UNITA

It evokes the strong links and commonalities that bring us together to create ground-breaking and innovative alliance aiming at a deeper level of integration.

Universitas Montium, written in Latin, stresses a common heritage and the fact that UNITA universities all speak Romance languages, and are committed to fostering linguistic diversity and to the development of rural and cross-border mountain territories.

Our slogan ‘Climb your future’ reflects our commitment to supporting the aspirations of our graduates and our communities by fostering their resilience to cope with life’s challenges.

Who we are

We are an alliance of universities and a legal entity (UNITA GEIE) from seven countries with different sizes and trajectories gathering together nearly 250,000 students and 21,000 staff members:

Universidade da Beira Interior,
Instituto Politécnico da Guarda,
Universidad Pública de Navarra,
Universidad de Zaragoza,
Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour,
Université Savoie Mont Blanc,
Università di Torino,
Università degli Studi di Brescia,
Universitatea de Vest din Timisoara,
Universitatea Transilvania din Brasov,
UNITA GEIE
Haute Ecole Spécialisée de Suisse Occidentale (Associated partner)
Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University in Ukraine (Associated partner)

The UNITA Universities are located in rural, mountain, and cross-border regions across Southern, Western and Central-Eastern Europe, in ecosystems sharing similar challenges and impacted by core-periphery dynamics.

The UNITA GEIE (UNITA European Economic Interest Grouping) is a starting point towards a new model of legal entity serving the purposes of European universities. Through this tool we will design the trajectory to transform the alliance into an institutionalised European university that deals with UNITA assets, accelerates policy convergence, facilitates the pooling of resources and houses universities that keep their autonomy.

Our more than fifty associated partners represent different actors in each regional ecosystem, including the socio-economic sector, public authorities, a quality assurance agency, policy makers and civil organizations.

Together, we constitute a unique ecosystem that ensure the transformative impact and the sustainability of our new University model.

Read the full UNITA Mission statement

Our values

We share a strong commitment to contribute to the development of our societies and territories in a European dimension, including the awareness of a shared European citizenship and the contribution to the permanently ongoing construction of European identity.

We actively and increasingly use Romance languages in addition to English in education, research, innovation and management, thus enhancing linguistic diversity and promoting inclusion but also resorting to them as a tool for projecting UNITA beyond Europe taking advantage of our languages in large regions of the world, particularly in the Americas and in Africa.

We are strongly committed to promoting the European democratic values of peace, human dignity and human rights, equality, diversity and inclusion, and to the construction of a fully-fledged European University fostering the European way of life.

We believe in:

Democratic participation
Societal and civic engagement
Diversity
People empowerment
Inclusiveness
Environmental responsibility

UNITA Code of Ethics and Conduct

The UNITA Code of Ethics and Conduct is a key document that outlines the shared ethical values of the alliance: integrity, commitment, professionalism, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability.

It lays out the expected behaviors for everyone in the UNITA community, including students, academic staff, and administrative personnel involved in collaborative activities. These values come to life through specific guidance, like steering clear of conflicts of interest (integrity), creating safe and inclusive workspaces (commitment), ensuring respectful and confidential communication (professionalism), advocating for gender equality (diversity and inclusion), and promoting environmentally friendly choices (sustainability).

The Purpose
The Code acts as a self-regulation and decision-making guide, helping individuals and teams align their actions with UNITA’s values, even when faced with tricky or unclear situations. It fosters transparency, accountability, and ethical awareness.

Additionally, it anticipates potential misconduct, aids in the fair and timely resolution of ethical dilemmas, and encourages ongoing learning through training, guidance, and reflection.

Relevance to the Alliance
By offering a shared ethical framework, the Code of Ethics and Conduct builds trust and collaboration among partner universities while honoring each institution’s independence. It ensures that behavior and decision-making remain consistent across all UNITA initiatives. With the support of a diverse Ethical Committee and practical tools like advisory services and a secure whistleblowing platform, the Code bolsters the alliance’s reputation as a responsible, inclusive, and forward-thinking academic network.

Read the UNITA Code of Ethics and Conduct

Governance, Management and Quality

The governance of UNITA aims at building the model for an institutionalised European university and ensuring the fully operational and measurable implementation of alliance Tasks and deliverables in a quality framework with academic and societal impact.

For this purpose, the partner institutions are committed in:

Update and maintain the governance structures, and further develop a model for an institutionalised European university through long-term visions and strategies both for effective and inclusive governance at partner and alliance level, and per policy domain, (e.g. quality assurance, data driven governance and management, green, sustainability, digital, open data, open science, open education, lifelong education, linguistic policy, mobility.
Establish and maintain the management structures, in particular the UNITA Offices, fully integrating new partners, engaging students, academic and administrative staff, stimulating the involvement of associated partners.
Update and mainstream the UNITA Quality Assurance policy and assessment tools developed during the first phase, in accordance with the European Standard Guidelines.

