INGENIUM at “Choose Europe for Science”: Advocating for Institutional Diversity in European Higher Education
On May 5, 2025, the European workshop “Choose Europe for Science, choose alliances”, hosted by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, brought together key stakeholders of European University Alliances at the historic La Sorbonne in Paris. Representing the INGENIUM Alliance, Prof. Dr. Rose Marie Beck, Rector of Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (Germany), joined the high-level round table “Enhancing the EU’s higher education attractiveness”.
In the presence of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron, the conference “Choose Europe for Science, Choose Alliances” underscored Europe’s ambition to remain a global hub for research, innovation, and democratic values.
INGENIUM brings together a unique institutional diversity – from comprehensive and technical universities to universities of applied sciences and specialised institutions. This diversity reflects the richness and strength of the European Higher Education Area and is key to delivering inclusive, practice-oriented, and future-proof education.
“As INGENIUM European University, we practise European integration on a daily basis and thus combine academic and democratic basic values – European values. To fully unlock the potential of our alliance, we need long-term support from the EU that acknowledges and accommodates the variety of our structures and missions.”
Prof. Dr. Rose Marie Beck, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences
President Macron reminded participants: “There is no democracy without free and recognised science,” while President von der Leyen confirmed: “Europe is choosing to make science a core value.” This shared vision aligns closely with INGENIUM’s mission to build resilient, inclusive and interdisciplinary learning pathways across borders.
With our European Campus and the development of flexible INGENIUM pathways, we aim to empower students across all partner universities — regardless of institutional type — to co-create their future in a diverse and democratic Europe.
Photos: François Germinet
