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Today, more than ever before, universities are expected to fulfil multiple and increasingly challenging roles. Invariably, university leaders are walking a tightrope, caught between long-term strategy implementation and short-term crisis management.
This report, produced under the EU-funded NEWLEAD project, provides a synthesis of the key reflections and takeaways from the two NEWLEAD focus groups on leadership development and institutional transformation that were organised in 2022. The focus groups brought together senior higher education executives interested in further enhancing their leadership skills and aimed at identifying which sort of leadership training is needed to underpin big transformations in higher education.
Participants in the two events worked towards identifying key points for the successful implementation of three crucial transformation areas:
This study builds on guidance and insights from the 2021 NEWLEAD report on institutional transformation and leadership development at universities in Europe, as well as previous EUA work on the topic.
The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
This updated self-assessment tool provides a framework for European higher education institutions to strengthen recognition practices in line with the Lisbon Recognition Convention. ...
Automatic recognition has received much attention in European higher education policy circles in recent years, due to its promise of greatly facilitating recognition procedures and thus mobility. ...
Both tangible factors (e.g. resources) as well as intangible ones (e.g. values) have an impact on the degree to which a higher education institution can successfully implement transnational staff deve ...
The quality of staff development in teaching is deeply connected to the quality of learning and the student experience. ...
Instilling a community- and peer-based culture in institutional teaching practices can significantly change attitudes towards staff development. ...
Aligning institutional purpose, sustainable funding and effective leadership are essential for European Universities alliances – as well as other cooperation formats – to become stable and durable ...
Over the past decade, universities throughout Europe have come to view sustainability as a defining aspect of their strategic thinking, rather than an isolated agenda. ...
University engagement for sustainability and greening has intensified in the first half of this decade. ...
What does the European Union’s new paradigm of competitiveness mean for universities? ...
Across Europe, university governance models are diverse and changing, but how they approach inclusiveness, collaboration and competences increasingly informs institutional transformation and societal ...
The EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), introduced in 2022 as part of the European Green Deal, aims to increase corporate transparency by requiring companies to report on their s ...
A reform of academic careers is needed in Europe to ensure that academia remains an attractive career option and place of excellence. ...
By promoting a culture of continuous improvement, innovation and knowledge-sharing, the European University Association aims to empower its members to become leaders in educational excellence, ultimat ...
Erasmus+ is a programme of high added value and strengthening it is vital to Europe’s competitiveness and global standing. ...
Crises, such as pandemics, natural disasters, political and armed conflicts, as well as technological disruptions, significantly affect universities and the quality of their education. ...
The European Commission’s Communication on the Union of Skills is a timely call for more and better investment in citizens’ skills and competencies. ...
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) combines research methods with practical teaching insights, fostering academic development, sustainability, and accountability. ...
Societal expectations are rising for higher education to help learners develop into engaged, responsible and resilient citizens of the world. ...
This report provides a deep dive into the lived experiences of those responsible for staff development in learning and teaching at European higher education institutions. ...
Academic freedom is the lifeblood of meaningful scientific endeavour and a precondition for universities to play their societal roles. ...
Staff development in teaching is an important driver of efforts to further enhance L&T at European higher education institutions. ...
For the European higher education sector, the past five years have seen many changes and transformations, some gradual, others more drastic and disruptive. ...
The European University Association (EUA) calls on European and national policy makers to make a substantial leap forward in supporting transnational university cooperation including the alliances und ...
EUA's Autonomy Scorecard country profiles delve into in-depth system analyses, offering insights into recent developments and presenting the sector's perspective. ...
In the context of European higher education, learning and teaching centres are generally located within an institution, with their primary mission being to support the development of the institution ...
European higher education institutions (HEIs) are facing increasing demands for more flexible learning and flexibility in learning paths. ...
University R&I, and its synergies with education and service to society, is the premier gateway to the knowledge and skills needed for scientific progress and sustainable societal development. ...
The wide-ranging ambitions of the European Green Deal provide a policy framework to integrate the scientific, educational, and institutional dimensions of universities’ contribution to the green tra ...
With this text, the European University Association (EUA) presents a set of guiding considerations to support universities in using global rankings responsibly. ...
The 2023 edition of the European University Association’s Autonomy Scorecard, the most comprehensive yet, provides a full comparative analysis of the state of play of university autonomy in 35 highe ...
This report presents the key findings and recommendations of the NEWLEAD project’s efforts to build the capacity of university leaders across Europe in steering change and addressing new prior ...
The European University Association (EUA) presents a set of recommendations on sustaining Ukrainian universities and enabling them to continue their research and teaching activities. ...
This NEWLEAD guide offers recommendations and reflections for university leaders, university sector representatives and policy makers interested in setting up a leadership development programme (LDP). ...
This report summarises the findings of the EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group "Needs and wellbeing of students and staff", which was active throughout 2022. ...
This report summarises the findings of the EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group “Digitally competent teachers in designing quality learning environments”, which was active throughout 20 ...
This report summarises the findings of the 2022 EUA Thematic Peer Group which explored collaborative teaching practice (CTP) in higher education in detail. ...
The Scorecard 2023 provides a full comparative analysis of the state of play of university autonomy in 35 higher education systems in Europe. ...
Developing a comprehensive approach to innovation for the benefit of universities is at the core of the European University Association’s vision for the future of European higher education and resea ...
This report presents the final outcomes of the EU-funded “Leadership and Organisation for Teaching and Learning at European universities” (LOTUS) project. ...
As the European Universities Initiative moves into a new phase, EUA has taken stock of its impact thus far, notably in how it may further policy reforms that benefit transnational university cooperati ...
The European Commission is developing a set of non-binding commitments for EU member states regarding the provision of digital skills. This policy input summarises EUA’s input ahead of an eventual C ...
The European University Association welcomes the European Commission’s Communication on A New European Innovation Agenda, notably as an overarching innovation agenda is needed to tackle specific bot ...
