Universities Informal Liaison Offices Network

What Universities Informal Liaison Offices Network does

UnILiON (Universities Informal Liaison Offices Network) is a Brussels-headquartered informal association of 60 Brussels-based university liaison offices that collectively represent over 170 universities across Europe, Japan, and South Africa. Founded in 2016 and operationally launched at a public event in October 2018, the network functions as a coordination, information-sharing, and collective-representation body for universities engaging with EU policy and research funding ecosystems. It is structured as a voluntary, non-profit organisation (no parent company, no external investors, no pricing or commercial revenue model) and is led by a rotating Chair (Gregg Jones of Coventry University for 2026), a Secretary General (Alexandru Vasile Marchis), and a Secretary (Massimo Busuoli of NTNU).

The organisation operates five thematic working groups (Brexit, Synergies, Innovation, International Cooperation, and Horizon Europe & Future policy) and runs three recurring programme formats: Open Talks with EU policymakers, brokerage events for Horizon Europe and European Universities Initiative consortia, and an annual conference. Member office heads double as programme contributors; Coventry University, NTNU, Aalborg University, Linköping University, University of Helsinki, Ghent University, and Aix-Marseille University are visible co-organisers. Distribution channels are limited to a website (unilion.eu), a LinkedIn page, email/newsletter outreach, and in-person/virtual events. UnILiON has no proprietary technology platform, no API, and no software products; value delivery rests entirely on community coordination.

Its commercial position is non-commercial: there is no disclosed pricing, no revenue model, and no funding rounds. Strategic partnerships with the European Commission (DG RTD, DG EAC, REA), EUA, ERRIN, Science|Business, and various European University Alliances (EUGLOH, EUniWell, UNIC, COLOURS, EUFORIA) provide the institutional leverage that substitutes for capital. Growth is membership-led, governed by institutional invitations and word-of-mouth rather than commercial sales motions.

Name

Universities Informal Liaison Offices Network

Legal name

Universities Informal Liaison Offices Network

Website

https://unilion.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UnILiON is a Brussels-based informal network of 60 university liaison offices representing over 170 European and international universities. It coordinates information sharing, EU policy engagement, Open Talks, and Horizon Europe brokerage events for its member institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Research Network Coordination

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

International Branch Campus & Offshore Program Partnerships (EDAIABAI)

Keywords

• University liaison services
• EU research policy networking
• Horizon Europe brokerage
• Research collaboration support
• Liaison office coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

UnILiON is an informal network of 60 Brussels-based university liaison offices representing more than 170 universities across Europe, Japan, and South Africa. It organizes brokerage events for Horizon Europe and other EU funding programmes, Open Talk dialogues with high-level EU policymakers, thematically focused Working Groups on topics such as synergies, innovation, international cooperation, and Brexit, plus annual conferences. The network functions as an information multiplier and coordination body, enabling universities to collectively engage with EU institutions including the European Commission, European Parliament, and Council of the EU.