Developing UNITA communities

UNITA supports the construction of communities of students, teachers and researchers, and administrative staff, by enabling policies for human resources, multilingualism, mobility and the promotion of the European way of life through the following actions:

Promote well-being, inclusion, gender and social equity, increase staff training and career development within the alliance, fostering intra-entrepreneurship and leadership capacity and connecting students’ organisations and initiatives.
Integrate and combine Romance languages learning and intercomprehension in existing programmes and produce micro-credentials on these topics for different learner profiles in the framework of a UNITA language policy.
Create and support communities of educators, researchers and innovators who share a common interest in a field of knowledge and want to develop the field further through exchanges of good practice and the launch of joint projects.
Achieve mobility opportunities for students and staff by embedding mobility as a structural feature at all levels of the alliance, with a particular emphasis on intra-alliance and rural mobility. Pave the way towards seamless mobility by reducing obstacles and simplifying procedures, including automatic recognition.
Develop and promote European citizenship and identity, the European way of life and a sense of belonging among the UNITA communities (students and staff), but also among the citizens, particularly the inhabitants of rural, cross-border and mountain areas, as well as regional authorities and associations, and contribute to the reflection and debate on these fundamental European concepts and values.

Associated Partners

Associated Partners are a key resource for UNITA in order to reach the objectives of the Alliance.

The staff working in the UNITA institutions is complemented by the following Associated Partners:

International organizations:

National Organizations:

Local Authorities:

Universities:

Università degli Studi Roma 3

Representatives of the socio-economic world:

Universitas Montium European Economic Interest Grouping (UNITA GEIE)

Universitas Montium European Economic Interest Grouping (UNITA GEIE) is an innovative institutional tool created to enhance transnational academic collaboration in Europe.

Established in January 2023 by the six universities of the pilot phase of the UNITA alliance — University of Turin, University of Savoie-Mont Blanc, University of Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, University of Zaragoza, University of Beira Interior, and University of Vest din Timișoara — UNITA GEIE includes today also the Transilvania University of Brasov, the Public University of Navarra and, as an associate partner, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland: it represents the first initiative of its kind in Europe.

As an essential facilitator of the UNITA alliance’s mission, UNITA GEIE supports over 250,000 students and more than 21,000 teaching and administrative staff. Its core purpose is to assist its members in developing and implementing joint objectives in education, research, and innovation. By fostering cross-border collaboration, UNITA GEIE strengthens institutional ties and drives regional development within a European framework.

A Step Towards the European University

The establishment of UNITA GEIE marks a significant milestone towards achieving the European University model. By providing a structured and legally recognized framework, UNITA GEIE enables its members to experiment with new forms of collaboration that align with the European Commission’s strategies in higher education. Through this initiative, UNITA universities can develop and offer high-quality, multidisciplinary academic programs and research partnerships, ultimately benefiting both students and researchers.

Objectives and Strategic Vision

The main objective of UNITA GEIE is to facilitate the creation of a strong and transparent hub for higher education, research, and innovation. By leveraging its institutional framework, UNITA GEIE allows its members to:

Develop enhanced academic training programs and research partnerships.
Foster innovation in local, regional, and transnational territories.
Implement recognized certifications and micro-credentials across partner institutions.
Organize professional training programs, MOOCs, summer and winter schools, conferences, and other knowledge-sharing events.
Strengthen cooperation with public and private partners to drive regional and European innovation.

UNITA GEIE also serves as a platform for broader collaboration beyond its founding members. Other national and regional higher education institutions, research organizations, and public or private partners may join or establish reinforced cooperation agreements to further enhance academic and research opportunities.

Strengthening Local and European Influence

By emphasizing European values and regional specificities, UNITA GEIE increases the international visibility and attractiveness of the UNITA alliance. Its strong integration within local, regional, cross-border, and European realities ensures a robust academic and research ecosystem that contributes to the long-term development of its member institutions and associated territories.

UNITA-Universitas Montium GEIE stands as a pioneering model in European higher education, demonstrating how transnational cooperation can shape the future of academic excellence and innovation in Europe.

Location: Via Po, 11 - Turin, Italy

Contact: unita.geie@gmail.com

UNITA GEIE governance structure »

EGAI Project »

EGAI Project

In april 2023 the project “EGAI – Unita as a Model for Institutionalized University Cooperation: from the European Grouping of Economic Interest to the European Grouping of Academic Interest” was launched. EGAI is 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 intends to examine, test and facilitate 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 includes the 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. Moreover, the project intends to achieve beneficial results for the entire European Academic Community, and notably those alliances wishing to test the EEIG.

A team composed by 15 legal and/or economic experts from all the partners will conduct 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. The testing will be completed through the organization of a lifelong learning activity to be carried out by the EEIG. These analyses will lead to a proposal for the improvement of the existing institutionalised cooperation EU instruments. Results will be presented in a scientific conference and in a winter school at the conclusion of the project.