This self-assessment tool was developed by the European University Association (EUA) in partnership with the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK), the Spanish Rectors’ Conference (Crue) and the Dutch ...
Scholars in many parts of the world are experiencing threats to their careers, liberty, and even their lives. Many of these at-risk researchers have to leave their countries in order to find refuge, s ...
This report provides in-depth analysis of the results of the first-ever Europe-wide survey on universities and innovation. ...
This report outlines the conclusions of the Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group “Strategy and organisational culture”, which explored the role of strategy and organisational culture in pro ...
A European Green Deal that achieves its purpose must be science-driven, with suitable mechanisms for the provision of scientific advice and the boosting of scientific literacy among citizens and polic ...
The report analyses major and recent national policies and initiatives aiming to support the enhancement of learning and teaching in 30 countries of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). ...
Given their education, research and societal missions, universities are important actors in the transition towards carbon neutrality, sustainable societies and economies. They are well placed to play ...
The inclusion and integration of migrants is an important social and economic investment, and education and training can play a key role in it. Since 2015, higher education institutions have welcomed ...
This EUA position outlines the preliminary findings of a major study on innovation at European universities. It captures the different levels of innovation capacity at universities, as well as how the ...
Given the rapid and intense change taking place in our societies and, invariably, at our universities, institutional leadership has become a game-changer in the capacity to adapt. This is even more so ...
Higher education institutions are key actors in the transition towards carbon neutrality and sustainable societies, as well as in reaching the objectives of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda and the E ...
The 2020 EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group on “Environmental sustainability of learning and teaching” discussed how learning and teaching can embrace and promote sustainability, and ...
This is the first briefing in a new EUA series focused on evolving university governance. The present publication explores the governance set-up of the European University Alliances formed under the E ...
The 2020 EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group on “Approaches in learning and teaching to promoting equity and inclusion” explored how universities can best support inclusion and equity ...
The process to renew the European Research Area (ERA) is gathering pace and is set to continue in the coming weeks, months and years. Building on previous policy positions, this policy input further e ...
Granting refuge and academic freedom to scholars and students, who had to flee persecution and wars in their home countries and regions, is an eminent function of universities. Over the past decades, ...
EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, during the European Research and Innovation Days in September 2020, stated that excellence and inclusiveness are two sides of the same coin in the new European Research ...
Inclusiveness has become a strategic question for a number of higher education institutions across Europe, impacting learning and teaching, research and institutional cultures. Many have taken action ...
Over the last decade, policy makers and universities in Europe have been paying greater attention to efficiency and effectiveness in a more demanding higher education context. This study has been publ ...
The comparative, cross-country study reviews the links between integration and higher education policies. It documents the conditions and circumstances for access, retention and completion of higher e ...
University mergers are a widely spread phenomenon in Europe. This briefing analyses the features of close to 130 cases of university mergers and clusters (since 2000) recorded in the EUA University Me ...
This report is a milestone of the EU-supported project “Transition to University Autonomy in Kazakhstan” (2017-2020) and focuses on the state of play of university governance and recommend ...
Many European universities are initiating strategic transformation programmes that either seek a step change in institutional efficiency, respond to drastic shifts in higher education policy and finan ...
This report provides examples of government-led initiatives implemented in response to national policy objectives and university-led collaborative initiatives and partnerships pursued by the Irish hig ...
The European Energy Research Alliance (EERA), the EUA Energy and Environment Platform (EUA-EPUE) and EIT InnoEnergy urge the European Institutions to keep sustainable energy as a top priorit ...
The present edited volume is a contribution to a European exchange on the role of higher education in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion and the responses of universities to related i ...
Over the past three years, EUA has been working on a number of initiatives related to higher education learning and teaching. Activities include knowledge building and studies, institutional  ...
This report provides a summary of the input, discussions and findings from the first USTREAM peer learning seminar on policy frameworks for efficiency and effectiveness in the higher education co ...
The European University Association (EUA) and its Energy and Environment Platform (EUA-EPUE) are at the helm of an extensive Europe-wide effort to address the Energy Transition by focusing o ...
Based on the work of the EUA Learning & Teaching Initiative and the outcomes of the 1st European Learning & Teaching Forum, this paper underlines the importance of learning and teaching (L& ...
Energy Research, Innovation and Competitiveness is a Energy Union policy priority. As the European Commission explains, “Research and Innovation (R&I) must be at the very heart of the Energy ...
The Scorecard 2017 provides a full comparative analysis of the state of play of university autonomy in 29 higher education systems in Europe. The report complements the presentation of the main outc ...
The EUA Autonomy Scorecard offers a methodology to collect, compare and weight data on university autonomy. A core set of autonomy indicators was developed to offer an institutional perspective on ins ...
This document was presented on 1 December 2016 at the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) Conference in Bratislava, Slovakia. More than 300 university leaders contributed t ...
With the series “Leaders’ Perspectives”, EUA gives the floor to the executive heads of its member universities on the essential issues connected to governance and funding. Th ...
At its Council meeting on 23 October 2015 the European University Association (EUA) called on policy makers at both EU and Member State level and higher education institutions in Europe to enable refu ...
“University mergers in Europe” is the second thematic report published by EUA as part of the DEFINE project. DEFINE explores strategies for efficient funding of universities in Europe, lookin ...
The report is the result of the project Europe-Africa Quality Connect: Building Institutional Capacity through Partnership (QA Connect) that took place between October 2010 and September 2012. Th ...
Le rapport est le résultat du projet intitulé Europe- Afrique Quality Connect : Construire une capacité institutionnelle à travers le partenariat (QA Connect), qui s’est déroulé ...
Le projet de Tableau de bord sur l’autonomie dresse un bilan détaillé et précis du degré d’autonomie institutionnelle dans 26 pays européens. Ce projet se concentre sur les cadres législatif ...
The Autonomy Scorecard project provides a detailed and accurate picture of the status of institutional autonomy in 26 different European countries. The project focuses on the legislativ ...
