the most part, occurred between institutions that are of comparable scale. These lead to a particular set of questions, such as how to combine the universities’ respective brands and resources, and tend to be very resource-intensive processes. Download the report “University mergers in Europe”. More...

“University mergers in Europe” is the second thematic report published by EUA as part of the DEFINE project. DEFINE explores strategies for efficient funding of universities in Europe, looking in particular at excellence initiatives, university mergers and performance-based funding mechanisms.
University mergers in Europe - Mapping Mergers in Europe
This report focuses specifically on mergers. A merger is considered to have taken place when at least one institution has ceased to exist as a legal entity, having been incorporated into either a new or existent institution. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) places mergers at the so-called hard end of the “CAM spectrum” covering collaborations, alliances and mergers. Collaborations, in this spectrum, are specific arrangements at institutional level, focused on a particular area, and encompass cooperation agreements, partnerships, and the creation of new entities such as joint institutes, schools or faculties. Alliances refer to broader collaboration forms, covering different areas, but where institutions continue to exist independently. Download the report “University mergers in Europe”. More...

“University mergers in Europe” is the second thematic report published by EUA as part of the DEFINE project. DEFINE explores strategies for efficient funding of universities in Europe, looking in particular at excellence initiatives, university mergers and performance-based funding mechanisms.
University mergers in Europe - Introduction
Today higher education institutions across Europe face demanding and complex settings and circumstances. Globalisation, internationalisation, the drive for quality, expectations surrounding new modes of teaching, rankings, the growing importance of research and innovation within the economic development agenda and above all the difficult economic environment have induced many reform processes in higher education...
The present report focuses on mergers and concentration processes. These have been identified as a key issue for DEFINE because of their function in potentially increasing efficiency for higher education at both institutional and system level. The view that, by gaining mass, universities can find economies of scale and rationalise the use of resources, enabling them to function more cost-effectively, has been an important driver for merger and concentration processes. However, because of the scale and nature of the process, there is a lack of comprehensive evaluation at system and institutional level.
This report intends to provide a Europe-wide analysis of trends in merger processes. It begins with a comprehensive overview of the main trends in the development of merger and concentration processes from both a system-level and institutional perspective (see part 1). It then proceeds to consider these trends from the angle of ‘efficiency’ (part 2) and the different ways in which the process may be managed to achieve positive results (part 3). Download the report “University mergers in Europe”. More...

The European University Association published a new report on mergers in the university sector. The report maps and analyses merger and concentration processes in twenty higher education systems.
“University mergers in Europe” is the second thematic report published by EUA as part of the DEFINE project. DEFINE explores strategies for efficient funding of universities in Europe, looking in particular at excellence initiatives, university mergers and performance-based funding mechanisms. The third thematic report focusing on performance-based funding will be published by summer. More...