On 13 September 2017, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, delivered his yearly speech on the state of the Union.

Last month, the European Commission published the 2018 Erasmus+ Annual Work Programme, which defines the structure and funding of Erasmus+ for 2018, outlining the link between the policies and changes from the previous year. In terms of policy priorities, the Commission proposes a high degree of continuity with 2017, with emphasis on activities that address social inclusion and equity in education, training, youth and sport, in line with the Paris Declaration of March 2015.

Together with the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA), EUA organises a seminar entitled “Higher education cooperation for development and sustainable development goals: meeting global and regional challenges”. The seminar will be hosted by MEP Bogdan Brunon Wenta, and will take place on 18 October (14.30 – 16.30) at the European Parliament in Brussels.

The Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP) is preparing for a busy programme of activities in the coming academic year, during which it will complete the evaluations of 21 higher education institutions in seven different countries. Following IEP’s context driven approach, each institution will be evaluated against its own mission and goals by a team of international peers consisting of current and former rectors and vice-rectors, higher education professionals and students from across Europe.

On 10-12 September 2017, EUA participated in the 11th Annual Strategic Leaders Global Summit on Graduate Education, a high-level global dialogue event held at the Alyeska Resort in Alaska and organised by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS). The CGS represents universities and colleges engaged in graduate education and research in the United States. EUA has collaborated with the CGS for a number of years, notably in the framework of its Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE).

Register by 9 October 2017 to benefit from the early-bird registration fee for the 12th European Quality Assurance Forum (EQAF). After this date, late registration fees will apply. However, you are encouraged to register as soon as possible as capacity is limited and registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.