The Access to Success project (2008-2010), funded by the Erasmus Mundus programme of the European Union, aimed at raising awareness of access and retention issues in higher education in Africa and Eur ...
Le Livre Blanc du projet « Accès à la réussite – Pour renforcer la confiance et les échanges entre l’Europe et l’Afrique » est lancé à un moment important à plusieurs titres : tout d’ ...
The white paper resulting from the project "Access to Success: Fostering Trust and Exchange between Europe and Africa" comes at a particularly critical moment in various regards: first, it arrive ...
Institutional diversity is becoming more central to higher education policy as higher education institutions are moving to the centre stage of political and public attention, with ...
Changing expectations of universities’ contributions to a knowledge-based economy and society over the last decade have transformed the relationship between the state and higher educa ...
Sound governance, competent and accountable management, transparent and coherent institutional quality processes are rising to the top of the work agenda of European university leaders today. The ...
EUA commissioned this study entitled The Rise of Knowledge Regions: Emerging Opportunities and Challenges for Universities with the aim of understanding the current role of universities and futur ...
Research Strategy Development in European Universities grew out of EUA’s study Trends IV: European Universities Implementing Bologna (2005) which, in the course of analysing how universities ar ...
Following the Management Seminar organised in Istanbul in 2000 for its members, EUA invited the two seminar facilitators to turn their presentations into articles. In addition to t ...
The European University Association’s Leadership Development Programme (LDP) marked an important milestone on 15 April, as this year’s participants gathered at Yeditepe University, Türkiye, for t ...
Following the incursion by police forces at the University of Belgrade on 31 March 2026, the Board of the European University Association (EUA) wishes to express its deep concern over these developmen ...
The Board of the European University Association (EUA) notes with concern recent developments related to higher education reforms outlined by the government of Georgia. ...
On 26 March, the members of a new European University Association Thematic Peer Group on ‘Universities and democracy in times of polarisation’ held their first in-person meeting in Brussels. ...
One year since its launch, the European University Association welcomes progress on the Union of Skills and calls for further strategic investment through concrete actions such as a flagship EU initia ...
On 6 March, the European University Association’s new Thematic Peer Group (TPG) on institutional data held its first online meeting. ...
On 3 December, 22 experts from 19 countries selected for the European University Association’s task-and-finish group on sustainability gathered in Brussels and online. ...
The first edition of the European University Association’s Leadership Development Programme concluded with its final module in Brussels on 4–5 September, marking the end of a pilot launched in Feb ...
The Board of the European University Association (EUA) expresses grave concern about the current challenges faced by higher education institutions in Serbia. ...
On 9 April 2025, the first cohort of the European University Association’s pilot Leadership Development Programme gathered in Riga, Latvia. ...
In February 2025, the European Commission published an assessment of the state of play for European cooperation in higher education. ...
A dynamic group of senior professionals from universities across Europe are set to embark on the European University Association’s pilot programme to empower and equip the sector’s leaders. ...
As the European University Association’s Institutional Evaluation Programme (EUA-IEP) celebrates thirty years of activity, the programme is now accepting registrations all year round. ...
Starting in April 2025, the European University Association will bring together up to 20 senior university leaders for a pilot Leadership Development Programme that fosters exceptional leadership skil ...
On 29 April, the Register Committee of the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) found that the European University Association’s Institutional Evaluation Programme continu ...
Ukrainian higher education institutions and their communities continue to be profoundly affected by the ongoing hostilities marked, on 24 February 2024, by the two-year anniversary of the Russian Fede ...
With a briefing published in December 2023, the Inspireurope+ project consortium recommends the establishment of national fellowship schemes across Europe and beyond to support researchers at risk. EU ...
EuroScience has opened the call for bids to host the EuroScience Open Forum edition in 2026. ...
The 33rd EAIE Conference and Exhibition will take place from 26–29 September, at Rotterdam Ahoy convention centre. This year’s conference theme is ‘Connecting currents’, celebrating the mariti ...
GRANteD is a project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, investigating the existence and emergence of gender bias in the decision-making processes of resea ...
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) is offering a new programme to help institutional leaders address the reputational, funding and strategic challenges facing universities tod ...
Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for 50 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellows (PFs) (two levels of experienced researchers) (25 positions available in Call 1) at CÚR ...
The Global University Network for innovation (GUNi) is launching a HE Leadership & Management Hub designed to become a permanent platform for reflection, dialogue and professional training among h ...
The European University Association (EUA) and the Latin American and Caribbean Space for Higher Education (ENLACES) have published a joint statement ahead of a summit between the two regions’ leader ...
The European University Association condemns the recent decision by the Swedish government to shorten the mandate of external members of university boards from three years to 17 months. ...
The NEWLEAD project consortium published a new workbook focused on Leading change in diversity and cross-cutting challenges. ...
The European University Association (EUA) fully supports the environmental objectives outlined in the EU’s sustainable finance taxonomy regulation. However, broadening the application of the Do No S ...
The first female Presidents from six Irish Universities will gather together in conversation to celebrate International Women's Day 2023. ...
In accordance with a December 2022 Council of the European Union decision to protect “the Union budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary”, the European Commission ha ...
Today, the Council of the European Union adopted Conclusions on the New European Innovation Agenda. The European University Association (EUA) welcomes this decision and notes the emphasis on a broader ...
International Women’s Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the gender disparities in university leadership. This article, presenting the latest data and trends in female leadership in EUA membe ...
On 13 January 2022, the European Commission published a Proposal for a Council recommendation on learning for environmental sustainability. EUA welcomes the initiative as it acknowledges the crucial c ...
EUA has joined SDG Watch Europe to provide input into the upcoming European Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation on education for environmental sustainability. The Recommendation will look ...
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation opened the applications period for the 10th call of the Philipp Schwartz Initiative. ...
