The state and status of higher education in different countries and regions has been the subject of considerable debate, research and publication; yet little continental scale research has been undertaken except in the United States of America. This paper reports on large-scale cooperation taking place in European higher education. It particularly examines the development, role, activities and actions of Thematic Network Projects (TNPs) that have been established to support the modernization of higher education and therefore the implementation of the Bologna Process. The paper reviews the operation and structure of TNPs in the context of the Bologna Process and their contribution to the European Higher Education Area, presenting research of the development, activity and some outcomes of thematic networks in higher education in order to examine the impact of such networks as agents of change in turbulent educational times. (Contains 1 table.)