The European university alliances are an initiative of the European Union aimed at transforming higher education through stable networks of cooperation among universities. These alliances function as integrated structures in which several institutions work continuously in teaching, research, and innovation, with the ambition of building a shared ‘European university’, more connected and with greater international projection.
This approach aligns with the recent evolution of European policy. The framework of the European Union on scientific diplomacy, adopted in May 2026, underscores the need to strengthen the links between diplomacy, research, and higher education, and identifies universities and European alliances as key actors in international cooperation. Furthermore, it introduces two priorities that are shaping the current agenda: advancing towards ‘open and secure’ international cooperation and developing specific capacities to better integrate scientific knowledge into external action.
One of these networks is EUTOPIA, formed by ten European universities focused on research: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium), CY Cergy Paris Université (France), Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Spain), Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia (Italy), Technische Universität Dresden (Germany), University of Gothenburg (Sweden), University of Warwick (United Kingdom), Universidad de Ljubljana (Slovenia), NOVA University Lisbon (Portugal), and Babeș-Bolyai University (Romania). Within the ecosystem of European alliances, this network stands out for having explicitly incorporated scientific diplomacy as a line of work, integrating science and diplomacy into its functioning and positioning universities as stable spaces for cooperation in an environment marked by geopolitical tensions and competition.
Traditionally, three dimensions of scientific diplomacy are distinguished, which explain the relationship between science and external action. The first (Science in Diplomacy) refers to the use of scientific knowledge to support decision-making in international politics. It is concretized, for example, in the role of experts in negotiations on climate change, global health, or technological regulation, where scientific evidence guides the positions of governments.
The second (Science for Diplomacy) refers to scientific cooperation as a way to strengthen relationships between countries. Here, joint research projects, mobility programs, or networks among universities help create personal relationships of trust and facilitate communication between countries, even in contexts where political relations face difficulties.
The third (Diplomacy for science) consists of using diplomatic instruments to facilitate scientific collaboration. In this case, embassies, bilateral agreements, or international programs allow for opening or sustaining collaborations among researchers, removing administrative, legal, or political barriers.
To these three dimensions, EUTOPIA contributes one of the key conceptual elements of the network, the so-called ‘fourth dimension’ (Diplomacy in science), developed by Luk van Langenhove, a professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and a specialist in scientific diplomacy, and Jean-Claude Burgelman, a European expert in research and innovation policies. This fourth dimension introduces the idea of diplomacy that develops within science itself. Unlike scientific cooperation used for diplomatic purposes, here diplomacy emerges directly within research networks, which maintain collaboration and contact beyond the political context.
The scientific diplomacy agenda of EUTOPIA unfolds through meetings, training programs, and workspaces, under the coordination of Eric Piaget, a researcher linked to United Nations University. These activities reinforce key capacities in the European environment, such as understanding the diplomatic context, translating scientific evidence into political decisions, or managing complex international collaborations. A representative example is the EUTOPIA Science Diplomacy Global Summit, held in Brussels on May 29, 2026, which brought together universities, diplomats, and policymakers to discuss the role of academia in a tense international system.
If this initiative consolidates, it could influence how European universities act in the international arena and strengthen their role as spaces for dialogue, connecting knowledge with decision-making processes and shaping profiles with international experience. The underlying question is what role the European university wants to assume in an environment where science occupies an increasingly central place in international relations.