The European Commission and the European Research Executive Agency (REA) organise the online event “European Green Deal Cluster Event” on 6 and 7 July 2021. Registrations are now open and free of ...
The European University Association (EUA), the European Students’ Union (ESU) and Scholars at Risk (SAR) join together to condemn the criminalisation of students and academics in Belarus. They call ...
Scholars at Risk – Ireland and ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, organise the online conference “Academic freedom and intellectual dissent” on 8 June, from ...
RECOMS, Resourceful and Resilient Communities, organises an international conference and exhibition entitled “Spaces of Possibility: communities and places in times of social and environmental uncer ...
The Education Department of the Council of Europe launched the application period for Best Practice Programme in Promoting Academic Integrity during Covid-19, open until 20 August. ...
EUROSTUDENT organises the EUROSTUDENT VII final conference online on 18 and 19 May 2021. Registrations are now open and free of charge. ...
Sustainable learning and teaching was at the centre of the 2020 EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Groups, which have wrapped up their cycle of work. ...
International Women’s Day, celebrated on 8 March, is an opportunity that EUA has been seizing every year to further raise awareness on gender disparities in universities. In 2021, again, the Associa ...
On 14 February, Frédérique Vidal, French Minister for Higher Education, Research and Innovation, announced plans to order the French research agency (CNRS) to conduct an enquiry into French universi ...
In Turkey, the practice of appointments of university rectors by the President of the Republic is generating a new wave of criticism. The recent nomination of a new rector at Bogaziçi University in I ...
The European University Alliance E³UDRES² (Engaged and Entrepreneurial European University as Driver for European Smart and Sustainable Regions) calls for scientific contributions, relevant concepts ...
EUA partner Scholars at Risk (SAR) organises “Free to Think 2020: Responding to Attacks on Higher Education” on 19 – 20 November 2020. ...
Coventry University’s Centre for Global Learning: Education and Attainment (GLEA) organises the online conference “Reconstructing education through a global lens” on 2 – 6 November 2020. ...
The Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree DENSYS is a collaborative two-year (120 ECTs) joint master degree programme with the goal to provide training in the inter-disciplinary fields of Decentralised s ...
The sixth edition of the International Turkic World Tourism Symposium will take place on 9-11 April 2020 in Denizli, Turkey. Organisers invite interested participants to send their abstract congress p ...
The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT) organises the final dissemination seminar of the Erasmus+ Refugees and Recognition – Toolkit 2 (REACT) project on 17 January 2020 in B ...
The Lifelong Learning Platform is organising the 9th edition of the LLLWeek on 2-6 December in Brussels. ...
The Erasmus+ Refugee Education Initiatives (REIs) consortium has launched a call for papers for a workshop on “Exploring European Experiences in Providing Higher Education for Refugees and Asylum Se ...
The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT) organises a webinar on 19 November from 12:00 to 14:00 to present the results of the testing performed at higher education institutions ...
The Center for Applied European Studies (CAES) invites interested participants to attend the symposium “Racism and Antisemitism – commonplace in Europe?” on 22 November at Frankfurt University o ...
The 24th United Nations climate change conference (COP24) took place from 3 to 14 December in Katowice, Poland. It focused on the implementation of the Paris Agreement (2016) and on advancing the Tala ...
Following the recent news of further infringements on university autonomy and academic freedom reflected in two decrees (675 and 676) published in the Turkish Official Journal on 29 October 2016, the ...
Online courses in Open Science are ready and available for free and anytime, many upon the initiative of doctoral candidates who are engaged in advocacy and dissemination events. As Roberta Moscon fro ...
20 January 2016 The European University Association (EUA) would like to express its concern for the academics in Turkey being investigated for expressing their views, under the petition “We Will no ...
How can European universities best design and organise staff development activities to improve learning and teaching? Over the past three years, the EU-funded ‘Staff development for learning and te ...
Applications now closed. Applicants will be informed by the end of June, whether their application has been successful. Capacity building for higher education institutions Attention to learning and ...
The live stream recording is now available to watch: Research, innovation and education are crucial for Europe’s competitiveness and sustainable prosperity. Therefore, universities must be a full ...
Universities are places where ideas grow, where critical thinking is nurtured and where dialogue sparks. As such they contribute to open, democratic and pluralistic societies. Academic freedom and in ...
The University of Lorraine (UL) is organising this workshop to create a platform for European actors involved in social sciences and humanities (SSH) to partake in the repositioning, and in proac ...
Can universities lead on clean technologies? Technological advancements are often seen as the key to tackling the climate crisis and environmental degradation. With this in mind, many unive ...
Applications now closed. Applicants will be informed by 19 December 2025 whether their application has been successful. ...
Europe’s pursuit of sustainability has drawn on a holistic understanding of climate and environment which is deeply intertwined with society, culture and economy, and informed by the UN’s ...
17 June, 14:00-15:30 CEST Universities are important actors in the green transition, as providers and disseminators of knowledge and large-scale economic actors, and must therefore integrate sustai ...
12 June, 14:30 – 15:30 CEST What is the nature of collaboration between researchers, citizens and policy makers when advocating for science-based sustainability policies? And how can universities ...
13 June 2025, 09.30-12.00 CEST Application closed What is the role of universities within the new European policy paradigm of competitiveness, security and sustainable prosperity? And how can u ...
Applications closed Capacity building for higher education institutions Attention to learning and teaching (L&T) has increased in recent years, both at European higher education institutions (HE ...
Capacity building for higher education institutions Attention to learning and teaching (L&T) has increased in recent years, both at European higher education institutions (HEIs) and in European p ...
1 October 2024, 11.00 – 12.00 CEST Following the publication of EUA’s ‘Trends 2024’ report, the authors will present the main findings and share their analysis of current developments in the ...
The wide-ranging implications of climate change, environmental degradation, and loss of biodiversity and natural resources make it imperative to achieve a green transition that is holistic, swift, and ...
