EUI Strategy 2019-2024

The EUI Strategy 2019-2024 sets accountable directions and overall objectives at the institutional level in agreement with EUI stakeholders.

The Report of the Strategic Review Committee set out three pillars of the EUI activity:

• Training of ESRs via excellent research
• Policy-relevant research
• Training of current and future policymakers

By catering for the needs of its stakeholders in each of these pillars, the EUI intends to focus more on its role as a provider of public goods to Europe in its areas of excellence and to act as a reference point for policy makers interested in research on Europe’s future. The advancement of the School of Transnational Governance remains a key element in the development of the EUI, even if it is not considered a fresh one anymore with the School now entering a new development phase.

Constant efforts are being deployed by the EUI management and the EUI faculty to achieve a greater level of integration of the academic units. A focus of this strategic plan is to identify how the EUI will respond to its strategic needs through the development of six new strategic priorities:

Priority 1: A Hub for Social Sciences and Humanities in Europe

The EUI could not remain isolated at a time when a great number of universities are looking to form the next generation of European Universities. The Institute is part of a successful bid, called CIVICA. A networked architecture will govern all parts of the EUI as it will facilitate the response to some of the difficulties encountered in the development of the three pillars. This will inform:

• The creation of a pool of shared resources for the training of ESRs
• A partnership structure for the school of transnational governance
• The creation of a European data platform

The hub is already being developed as an exciting new initiative with a set of key partners. This allows the EUI to increase its engagement with national centres of excellence jointly committed to delivering policy-relevant research at the European level.

Priority 2: Bridging the Capability Gap in European Higher Education

Wide performance gaps exist in Europe between national higher education and research systems that make European integration incomplete. Because of its European identity, missions and funding structure, the EUI has a duty to play a role in this. One of the ways to do so is to use the networking activities described above to this end; another is to undertake more capacity building activities as a way of sharing best practice on doctoral education and research. A series of pilot activities are being developed with the ambition of experimenting and co-creating new forms of support. As a second step, they would be brought to a larger scale with additional external funding. This has two major themes: an offer for researchers and students enrolled in other European universities, and a focus on enlargement in the EU and a focus on the Western Balkans.

Priority 3: Developing an Interdisciplinary Academic Programme

Within the EUI, cooperation across the departments and the Schuman Centre is an already established practice. However, the intent is to develop it to new levels to give it a critical mass capable of breaking new ground, with the development of interdisciplinary research clusters; each of which will be supported initially for a duration of two or three years. The ambition is to innovate rather than replicate what is done elsewhere. A first selection of clusters will be launched in 2020 around the following themes:

• Topic 1: Democracy in the 21St Century
• Topic 2: Inequality, Welfare and Social Justice
• Topic 3: Crisis of Expert Knowledge and Authority
• Topic 4: Technological Change and Society

Priority 4: Engaging Globally

Europe cannot be the sole horizon for the EUI in delivering higher education and research as these activities reside within a global ecosystem; similarly, Europe’s challenges cannot be disassociated from those of the rest of the world. Excellent research requires the best possible partners and academics, who will complement what, as a relatively small institution, it can offer to its stakeholders. The overarching aim is for the EUI to position itself better within the global higher education sector. Acting on the supply side is at the heart of the EUI’s new strategy for internationalisation: programmes must be defined that will enhance the interest for EUI activities outside Europe and attract various categories of learners - including Early Stage Researchers - to the Institute, such as the creation of chairs focusing on the world beyond Europe. As part of this, the establishment of the STG is a major strategic move towards non-European audiences.

Priority 5: Diversity and Inclusiveness

The EUI is a uniquely multiple institution created and built on the very idea of promoting diversity and inclusiveness and interconnections between languages, cultures and scientific approaches. Over the past four decades, a space and a community have been created which strive on pluralism to produce and confront intellectual outputs that are truly European in their diversity. The EUI offers in this regard a singular experience, as the institution is built on mobility and caters for the needs of international researchers. Gender equality and social diversity and inclusiveness will be reflected in appropriate monitoring and reforms.

Priority 6: Improving Accountability

In order to improve accountability, transparency and trust an “enabling strategy” will be implemented which will help drive the efficiency and effectiveness of the Institute and underpin the other strategic priorities. It consists in the strong reinforcement and development of two key management processes which aim at improving the accountability of the EUI towards its stakeholders: risk management and quality assurance.