OpenEU and EU4DUAL collaborate in new project to shape the future European Degree

The T-LED project has been selected for funding under the Erasmus+ European Degree Exploratory Action call. Bringing together the OpenEU and EU4DUAL alliances, the project will receive nearly €1 million over the next three years to develop and adapt eight joint degrees, contributing to the future of integrated European higher education.

The T-LED (Testing Labour-Oriented European Degrees) initiative is one of the European Commission’s projects designed to support the implementation of the future European Degree Label. Out of all the proposals submitted across the continent, T-LED has emerged as one of the 14 initiatives chosen for funding. This selection confirms the leading roles of both alliances in advancing a more integrated European Higher Education Area.

The project, coordinated by Mondragon University, brings together institutions and entities from fourteen European countries within the OpenEU and EU4DUAL alliances, with AQU Catalunya and Unibasq (the university quality agencies for Catalonia and the Basque Country) participating as associated partners.

Representing the OpenEU alliance, the initiative features the active participation of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), the Open Universitëit of the Nederlands, FernUniversität in Hagen and the Hellenic Open University as full partners, alongside Universidade Aberta and Daugavpils Universitate as associated partners.

The project has been awarded nearly €1 million and will run over the next three years, providing the alliances with the resources needed to take concrete steps towards the implementation of the European Degree Label.

One of the project’s main objectives is the development and adaptation of eight joint qualifications to meet the criteria of the Joint European Degree Label. T-LED will rigorously test these criteria across a variety of academic formats, focusing specifically on online, dual, hybrid and labour-oriented programmes.

By working on common academic frameworks, governance models, quality assurance mechanisms and administrative procedures, T-LED will help integrate two complementary university models to design European degrees that are more flexible, inclusive and closely linked to social and labour market needs.

The project builds on the unique synergy between OpenEU, with its extensive expertise in open, digital and distance education, and EU4DUAL (led by Mondragon Unibertsitatea), with its strong specialisation in dual training and corporate collaboration.

Beyond its direct impact on the partner universities, the project will also allow OpenEU to contribute directly to the wider European debate on the future of higher education, providing the practical criteria, tools and processes needed to support the successful implementation of the European Degree Label across Europe.

The initiative marks a significant step forward in making joint academic programmes more visible, accessible and integrated across Europe.