Click below to see more photos of the event! What will be financed tomorrow, and how, depends largely on what expectations society and policy makers have of universities. What competing visions of ...
As universities across Europe reflect on their role in the green transition, as well as its impact on their various missions, EUA organised this online event to discuss the sector’s vision for the f ...
For Àngels Fitó, placing people back at the centre of universities' transformation agendas is not a rhetorical choice, but a strategic one, as diversity-aware leadership fosters decisions anchored i ...
For Kakhaber Lazarashvili, sustainability is less about compliance with external expectations and more about institutional learning, shared responsibility and continuous improvement, so it must be par ...
Reflecting on her leadership journey, Eeva Leinonen describes the perseverance needed to navigate structural barriers to equality, gendered perceptions of women in senior positions within universities ...
The findings of a survey of European graduates show that higher education has made a significant contribution to achieving the SDGs. But as Kai Mühleck writes, now is not the time to slow down. ...
For Snježana Prijić-Samaržija, global crises, algorithmic biases and anti-gender backlash are ushering in a period of regression in tackling inequality, but initiatives like EUA’s Leadership Deve ...
Talented people make up the core of universities. To protect this core, European universities need to navigate regulations, support attractive career paths and promote leadership development for all, ...
Universities have a unique capacity and responsibility to lead on sustainability by empowering students, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and strengthening links between science and policy, w ...
Academic staff can play a crucial role in encouraging students from underrepresented backgrounds to participate in international academic experiences like Erasmus+ exchanges, write Valérie Van Hees a ...
For Iris Uribesalgo, learning from the process, leaders taking ownership and building institutional capacity are key to shaping meaningful and sustainable change in assessment practices. ...
Representation remains an important benchmark, but its significance goes beyond numbers alone. As EUA’s work on leadership development shows, tackling persistent barriers to diverse leadership is a ...
Green rankings have had a real positive impact on universities, but a major agency’s recent change in model may signal a worrying shift towards further commercialisation, writes Sarah Spiegel. ...
Agnieszka Wykowska shares her views on responsibility, mentorship and the changes still needed to ensure that more women can pursue scientific careers. ...
For Robert Brummer, inter-disciplinary and inter-sectoral public-private partnerships exemplify how disruptive R&I can benefit our planet, economy and society. ...
For Sargis Asatryants, a local, values-based approach to sustainability rooted in education, research and institutional identity is needed to train the next generation of innovators in sustainable tra ...
Our current university system is not systematically meeting the needs of the neurodivergent community, write Monique Mackenzie and Elliott Spaeth, who highlight artificial intelligence’s potential f ...
Supporting and developing our next generation of researchers is of fundamental importance if we want to guarantee Europe’s competitiveness in a global economy. We need to tackle job insecurity, impr ...
For Geneviève Le Fort, quality assurance has an important role to play to help universities better understand the relevance of their sustainability strategies and the impact of their actions, which c ...
As EUA shines a ‘Spotlight on Sustainability’, EUA’s Thomas Jørgensen looks back on a decade of engagement by universities to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and asks ...
The successor to Horizon Europe should ensure that excellence and inclusivity go hand in hand, by transforming Gender Equality Plans from administrative formalities into impactful tools and adopting a ...
For Aline Miller and Luke Georghiou, it is important to train innovators within universities to bridge the gap between research and societal impact. Here, they highlight how University of Manchester i ...
For Karl Tombre, universities need broad innovation strategies to tackle the immense challenges of this century, but this means looking beyond the technology transfer office and moving past outdated c ...
In University World News, Thomas Estermann and Maria Blanco outline why EUA is launching a pioneering Leadership Development Programme to equip university leaders with the tools they need to thrive. ...
EU lawmakers need to take universities into account when drawing up new laws. This will stem the growing compliance burden, make for better regulation - and result in more efficient policy making, arg ...
What makes a university a champion of gender equality? Gemma Irvine outlines how Maynooth University has become a leader in advancing equality, celebrating diversity, and promoting inclusion. ...
Having studied assessment practices in 5 European funding agencies, the GRANteD project research team concludes that formal policies are important to foster inclusiveness, but several limitations must ...
Reacting to EUA’s Research and Innovation Agenda 2027, Sebastian Wörwag describes how universities are the engines that will transform our societies through transnational and transdisciplinary exch ...
For James Livesey, the current moment in history demands original and profound institutional innovation on the part of universities. In this article, he outlines how EUA’s Research and Innovation Ag ...
How can we foster the capacity of university leaders to effectively steer change and address new transformational priorities? Josep M. Garrell and Thomas Estermann reflect on the results of the NEWLEA ...
Commenting on the launch of EUA’s Green Deal roadmap for universities, EUA’s Sergiu-Matei Lucaci notes in Research Europe that driving sustainability means reshaping teaching, operations, strategy ...
The UK will join the EU’s Horizon Europe programme in January 2024. Rebuilding collaboration, regulatory divergence and sensitive technologies are the next challenges, EUA’s Thomas Jørgensen writ ...
How can universities adopt more flexible and adaptive approaches to strategy development? Gert-Jan Scheurwater reports on TU Delft’s progress in introducing foresight as a tool to tackle this challe ...
For Science|Business, EUA’s Thomas Jørgensen examines the European Economic Security Strategy. He argues that making this strategy work for higher education and research depends on the granularity ...
For Anders Ahlbäck, universities must embrace inter- and transdisciplinary education to equip students with the skills to tackle sustainability challenges. Here, he presents an approach to achieving ...
Societal innovation processes require universities to act as agents of change, but is this easily reconciled with the intellectual and ethical challenges of truth-seeking? Stefan Herzig explains the p ...
EUA’s newly published Innovation Agenda will help to mobilise and boost the university sector’s innovation capacity for greater strategic engagement to tackle societal challenges, writes Sergiu-Ma ...
Digital transitions pervade every aspect of our lives, but some university teachers still appear reluctant to develop their digital competences. For Barbara Bruschi and Manuela Repetto, it is urgent t ...
