The Autonomous University of Lisbon (UAL) was distinguished by the European Commission with the prestigious “Seal of Excellence”, awarded after evaluating the DIVERSE Alliance proposal that UAL integrates with 11 other universities from ten European countries. The DIVERSE Alliance (Ddigital and Innovative Venture Science ANDeducation for Resilient and Sustainable Entrepreneurship), established in response to calls from the European Commission for the creation of European networks of Higher Education Institutions, aims to increase Europe's scientific power and reproduce it in products and services, processes and solutions with socially and economically sustainable impact, thus reinforcing the economic prosperity and strategic autonomy of the European Union, as well as the well-being of its citizens.
Although it was not possible to obtain funding to accelerate the implementation of the numerous recommended actions due to the Commission's limited budgetary resources for consortia of European universities, the award of the “Seal of Excellence” recognizes the merit and quality of the proposal from the DIVERSE Alliance and the universities that are part of it, and can be used both by the consortium as a whole and by each of the 12 partner universities in applications for national, European or other funding schemes.
The “Seal of Excellence” awarded by the European Commission is a significant mark of distinction, reinforcing the position of the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa as a reference higher education institution.