Launch emerge

Launch in Ireland of the EMERGE European University Alliance On Tuesday 17 June 2025, Université Bretagne Sud and eight European universities gathered in Limerick to officially launch the EMERGE University Alliance (Empowering the Margins of Europe through Regional and Global Engagement).

A European university alliance to build a more connected and inclusive future through education

European university alliances are developing a new generation of Europeans by enabling them to study and work in different countries, in different languages and in different sectors. These alliances also encourage innovation in the regions where they are based, and collaboration with researchers, businesses, local authorities and civil society organisations.

EMERGE brings together nine universities in eight European countries:

• Université Bretagne Sud and Université Rennes 2 in France
• University of Limerick in Ireland (Coordinator)   
• Europa-Universität Flensburg in Germany
• Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences in Norway
• Univerzita Mateja Bela in Slovakia
• Neapolis University Pafos in Cyprus
• Universidade da Coruña in Spain
• Democritus University of Thrace in Greece

"The Charter of Shared Values will guide our every action. It embodies our collective commitment to a Europe of Higher Education and Research that is fair, open to all and rooted in regional realities". Christine Chauvin, UBS Vice-President EMERGE Alliance. 

Members of the Alliance gathered this week at the World Academy of Irish Music and Dance in Limerick to formalise the launch of EMERGE. The Chancellor of the University of Limerick, Brigid Laffan, welcomed the various delegations.

"This is a celebration of a shared ambition. We're not just imagining the future of higher education, we're building it, together." Colin Fitzpatrick , Vice President for International Outreach and Community Engagement at the University of Limerick

For the governance of UBS, it means a strategic positioning with the message ‘A Breton university, a European ambition’.

Morag Champy-McLean, vice-présidente international

The work package leads replied to questions from students concerning the added value, among other points, that the Alliance will bring them during their studies. We illustrated the concrete actions that we will put in place to bring the Alliance to life, with the students always being a constant centre point.