EGAI Project Kick off meeting video

Kick off program

Presentation of the EGAI Project
Barbara Gagliardi, EGAI project coordinator, Università di Torino

The EEIG as an Instrument of Academic Cooperation
Arnaud Lecourt, Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour

Testing the EEIG for Academic Cooperation: The Legal Tools
Ana Gascon Marcén, Universidad de Zaragoza

T esting the EEIG for Academic Cooperation: the Training Activities
Claudia Martins and Tatiana do Adro, Universidade da Beira Interior

The Contribution to the European Debate: The EGAI Winter School
Sorina Doroga and Raluca Bercea, Universitatea de Vest din Timișoara

Final Remarks and Perspectives: from the European Grouping of Economic Interest to the European Grouping of Academic Interest
Alexandre Guigue, Université Savoie Mont Blanc

Documents

EGAI - T 1.1 Final report of the Strategic Committee with decisions and recommendations

EGAI - T 1.2 Quality Review Report (Final Report)

EGAI - T 2.1 Analysis on the object of the academic EEIG

EGAI - T 2.2 Toolkit of legal instrument

EGAI - T 2.3 Proposal of a new regulation framework

EGAI - T 3.2 Assessment report

EGAI - T 4.1 UNITA website and social media report

EGAI - T 4.2 Recording of the conference's speeches and discussions available

Events

EGAI UNITA Webinar (14 September 2023)

GEIE universitaire et services d'intérêt économique général: quelques problématiques

Workshop on “Interpersonal Skills and Sustainability” (20-24 November 2023)

Conference “Paving the way for European Universities" (7-8 March 2024)

EGAI UNITA Webinar - Univeristy EEIGs and services of general economic interest: some issues (15 March 2024)

UNITA EGAI Project Spring School - A Journey Towards Enhanced University Collaboration (18-19 March 2024)

Contacts:

Barbara Gagliardi (Project Coordinator)
egai@unito.it

UNITA RECIPES for INTERNATIONALISATION

The main objective of UNITA RECIPES for INTERNATIONALISATION is to foster the internationalisation of the degree programmes of UNITA partner universities, both full partner or associated ones, to ultimately increase the opportunities for all students to develop their international and inter-cultural skills. Indeed, those skills are recognized as key ones in our globalised world.

To make it possible, the heads of degree programmes would be coached according to their individual professional needs and their students could experience the outcomes of this process. The coaching will be conducted by a new type of function, internationalisation advisor, who will be at the service of the head of programme and develop capacity in internationalisation. Our goals at this stage are to suggest different possibilities/recipes of internationalisation and to provide internationalisation for all. We aim to take into account cultural differences and break down geographical barriers, but also to develop internationalisation at home. This would help reach out to people with fewer opportunities. What’s more, the fact that our outputs (Handbook and internationalisation self-assessment tool) as well as training sessions are accessible or conducted in local languages will allow to touch more people and to provide a better access to the information and advice offered.

Full partners: USMB (coordinator), UPNA, UNIBS, UniTBv, IPG.

Associated partners: UNIZAR, UNITO, UVT, UBI, UPPA, HES-SO, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University. ARACIS (Romanian National Evaluation Agency)

Start on December 1st, 2023, 3 years project

Type of project: Erasmus+ project (Key Action 2)

Budget: 400 000 euros from Erasmus+
+ a budget coming from MOVETIA for HES-SO
+ co-financing by the partners institutions

UNITA Teaching and Learning Centers

SECOND TLC Training Offer-May, June 2025

Online professional development workshops for educators

UNITA's Teaching and Learning Center Network offers a series of online professional development workshops designed specifically for educators.
The trainings focus on:

improving teaching effectiveness through evidence-based techniques and student-centered learning
updating on innovative pedagogies that incorporate the latest in digital learning and educational trends
creating opportunities for cross-cultural collaboration to exchange insights and best practices with educators from across Europe.

Course offerings cover the following areas:

digital tools
learner-centered pedagogy
collaborative international online learning (COIL)
European citizenship
inclusive education.

Courses begin on November 5th, 2024 and continue throughout the 2024-2025 academic year.
Access to the courses is free of charge upon registration through a dedicated link. Places for each individual course are limited, so it is recommended to proceed with registration as soon as possible.
Details of the courses, schedule and how to register are available here

Map of Stakeholders

Categorization of Stakeholders

Prioritization Framework

UNITA activity categories

Internships / Mobilities
Rural Mobility
Courses / Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP)
Research Activities
Intercomprehension Language Courses
Geminae Program
Green Sustainability

External Stakeholder Engagement Matrix for UNITA Activities

Internal Stakeholders Engagement Matrix for UNITA Activities

Papers

WP5	D5.3	UNITA Green Sustainability Report	UBI/UNITBV	Report	Public	31 Out 2024
WP5	D5.4	UNITA Impact Observatory Plan	UPPA/UPNA		Public	31 Out 2024
WP5	D5.5	UNITA Expansion in Europe and beyond implemented	UNIZAR/UNIBS		Public	31 Out 2024