14. 7. 2026
The portfolio of joint programmes developed within the 4EU+ Alliance has grown once again. A consortium of six European universities, including four members of the 4EU+ Alliance, has been awarded Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's funding to develop and deliver QuBiD (Quantitative Biodiversity), a new interdisciplinary master's programme combining life sciences with bioinformatics, artificial intelligence and data science.
The programme will equip graduates with the interdisciplinary skills needed to address global biodiversity challenges, support evidence-based conservation and environmental policymaking, and help close the skills gap in biodiversity monitoring, data analysis and AI applications. The consortium is led by the University of Warsaw and brings together Charles University (Czechia), Sorbonne University (France), the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), the University of Milan (Italy), and the University of Tartu (Estonia). Four of the six partner institutions are members of the 4EU+ Alliance.
QuBiD combines a solid foundation in ecology and evolutionary biology with advanced digital methods, including bioinformatics, modelling, and artificial intelligence. Students will learn to analyse large biodiversity datasets while gaining practical experience through laboratory and fieldwork. The curriculum also explores biodiversity across different temporal and spatial scales and places this knowledge in the context of European and global environmental policies, including the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
“The launch of the QuBiD programme is a success of the collaboration within the 4EU+ Alliance, demonstrating how partnerships between European universities enable the sharing of knowledge, expertise and best practices in developing innovative study programmes. It provides a unique opportunity to establish a new educational pathway in the area of quantitative biodiversity research, with a distinctive profile that currently has no equivalent in Europe,” commented the programme coordinator, Dr Sergi López-Torres, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw.
The programme features a unique mobility track, which allows students to complete their education at different universities. The first semester will take place at the University of Warsaw, followed by the second semester at the University of Milan. During the second year, students will specialise at one of four partner universities: Charles University (Biodiversity & Evolution), Sorbonne University (Biodiversity, Ecosystem Dynamics & Global Change), the University of Copenhagen (Community Ecology & Conservation), or the University of Tartu (Biodiversity Informatics & Taxonomy).
The programme is expected to launch in the 2027/2028 academic year and will admit up to 40 students annually.
The project has been endorsed by 8 Associated Partners and 29 supporting stakeholders from Europe and beyond, including the National History Museum at the University of Oslo, American Museum of Natural History, WWF Poland, and South African National Biodiversity Institute. Two 4EU+ member universities have also supported the programme development: the University of Geneva (as an Associated Partner), and Heidelberg University (as a supporting stakeholder).
Further information will soon be available on the programme's website (currently under development): https://qubid.eu
The 4EU+ Alliance currently offers three additional joint programmes co-created by its member universities: MERGED (Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s in Global Environment and Development), M3EP (Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s in European Environmental Economics and Policy), and Migration Studies and New Societies.