This proposal draws on a comparative research project undertaken in 2006-2007 involving qualitative data collection in four countries, namely England, France, Norway and Spain during fieldwork visits of nine higher education institutions (HEIs). The aim of the research was twofold: first, to investigate the ways in which policy intents for convergence play out at the university level for different constituents (i.e. academic, strategic, bureaucratic) and second to examine whether collaboration between various Universities is a vehicle for convergence, mainly at the level of academic and institutional practice.   In an attempt to go beyond normative discourse on the goal to work towards the realisation of the European Space of Higher Education and prescriptive practice on the implementation of Bologna-related objectives, the study focused on the workings of voluntary collaborations based on initiatives of Joint Masters programmes. These courses are designed and shared by more than three HEIs in Europe with incorporated periods of student mobility between institutions. Hence they are seen to be relevant to virtually all the goals of the Bologna Process and are often portrayed as early accomplishments of the potentialities that the European Higher Education Area opens up.