A University Partnership for Acceleration of European Universities

Project Information

aUPaEU

Grant agreement ID: 101095314

DOI

10.3030/101095314

EC signature date 2 December 2022

Start date 1 January 2023

End date 31 December 2027

Funded under

• Reforming and enhancing the European R&I System

Total cost

€ 3 477 625,00

EU contribution

€ 3 477 625,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - aUPaEU (A University Partnership for Acceleration of European Universities)

Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The aUPaEU project draws inspiration from the ancient Greek agora—a space for dialogue and exchange—to create a modern, collaborative digital environment for higher education. Its goal is to develop an "accelerated agora," where European HEIs, alliances, and networks can provide, access, and co-create services that drive institutional transformation in research and innovation (R&I).

Led by five academic institutions from the EPiCUR and Unite! alliances, aUPaEU focuses on six key areas: capacity building, infrastructure and resource sharing, research careers, collaboration with R&I ecosystems, open science, societal engagement, and gender equality. The project delivers methodologies, digital tools, coaching, and sustainability plans to support these goals.

By fostering inclusivity, reducing disparities, and facilitating mutual learning, the aUPaEU agora will serve as a tested, scalable model for R\&I transformation across Europe’s higher education sector—empowering institutions to thrive through innovation, collaboration, and impact.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The aUPaEU project made strong progress in advancing digital and institutional transformation in European HEIs. A key achievement was the release and deployment of the Agora platform’s Minimum Viable Solution (MVS) across 12 university alliances, tailored to each institution’s needs. The project developed the first Acceleration Services Catalogue based on stakeholder input and applied a structured testing approach with 32 interviews and defined KPIs to assess service effectiveness.

A robust technical framework was delivered, covering platform architecture, data integration, access rights, and intelligent search. To support adoption, the project launched the Agora Support platform with over 35 training materials. Monitoring tools like Matomo and built-in surveys enabled continuous feedback and improvement. Broad deployment across alliances strengthened the platform’s scalability, reduced dependency on any single partner, and demonstrated its potential as a sustainable, EU-wide tool for higher education transformation.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The aUPaEU project has advanced the digital and institutional transformation of European Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through the development of the Agora platform—an open-source, modular, and interoperable infrastructure tailored for cross-institutional collaboration and aligned with ERA priorities. Unlike commercial alternatives, Agora supports acceleration services within a unified, user-driven digital environment, featuring intelligent search, flexible access controls, multilingual support, and adaptability to diverse institutional needs.

Deployed across 12 university alliances, Agora has proven its potential as a scalable foundation for pan-European cooperation. Its design reduces dependency on any single institution and promotes resilience and inclusivity.

For continued success, the project highlights the need for sustained co-creation, stakeholder engagement, and access to funding. Further validation through real-world implementation, regulatory support, and alignment with national and EU digital strategies will be key. Additionally, exploring internationalisation, commercialisation, and IPR frameworks will help maximise the impact and long-term sustainability of the platform.

Research portfolio in UNINOVIS agora

Events in EU Green agora

Unite Agora