Open Science and gender equality are two movements with much in common, so why is a feminist perspective on Open Science yet to emerge? Pastora Martínez Samper tackles the question. ...
Despite a proliferation of initiatives to promote Open Science, many obstacles persist. Here, Jean-Pierre Finance examines the progress that this movement has made and looks to the next steps, includi ...
Ahead of International Women’s Day, Aleksandra Kanjuo Mrčela reflects on progress towards achieving gender equality in academia, yet unsolved issues such as the consequences of de-masculinising (ce ...
Beyond getting the technology in place, digitally enhanced learning and teaching (DELT) in higher education requires considerable resources and engagement, strategy and leadership. In this article for ...
With multi-fold increases in energy bills being felt across Europe, is this one crisis too many for universities? For University World News, EUA’s Enora Bennetot Pruvot and ACA’s Veronika Kupriyan ...
If we want universities to make a leap in transnational cooperation, policymakers must take their own leap in implementing reforms that work towards creating the necessary framework conditions. In Res ...
The culture of interdisciplinarity and co-creation is one of the strongest assets of research and innovation in the quest for sustainability. As honest brokers and exponents of this approach, universi ...
Universities must rethink the way they address digital transformation. Strategic planning must evolve to take advantage of opportunities in the digital world and organisations must learn to use data m ...
The growing participation of women in higher education is not yet reflected in university leadership. Here, Kerstin Mey examines barriers to reaching a critical mass of female leaders in higher educat ...
The emotional health of students in Europe is receiving increased attention. Here, Valérie Van Hees and Ronny Bruffaerts reflect on the existing European landscape and introduce a new project to supp ...
Leaders must respond to the unprecedented challenges facing the higher education system. In these times of uncertainty, hope is the fundamental leadership driver that will help our institutions to rem ...
National, system-level initiatives can support and enhance learning and teaching, as highlighted in the study National Developments in Learning and Teaching in Europe. While higher education instituti ...
All universities need more autonomy to be innovative, not only those engaged in the European Universities Initiative. EUA expert Anna-Lena Claeys-Kulik writes that limiting flexible collaboration opti ...
As universities face increased pressures and rapid change, leadership development opportunities are in short supply. EUA’s Thomas Estermann and Luisa Bunescu offer their expertise from the NEWLEAD p ...
To increase student engagement and better prepare graduates for the realities of work, universities must re-think how they use and promote teamwork to reflect real-world value. Sondre Kvam, entreprene ...
The concept of leadership in teaching is not easy to pin down. Drawing from the LOTUS project, EUA expert Thérèse Zhang explores two definitions and highlights the roles that leaders in teaching cou ...
On the occasion of EUA’s 20th anniversary, Cardiff University President and Vice-Chancellor Colin Riordan analyses the role of the Association in a changing world. The piece highlights that while so ...
As we look forward towards a future of “Universities without walls”, this article by EUA President Michael Murphy points out that universities need better and coordinated communication of their wo ...
This piece by Oliver Vettori of the Vienna University of Economics and Business analyses the tightrope walk of university leadership. It points out the importance of getting experts to agree on a way ...
Promoting and supporting entrepreneurship has become an important issue for universities in recent years. At the University of Siegen, a Master’s programme addresses this topic through support struc ...
EU policy makers often fail to consider the specific nature of higher education, research and innovation in legislation aimed to shape Europe’s digital transformation. EUA expert Bregt Saenen explai ...
Universities support Europe’s agenda for digital leadership in their role as digital technology makers. At the same time, they must adapt to the growing digitalisation of research practice, but thei ...
From EU funding programmes, to travel and data transfer, the pieces of the puzzle are finally falling into place for universities post-Brexit. EUA’s Thomas Jorgensen provides an update on the situat ...
Higher education institutions in Europe are highly engaged in addressing environmental challenges through education, research and their own greening initiatives. However, sustainable procurement may b ...
The European Commission’s global approach to research and innovation is an ambitious vision for the whole global knowledge system. However, as this University World News article highlights, universi ...
The European Commission aims at developing a “European strategy for universities” to strengthen synergies between teaching, research, innovation and service to society by better linking related Eu ...
A new EUA study reveals that higher education institutions in Europe are highly engaged in activities that address environmental challenges and the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ...
Sustainability is an important issue for universities. At Trinity College Dublin, the current strategic plan articulates sustainability as a priority supported by two goals: alignment to the UN Sustai ...
The messages from science are clear: The coming decade will be crucial in combating the climate crisis. Clearly, universities have a key role to play in addressing the challenges. Göran Finnveden and ...
The Academic Freedom Index provides a robust assessment of academic freedom levels worldwide that can inform and guide advocacy and policy efforts. Co-developers Janika Spannagel and Ilyas Saliba from ...
On the occasion of EUA’s 20th anniversary, President Michael Murphy and long-time senior expert and Director Michael Gaebel look back at two decades of global university collaboration. Offering a br ...
As the mid-term evaluation of the first European University Alliances comes up, stakeholders must keep a balanced approach and look at the future of the initiative in a holistic way. As EUA expert Ann ...
As the European University Initiative nears its mid-term review, it is time to think seriously about how the alliances are governed. Complex setups must retain their fitness for purpose and benefit th ...
While the fundamental principles of academic freedom and institutional autonomy have not changed in the last 30 years, their context has. EUA’s Monika Steinel analyses the panorama and reflects on w ...
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the European University Association, Andrée Sursock analyses two decades of transformation and renewal in Europe’s higher education landscape, and charts ...
Students from disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds still struggle to participate in higher education. Covid-19 has made inclusion even more difficult. EUA expert Luisa Bunescu discusses three so ...
Europe’s universities are upping their game for the new decade, to meet the challenges of our digital and green transitions, writes Amanda Crowfoot.As the pandemic has shown, research and innovation ...