Product overview

UnILiON is not a software product or technology platform. It is an informal network of Brussels-based university liaison offices representing over 170 universities across Europe and beyond. The network provides coordination, information sharing, and collaboration services including: organizing brokerage events for EU funding programs (particularly Horizon Europe), hosting Open Talk dialogues with EU policymakers, facilitating working groups on topics such as synergies between funding schemes, innovation, and international cooperation, and advocating for university interests in European research and innovation policy. The network's activities are centered on physical and virtual events, working group coordination, and information dissemination rather than software products or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Horizon Europe Brokerage Events Partnering sessions organised by UnILiON for Horizon Europe calls, the European Universities Initiative, and Green Deal-related funding opportunities. These events help member universities form consortia and submit coordinated proposals to EU funding programmes.
• Open Talk Events Regular dialogue events featuring high-level EU speakers including Commissioners, MEPs, and Director-Generals. Topics cover Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, the Sustainable Development Goals, and other EU policies relevant to higher education and research. Open Talks regularly attract between 80 to over 140 participants.
• Annual Conferences Annual events bringing together university executives, EU policymakers, and stakeholders. Past themes have included Sustainable Development Goals, COVID-19 resilience, and academic assessment modernization. The 2020 annual conference reached over 300 participants from within and beyond the membership.
• Working Groups Coordination Coordination of thematically focused working groups on topics including Brexit, synergies between funding schemes, innovation, international cooperation, and Horizon Europe & Future policy. The network runs five thematically focused working groups that develop shared positions and outputs for member universities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 170 universities represented through 60 member offices
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• European Research Executive Agency (REA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2020Collaboration on ERAvsCorona Action Plan and COVID-19 research calls. UnILiON organized brokerage sessions aligned with EC emergency funding initiatives.
• European Commission DG RTDcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2020UnILiON engages directly with the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, participating in policy dialogues and receiving updates on Horizon Europe preparations. The network met with Director-General Jean-Eric Paquet.
• European Commission DG EACcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2019Collaboration with DG Education and Culture on Erasmus+, higher education policy, and the European Universities Initiative. Multiple Open Talks have featured DG EAC officials.
• Science|BusinessmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 October 2018Science|Business managing director Maryline Fiaschi moderated UnILiON's official launch event. The partnership involves event collaboration and media engagement.
• European University Association (EUA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnILiON members participate in EUA activities and coordinate on EU policy positions. The network represents university interests in Brussels alongside EUA's broader European higher education advocacy.
• European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnILiON members are active in ERRIN, a network of regional research and innovation offices in Brussels. Both networks collaborate on representing regional and university research interests.
• European University AlliancescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnILiON members participate in various European University Alliances including EUGLOH, EUniWell, UNIC, COLOURS, EUFORIA, and others. The network organized brokerage events for the European Universities Initiative.
• European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLinköping University, a UnILiON member, participates in ECIU. UnILiON coordinates with the consortium on innovation policy and university collaboration.
• Enterprise Europe Network – CyprusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe European Office of Cyprus, a UnILiON member, collaborates with the Enterprise Europe Network together with the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Research Promotion Foundation.
• EUniverCitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLinköping University, a UnILiON member, participates in EUniverCities network for urban university collaboration.
• University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLinköping University participates in UIIN, representing university-industry innovation collaboration within the UnILiON network.
• AI Factory MIMERmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLinköping University hosts the AI Factory MIMER, selected by the European Commission to provide resources for training, implementing, and delivering advanced AI models across Europe.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• European University Association (EUA): Largest Brussels-based membership association representing over 850 universities and national rectors' conferences. EUA is the most direct peer to UnILiON as both serve as convening and policy-engagement bodies for European universities in Brussels, with overlapping member institutions and complementary mandates.
• CESAER: Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research — a Brussels-based association of universities of science and technology. CESAER is a direct peer as it similarly represents technical universities in EU policy and engineering-education dialogues from Brussels.
• EuroTech Universities Alliance: Strategic alliance of leading European universities of science and technology. EuroTech is a comparable peer as another Brussels-active European university alliance with overlapping members, focused on research collaboration and EU innovation-policy engagement.
• European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN): Brussels-based network of more than 100 regional research and innovation organisations. ERRIN is closely comparable because it operates the same Brussels-liaison model for regional actors that UnILiON operates for universities, and the two networks explicitly collaborate.
• European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU): Network of 13 European innovative universities collaborating on challenge-based learning and EU innovation policy. ECIU is a peer because it is a Brussels-engaged university network with overlapping membership with UnILiON (e.g. Linköping University).
• Coimbra Group: Network of long-established European multidisciplinary universities. Coimbra Group is a comparable peer as a Brussels-engaged European university network with overlapping membership, though it focuses more on academic cooperation and less on EU policy brokerage than UnILiON.
• League of European Research Universities (LERU): Association of 24 leading European research-intensive universities with a Brussels office. LERU is comparable as a Brussels-anchored advocacy network for top European universities engaging with EU research policy, although it is more exclusive and smaller in scope than UnILiON.

Emerging players

• Science|Business: Brussels-based media and networking organisation connecting universities, industry and EU policymakers on research and innovation. Science|Business is comparable as a partner-level peer that moderates events for UnILiON and operates adjacent convening functions for the same ecosystem.
• European University Foundation (EUF): Luxembourg-based non-profit supporting European higher education policy, mobility and digital transformation. EUF is comparable because it operates a similar network/advocacy model for universities engaging with EU programmes (Erasmus+, Horizon Europe), though it focuses on mobility rather than research liaison.

Broad incumbents

• EURAXESS: European Commission initiative providing a pan-European network of researcher mobility and career-development support. EURAXESS is comparable as a Brussels-anchored European research-support network, but at much larger scale and with a different primary mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unilion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Universities Informal Liaison Offices Network