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YUFE with a new legal personality
The Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE) alliance has been transformed into an international non-profit association. It has thus gained a legal personality, which will strengthen YUFE's influence on the transformation of European universities.
YUFE, an alliance in which the NCU has participated since 2020, has announced its official transformation into the AISBL (Association Internationale Sans But Lucratif), an international non-profit association under Belgian law. This is a step that confirms the continued desire to actively stimulate a transformation in higher education based on excellence and innovation. Moreover, this is a key factor for the sustainability of the Alliance, moving away from being a project towards creating a true long-term initiative. With the acquisition of a legal personality, YUFE will establish a central entity to serve the entire Alliance.
The YUFE Alliance, identified in 2019 and 2022 as one of the leading consortia in the Erasmus+ competitions for European universities, is pioneering a fundamental change in higher education focusing on the development of a student-centred, equal, open and inclusive European university. Ten research-intensive young universities and two non-academic organisations from across Europe work together to promote active lifelong learning and make a meaningful contribution to societies across borders.
As an association, YUFE will gain even more international recognition, autonomy and flexibility to continue to grow. The agreement between the partners is the result of a significant commitment by the YUFE member universities to a common vision. The new organisational structure will allow it to respond quickly to challenges in European higher education. The association will be based in Brussels, where YUFE will also open an office in the latter part of the year.
Prof. dr habil. Przemysław Nehring, Vice-Rector for Education and Executive Director of YUFE at the NCU, enumerates the benefits and facilitations resulting from the alliance acquiring legal personality:
As an association, we will be able to apply for funding for our activities in various international competitions and calls without having to conclude separate partnership agreements for subsequent initiatives each time. We will be able to employ, as an organisation, the professional staff of our Brussels office, which will not be formally attached to any specific university belonging to the alliance, i.e. it will be directly under the authority of the alliance as a whole, formed by a council made up of the rectors of all the universities as well as student representatives and our non-academic partners.
The association will also be able to own its own assets, which will significantly facilitate various financial settlements between alliance partners. Above all, however, the establishment of a legal entity means that our cooperation is taking on the character of an institutional and long-term initiative, going beyond the project formula. All costs associated with the formation and operation of the newly established association will be covered until the end of 2026 from the funds the alliance has obtained in the grant competitive call.