In Europe, there is little provision of leadership development schemes in higher education. Given the pace and intensity of transformations in our societies and invariably in our universities, institu ...
The Covid-19 pandemic presents new challenges for inclusive teaching. This article shares the experience of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy and discusses how to act towards inclusi ...
The important upsurge in statements of support for academic freedom at the intergovernmental level in Europe points to the urgent need for meaningful implementation. Civil society and higher education ...
The radical digitalisation of higher education due to the Covid-19 crisis offers an opportunity to engage in deeper institutional change addressing the digital and green transitions. As Natalia Timus ...
As reflected by the European Green Deal, the environmental revolution is likely the main challenge of the 21st century. And it is a great opportunity for Europe to take the lead. But, according to Kar ...
Creating European research and education areas requires a transparent and inclusive dialogue, says EUA senior policy coordinator Thomas Jørgensen.The European Commission’s release of communications ...
As universities across Europe move to online learning and teaching amid the coronavirus crisis, questions might arise about what steps may be needed to ensure quality. EUA expert Tia Loukkola explains ...
The Bologna Follow-up Group has developed a new strategic document that defines ten principles and guidelines to strengthen the social dimension of higher education in Europe. Ninoslav Scukanec Schmid ...
The coronavirus pandemic demonstrates the renewed importance of universities’ civic engagement, whether it takes the form of a direct contribution to healthcare, research on the virus, or explaining ...
EUA President Michael Murphy assesses the challenges and opportunities brought by the coronavirus pandemic to Europe’s universities, in particular in relation to funding, digital tools, Open Science ...
Refugees bring with them skills, qualifications and experience – including in the medical field. This has been frequently stated but requires proactive acknowledgement and enhanced integration measu ...
Diversity is, as much as excellence, the strength of our universities. Mathieu Schneider from the University of Strasbourg highlights the need for a new narrative, giving concrete examples of how to m ...
What would be the most effective way forward for universities to promote social dimension in their respective contexts? EUA expert Tia Loukkola discusses the role that quality assurance can play and i ...
Research assessment practices are becoming more accurate, transparent and responsible. This is partly due to the sharp increase in external evaluations of universities that lead to internal evaluation ...
Grants are important for researchers’ careers and only the best applicants receive them. So, what is the best and how are the best selected? As Helene Schiffbänker from Joanneum Research in Vienna ...
The Erasmus+ Programme prescribes affirmative action in favour of disadvantaged students. Unfortunately, it works much less effectively than the European Commission intends. Howard Davies discusses a ...
Brexit is a sad moment, as is always the case whenever a member of a community leaves. But for European universities, it may be felt as a particular blow. Amanda Crowfoot, EUA Secretary General, talks ...
Internationalisation of the learning experience within higher education is becoming progressively important with an increased emphasis on non-mobile domestic students. With increased attention to sust ...
Despite Brexit, British higher education institutions must remain in the European family of universities well beyond the transition period. This has been the university sector’s stance since the ref ...
As societies transform, diversity is becoming a key concern for higher education institutions across Europe, impacting learning and teaching, research and institutional cultures. EUA’s Thomas E. Jø ...
Numerous cases of positive change in higher education systems can be attributed to EUA’s Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP). As IEP celebrates its 25th anniversary, Andrée Sursock looks back ...
University autonomy and academic freedom should be more than topics of proclamation and celebration. Sijbolt Noorda, President of the Magna Charta Observatory, discusses why they should be lived in th ...
Universities are changing. Strategy expert Claudia Nuss reflects on what it takes to successfully lead the transformation process. ...
Innovation is increasingly important for universities – as it is for society. Universities are one of the strands of the so-called “triple helix”, providing impactful research to sustain competi ...
While more women are making their way to the highest levels of academic leadership in Europe, the numbers are still shaky and many obstacles remain in their way. Martine Rahier and Lidia Borrell Damia ...
Research and innovation benefit from diversity in all respects. As Lokesh Joshi of the National University of Ireland, Galway and Elmer Sterken of the University of Groningen discuss, it is key to unt ...
In 2019, we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of EU activities to advance gender equality in research. Marcela Linkova from the Czech Centre for Gender and Science and Chair of ERAC Standing Workin ...
Access to education holds great potential for refugees, especially women. Dr Sezer Ş. Komsuoğlu of the Turkish Council of Higher Education discusses what her country is doing to support Syrian women ...
With a disorderly Brexit now a real and fast-approaching threat, detailed technical guidance from the European Commission is crucial for those participating with UK partners in EU programmes like Eras ...
As the world grapples with the future of the United Nations migration pact, Europe’s higher education community is busy examining the ins and outs of a related challenge: How do we promote widesprea ...
The continuous development of teaching competences needs commitment at all levels. It is a systematic process that requires a framework for teaching performance, a professionalisation body, preferably ...
Thomas Estermann from the European University Association examines the university efficiency debate, explaining that behind the push to save money there is actually much more, including a silver linin ...
Academic freedom is the latest of the many victims on Hungary’s path towards an illiberal state, argues Lesley Wilson. This editorial was first published on The Parliament Magazine on 7 September 20 ...
The Hungarian government’s clampdown on gender studies and research into migration sets a dangerous precedent. This editorial was first published on The Guardian on 6 September 2018. Universities i ...
The European Commission’s proposal for the next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (Horizon Europe) shares broad similarities with Horizon 2020, but there are some significant differenc ...
The proposal for the next Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, also known as Horizon Europe, has been published by the European Commission. Universities and research centres across Europe ...
As the Rector of the University of Groningen, and an economist, I am often asked why universities receive so much public funding for academic research. What is the use for society? A simple first resp ...
Research and education should be among the easier elements of the Brexit negotiations, argue Paul Boyle and Rolf TarrachCountries from outside the EU can participate in EU programmes and both sides ha ...
As Europe decides how to best invest in the future of research and innovation, it is clear that Horizon 2020’s successor will need more funding. It is also quite certain that its design must be more ...
