The social dimension in higher education, excellence, mobility, internationalisation and sustainable funding of universities are core elements for the good functioning of the European area of higher education and lifelong learning. While the five areas have been intensively explored one by one, there has so far been little reflection on the possible consequences of objectives placed one above each other in a hierarchy. The overarching aim of the proposed project is to transversally address these issues, to reflect upon and analyse the interaction between the goals pursued by European universities in the five core areas of the European higher education agenda, including those aspects and aims that are less tangible, more difficult to measure, and thus more challenging. The ultimate purpose of this endeavour is to enhance the level of knowledge on the context in which universities operate and to identify the possible challenges they might encounter in concomitantly pursuing the area-related objectives. The project will reflect on strategies to ensure that parallel goals are successfully reached, and thus facilitate the realisation of a European area of higher education and lifelong learning. It will specifically achieve these aims through: a collection of targeted studies and expert input in the form of 5 concept papers; a major international conference; and a publication of the findings in the monograph series ACA Papers on International Cooperation in Education, which will be widely distributed, mainly in Europe, but also beyond. Higher education policy-makers at European, regional and national level, but most importantly individual HEIs will primarily benefit from the project findings.