Higher education institutions for Europe: A territorial perspective
Alina Felder-Stindt
The European Union’s ambition to become a knowledge-based economy has transformed the role of higher education institutions (HEIs). My new book, The Territorial Dimension of EU Knowledge Policies: Higher Education Institutions for Europe (Routledge, 2025), explores how universities are not only shaped by European integration but also actively shape it, particularly through their engagement with EU regional policy.
Why this book?
Since the Lisbon Strategy and Europe 2020, EU policies have aimed to boost competitiveness through knowledge. While higher education remains a national competence, the EU has expanded its influence via funding instruments and governance frameworks. Among these, European Territorial Cooperation (Interreg) which traditionally is a regional policy tool plays a surprising role in higher education. Interreg funds cross-border projects among higher education institutions, creating new cooperation spaces and governance dynamics.
This book argues that these financial instruments do more than support collaboration: they Europeanise higher education by embedding EU priorities such as innovation, mobility, cohesion into institutional strategies. At the same time, HEIs use these instruments to influence EU policy, creating feedback loops that blur boundaries between national and EU governance.
Theoretical lens: a circular model of Europeanisation
At the heart of this book lies a simple but powerful idea: Europeanisation is not linear but circular. Instead of seeing it as a one-way, top-down process, the book introduces a framework that captures the dynamic interplay between EU policies HEIs.
The model unfolds like a story in four acts. It begins with the conditions for use: why HEIs decide to engage with EU funding and what incentives or barriers shape that choice. Then comes the use of EU instruments, where HEIs tap into programmes like Interreg to build networks and cooperation structures. The third act explores the consequences of use, i.e. how these projects transform organisational capacities, strategic priorities, and even the rationale for collaboration. Finally, the circle closes with feedback to EU policy, as universities move from passive beneficiaries to active policy entrepreneurs, influencing agendas and instruments at the European level.
This framework builds on multi-level governance theory, integrating perspectives from regionalisation and internationalisation research. At its core, it positions HEIs at the intersection of three distinct governance arenas. The first is intergovernmental coordination, exemplified by processes such as Bologna, which harmonise standards across national systems. The second is community programmes, including Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, and Interreg, which foster collaboration and mobility within the European Union. The third arena is organisational cooperation, where cross-border university networks create new spaces for joint action and knowledge exchange.
By weaving together vertical and horizontal dynamics, this model reveals how universities operate not merely as recipients of EU knowledge policies but as active co-creators of Europe’s knowledge economy. In doing so, it highlights their dual role: navigating complex governance structures while shaping the very architecture of European integration through education and research.
Empirical focus: Two regions, two stories
To bring this framework to life, the book dives deep into two cross-border networks. First, the University of the Greater Region (UniGR) – a consortium of six research-intensive universities spanning Belgium, Germany, France, and Luxembourg. UniGR was born out of EU funding and embodies the ambition to create a “mini-Europe” in the heart of the continent. Second, the International Association of Lake Constance Universities (IBH) – a long-standing network of 30 institutions, including universities of applied sciences, stretching across Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. Unlike UniGR, IBH existed before EU funding entered the picture, making it a perfect case to explore how incentives reshape established cooperation.
Both networks tapped into Interreg, the EU’s regional policy instrument, across multiple programming periods. This allowed to trace not just short-term impacts but long-term transformations. The evidence comes from a rich mix of sources: programme documents, strategy papers, and 64 interviews with actors ranging from university leaders to EU policy-makers. These voices reveal how decisions are made, how priorities shift, and how cooperation evolves under the influence of Europeanisation.
Key insights: Not just adapting but shaping Europe’s knowledge policies
The book uncovers a powerful truth: Europeanisation is not a one-way street. Universities do not just adapt to EU policies, but they actively shape them. What begins as a funding opportunity evolves into a political strategy. Through Interreg, HEIs move from beneficiaries to policy entrepreneurs in three distinct ways:
- Re-use: Universities repeatedly secure Interreg funding to sustain and expand cross-border cooperation. This isn’t just about continuity—it’s about building institutional capacity and embedding cooperation into long-term strategies.
- Promotion: Beneficiaries advocate for higher education to remain a priority in regional programmes. They influence programming phases, consultations, and thematic priorities, ensuring that HEIs stay on the EU’s radar.
- Pro-action: Networks mobilise to shape EU-level initiatives like the European Universities Initiative. Even when applications fail, these efforts leave a mark and reshape governance models, strategic visions, and the very idea of what European higher education should look like.
These dynamics reveal Europeanisation as negotiated rather than imposed. Universities adapt to EU priorities, but they also push back, innovate, and co-create policy. They become actors in multi-level governance, blurring the line between implementation and agenda-setting.
Implications: Shaping Europe’s future through higher education
For higher education, the stakes are high. Project-based governance now drives research agendas, career paths, and institutional strategies. Can HEIs thrive in a system built on short-term projects? What happens to autonomy when funding dictates priorities? These questions resonate as the EU rolls out flagship initiatives like the European Universities Initiative, which aims to create deeply integrated transnational alliances, and the Union of Skills, designed to tackle skill shortages for the digital and green transitions. Universities are expected not only to teach and research but to help solve Europe’s most pressing societal challenges from climate change to technological transformation.
For EU governance, the implications are profound. Feedback loops shift power toward beneficiaries, challenging traditional top-down models. They create new governance spaces where HEIs and regional actors influence EU policy sometimes more than expected. This raises questions about inclusivity, coherence, and the long-term sustainability of Europe’s knowledge economy.
Understanding these dynamics is essential as Europe navigates competitiveness, integration, and the twin transitions. The book shows that policy is not just made in Brussels but that it is co-created in border regions, project offices, and university networks across Europe, shaping the future of European higher education and its role in society.
Who is this book for?
This book speaks to anyone curious about how Europe works behind the scenes and how policies travel across borders and how universities become active players in shaping them. If you are a researcher or student in European Studies, Public Policy, or Higher Education Governance, you’ll find a fresh theoretical lens and rich empirical evidence that challenge traditional top-down views of Europeanisation. If you are a policy maker or practitioner, the book offers practical insights into how EU funding instruments like Interreg influence cooperation and create feedback loops that shape future policy. For university leaders and administrators, this book explains how projectification affects institutional strategies, research agendas, and international positioning. And if you are simply interested in Europe’s knowledge economy, this book connects the dots between competitiveness, integration, and education in a way that is accessible and thought-provoking.
The book may be accessed here: The Territorial Dimension of EU Knowledge Policies: Higher Education Institutions for Europe
Dr. Alina Felder-Stindt is Assistant Professor at Pompeu Fabra University, Spain. She obtained her PhD from the University of Bamberg, Germany, and previously held a postdoctoral position at the School of Economics and Political Science at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Her research interests include the making of (EU) public policy and the mechanisms and effects of Europeanisation. Her research has appeared as a monograph with Routledge and as articles in Governance, Journal of European Integration, JCMS Journal of Common Market Studies, Politics & Governance and Regulation & Governance.