Universities are uniquely positioned to work with policymakers and industry to shape a sustainable energy future, writes Torbjørn Digernes.This article was first published on The Parliament Magazine ...
With the headline terms of the future UK-EU relationship to be agreed by October 2018, it is vitally important that future research and education co-operation is prioritised in the final agreement ( ...
In the run up to the European University Association’s first pan-European Learning and Teaching Forum in Paris 28-29 September, we speak to Professor Jean Chambaz, a European University Association ...
The implications of the political, economic and societal landscape in Europe are becoming ever more complex for Europe’s universities. The Old Continent faces prolonged financial and economic crises ...
The European Commission’s Erasmus+ mid-term review must consider how to harness the potential of the scheme in addressing Europe’s shifting realities. Providing grants to refugee students and acad ...
The European University Association’s Leadership Development Programme equips senior university leaders with the skills, foresight and networks needed to steer universities through increasing comple ...
The Inspireurope+ project works to coordinate and strengthen support in Europe for researchers at risk. It runs from September 2022 to August 2025, building on the work undertaken by the previous Insp ...
The STAND project aims to improve the processes and mechanisms of university autonomy by increasing the management capacities, accountability and transparency of universities in the Western Balkans in ...
Today, higher education institutions are tasked with multiple and challenging roles. ...
The LOTUS project aims to contribute to capacity building and strategic change management for learning and teaching at higher education institutions across Europe. ...
InSPIREurope is a Europe-wide initiative to support researchers who are at risk due to discrimination, persecution, suffering or violence. Funded under the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Cu ...
The INVITED project aimed to support universities in developing and strategies towards equity, diversity and inclusion. ...
The TRUNAK project seeks to enhance university autonomy in Kazakhstan. It seeks to develop both the management and governance of Kazakh universities, as well as the capacities of national authorities ...
“Yebo! Development of the Internationalization of PhD Studies in South-Africa” (2017-20) is an Erasmus+ funded project focused on further developing the internationalisation of doctoral education ...
The EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Groups gather a selected group of EUA member universities each year to discuss and explore practices and lessons learnt in organising and implementing lea ...
Throughout Europe, higher education institutions are supporting refugees, as showcased by EUA’s Refugees Welcome Map. Data collected in this inventory of initiatives has been the basis for inHERE: H ...
The EFFECT project aimed to facilitate the exchange of experience and effective methods in terms of university teachers’ development at the European level. ...
USTREAM sought to examine the measures that are in place in universities across Europe to enhance efficiency at operational level, and also analyse policies at system level that support universities i ...
The MIMIR project was part of a cooperation process between Arab and European universities aimed at developing a strategic Euro-Mediterranean partnership and turning the Mediterranean region into a co ...
The University of Barcelona (Coordinator) and the European University Association (EUA) comprise the consortium ‘SPHERE’ (Support and Promotion for Higher Education Reform Experts), an initiative ...
The ATHENA project contributed to the development, reform and modernisation of higher education systems in the Eastern Neighbouring partner countries Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine. ...
The FRINDOC project was managed by a consortium of six partners, coordinated by EUA, and consisting of the University of Hong Kong, Stellenbosch University, Imperial College London, the University of ...
Europe’s universities are increasingly developing partnerships in their research and innovation missions, embracing the “Open Innovation model” of university-business collaboration and seeking t ...
European universities advance sustainability in numerous ways, and have done so for many decades. The European University Association’s vision for 2030 – Universities without walls – states tha ...
The European Universities Initiative aims to strengthen strategic and in-depth transnational collaboration through the development of alliances involving universities from several European countries. ...
Why reform academic careers in Europe? A reform of academic careers is needed in Europe to ensure that academia remains an attractive career option and place of excellence. So, how are universities a ...
Leading a university has never been more demanding. University leaders must juggle multiple roles, balancing the needs and expectations of a diverse array of stakeholders. They are accountable for a w ...
Equity, diversity and inclusion and belonging (EDIB) are important priorities for universities and are also reflected in their broader contribution to society. At many institutions, EDIB has become f ...
Investing in research and innovation is an investment in Europe’s prosperity and competitiveness. The EU has ambitious plans to enhance its competitiveness and secure lasting prosperity. At the hea ...
The free movement of people to study within Europe is a founding principle and long-term objective of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Well-functioning, fair and transparent recognition of f ...
The regulatory, financial and societal environments in which universities operate are changing at an increasingly fast pace. EUA is dedicated to supporting universities in their efforts to make succes ...
Innovation is a key strategic priority for universities. It draws on their research and education missions as well as their role as an honest broker at the nexus of different sectors and communities. ...
Universities must drive developments in learning and teaching. This requires close collaboration with all major stakeholder groups, including national and European policy makers. In recent decades, n ...
The call for participation in the 2027 edition of the European University Association’s Leadership Development Programme is now open. Representatives of EUA member universities can apply until 3 Jul ...
The European University Association’s Trends 2027 survey is now open for contributions. ...
The European University Association is currently looking for member universities to take part in its 2026-2027 Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Groups. ...
The European University Association is looking for new members for its Learning & Teaching Steering Committee, which oversees its Learning & Teaching policies and activities. ...
A call for applications for a European University Association task-and-finish group on sustainability is closed. ...
Please note that the call is now closed. ...
The call for participation in the European University Association’s pilot Leadership Development Programme is now closed. Applicants will be informed about the results by December 2024 at the latest ...
As EUA launches the call for participation for its pilot Leadership Development Programme, President Josep M. Garrell presents the initiative and encourages leaders from EUA member universities to app ...
Today, higher education institutions are tasked with multiple and challenging roles. They accommodate evolving student expectations, address changing labour market needs and sustainability pressures, ...
The higher education sector is well placed to address the environmental challenges facing the planet, to support the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the green transition as wel ...
The EUA Autonomy Scorecard is a comprehensive tool that gathers, monitors, and compares system-level data regarding university autonomy across Europe since 2011. ...