The Alliance has a strongly participative innovative governance and coordination structure, with interwoven bodies set up at all levels of university decision-making and activity. The Alliance’s structure is designed to ensure multi-level coordination and broad-based participation in all institutions, of students, doctoral candidates, teaching and research staff, administrative and support staff, as well as senior management.
The Rectors’ Council is composed of the rector or president of each partner university. It is responsible for establishing general policy, long-term and medium-term strategies, and major goals for the Alliance.
The Executive Council is the policy and strategic decision-making body that processes different decisions and discussions before these reach the Rectors’ Council. It strengthens institutional links among partner universities.
The Alliance is set up in Boards that assure smooth and efficient implementation of Arqus policies and activities. These shall be at least three, corresponding to the three major university missions: education, research and innovation and societal engagement.
Each Arqus university shall appoint an Institutional Coordinator with sufficient experience and expertise in European higher education, responsible for ensuring local coordination of support for Arqus activities. They compose the Project Management Team, together with the Alliance Coordinator and the Secretary General.
For each area of activity determined in Arqus work plans and funded projects, Working Groups shall be established. These shall be standing or temporary Working Groups, in accordance with work plans. Working Groups are assigned to the Arqus Board or Boards most directly linked to their area of activity.
The Management Team is composed of one Institutional Coordinator from each Arqus full member University, with an institutional mandate to represent their university, plus the Alliance Coordinator and the Secretary General.
The Institutional Coordinators have sufficient experience and expertise in European higher education, and are responsible for ensuring local
coordination of support for Arqus activities.
On the basis of the overall strategies determined by the Rectors’ Council, the Management Team shall have the following functions:
The student council is composed of two student representatives from each partner university. It is responsible for representing students opinions on Alliance strategy, mission-related work; liaising between the Alliance and the local student representation; fostering collaboration with other Alliances and student organizations; ensuring student representation in decision-making processes within the Alliance; ensuring the representation of the Alliance in local student bodies and coordinating student involvement in Arqus’ governance structures.
The International Advisory Board is composed of five to eight independent and internationally recognized experts in higher education. Its members are not directly affiliated with any of the Alliance’s universities, ensuring objectivity and impartiality. The International Advisory Board is responsible for monitoring, quality assurance and external advice, including policy advice on the Alliance’s long-term strategy and goals. It provides feedback from an external expert perspective on methodological appropriateness, relevance, integrity, internal coherence and compliance with the established requirements, Work Plan and timelines.
