History

The Hellenic Universities Rectors' Synod is a non-legislated organ, established in 1987, when it also started to operate as a forum of exchanging views and ideas. From 1990 the Synod, obtaining a composed character and a permanent Secretariat, started to broaden its spectrum of initiatives. As a result, the Synod today plays a significant role in the area of University Education.

Object

The Synod's object is to co-ordinate the Universities' activity and to act as their delegate in order to attain, among others, the goals that follow: To form views on various educational and research issues especially of those of university. To elaborate initiatives in order to achieve an effective association between Universities and their social, cultural, and economic surroundings. To contribute to the Governmental planning and applying measurements of educational and research policy. To promote University Community views. To develop the association with equivalent international Unions. To promote aspirations and consolidate interests of the University Community members. Synod's members are Rectors and Vice-Rectors of Hellenic Universities as well as Presidents and Vice-Presidents of Administrative Committees of Hellenic Universities. Delegates from Universities of Cyprus are also invited to participate as observers.

In addition, as of 2019, 8 of the 24 Greek Universities participate in alliances of European Universities, as follows:

CIVIS 2 (a European Civic University):

• Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain)
• Free University of Brussels - ULB (Belgium)
• National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece)
• Paris Lodron University Salzburg (Austria)
• Sapienza University of Rome (Italy)
• University Eberhard Karls of Tübingen (Germany)
• University of Aix-Marseille (France)
• University of Bucarest (Romania)
• University of Stockholm (Sweden)

EPICUR-SHAPE-IT (European Partnership for an innovative Campus Unifying Regions):

• Aristotle University of thessaloniki (Greece)
• Karlsruhe institute of Technology (Germany)
• University Adam Mickiewicz of Poznan (Poland)
• University of Amsterdam (Netherlands)
• University of Freiburg (Germany)
• University of Haute-Alsace (France)
• University of Natural resources and life sciences Vienna (Austria)
• University of Strasbourg (France)
• University of Southern Denmark (Denmark)

EU-CONEXUS Plus (European University for Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability):

• Agricultural University of Athens (Greece)
• Catholic University of Valencia (Spain)
• EU-CONEXA (Belgium) – legal entity
• Frederick University (Cyprus)
• Klaipeda University (Lithuania)
• La Rochelle University (France)
• Rostock University (Germany)
• Technical University of Civil engineering Bucharest (Romania)
• University of Zadar (Croatia)
• Waterford institute of Technology (Ireland)

INGENIUM (European University):

• Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (Germany)
• Medical University Sofia (Bulgaria)
• Munster Technological University (Ireland)
• Oviedo University (Spain)
• Rouen Normandy University (France)
• Southeast Finland University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
• Technical University Gheorghe Asachi of Iasi (Romania)
• University G. d’Annunzio Chieti-Pescara (Italy)
• University of Crete (Greece)
• University of Skövde (Sweden)

ATHENA (Advanced Technology Higher Education Network Alliance):

• Hellenic Mediterranean University (Greece)
• Niccolò Cusano University (Italy)
• Polytechnic institute of Porto (Portugal)
• University of Maribor (Slovenia)
• University of Orléans (France)
• University of Siegen (Germany)
• Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (Lithuania)

ERUA (European Reform University Alliance):

• New Bulgarian University (Bulgaria)
• Roskilde University (Denmark)
• University of Konstanz (Germany)
• University of Paris 8 (France)
• University of the Aegean (Greece)

INVEST (INnoVations of REgional Sustainability: European UniversiTy Alliance):

• Karelia University of Applied Sciences (Finland)
• Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovakia)
• University of Agribusiness and Rural Development Plovdiv (Bulgaria)
• University of thessaly (Greece)
• Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands)

EURECA-PRO (the European University Alliance on Responsible Consumption and Production):

• Mittweida University of Applied Sciences (Germany)
• Silesian University of Technology (Poland)
• Technical University Freiberg (Germany)
• Technical University of Crete (Greece)
• University of Leoben (Austria)
• University of Leon (Spain)
• University of Petrosani (Romania)