Rennes 2 University is proud to be a member of the EMERGE European University Alliance, a transformative initiative that brings together 9 universities, committed to strengthening their regions and communities through collaboration. Guided by the belief that working together enhances our ability to serve students, territories, and marginalized groups, EMERGE is dedicated to fostering meaningful, long-term change.
Funded by the European Commission for an initial 4-year period which began in January 2025, EMERGE has set itself the goal of creating meaningful and long-term change through cooperative and concrete projects in education, research, student service and community and societal engagement.
MISSION AND VISION
The universities of EMERGE are located in the geographic margins of Europe, away from major metropolitan centers. While diverse in culture, language, and socio-economic conditions, these regions share common challenges such as remoteness, limited connectivity, and restricted access to resources. Within them, marginalized communities—including ethnic, linguistic, and gender minorities, as well as those affected by poverty, disability, and mental health issues—face heightened exclusion.
EMERGE seeks to empower these regions and communities by leveraging the collective expertise of its universities. Rather than treating societal engagement as an afterthought, EMERGE places it at the core of its mission. This human-centered, socially and environmentally conscious approach to teaching and research ensures a direct and lasting impact on marginalized groups.
By prioritizing the needs of the communities and regions we serve, EMERGE aligns itself with European values of equity, sustainability, and inclusion. Through cooperation and innovation, our ultimate goal is to help build a fairer, more resilient, and more prosperous Europe for all.
ABOUT EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES
Emerge partners have been working together since 2019 to achieve the status of a European University Alliance through the European Universities Initiative (EUI) under Erasmus +.
The European Universities Initiative (EUI) is a program created by the European Commission after the 2017 Gothenburg Summit, in which EU leaders outlined a vision for education and culture. The European Council called on Member States, the Council and the Commission to take forward a number of initiatives, including:
"…strengthening strategic partnerships across the EU between higher education institutions and encouraging the emergence by 2024 of some twenty 'European Universities', consisting in bottom-up networks of universities across the EU which will enable students to obtain a degree by combining studies in several EU countries and contribute to the international competitiveness of European universities".
The EUI is today one of the flagship initiatives of the EU’s ambitions to build a European Education Area. The aim of creating these transnational alliances is to build the universities of the future, promoting European values and identity, and revolutionizing the quality and competitiveness of European higher education.
