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 expands EUA’s views on the new ERA and focuses on the topics that are most important to universities.

EUA has been an active contributor to the Bologna Process since its start 20 years ago. The present position paper welcomes the recent progress in the development of the European Higher Education Area, on the occasion of the Bologna Process Ministerial Conference on 19 November.

On 30 September 2020, The European Commission published a Communication on “Achieving the European Education Area by 2025”. It outlines key EU actions in education for the next five years. EUA welcomes the Communication as an acknowledgement of the vital contribution of education to Europe’s identity, its future, and the sustainability and long-term resilience of its societies.

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, the numbers of academics suffering from persecution world-wide has grown and applications for assistance to support organisations clearly exceed the number of placement positions and funding available.

In recent years, European universities and other stakeholders have taken interest in career tracking in doctoral education as one of the ways to better understand the potential professional future of doctoral candidates.

This report provides a detailed picture of the immediate impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on university funding and offers insights into the implications expected in the future. It concludes with 10 key messages and a series of recommendations to universities and policy makers on how to mitigate the negative effects of the crisis and turn challenges into opportunities.

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 Area (ERA). EUA welcomes the European Commission’s Communication “A new ERA for Research and Innovation” released on 30 September 2020 as a starting point to making this ambition a reality.

Following its pledge to design Horizon Europe together with stakeholders, the European Commission must now ensure that researchers are part of its response to mounting global challenges.

Micro-credentials have attracted interest as a means to increase the effectiveness and flexibility of higher education and to provide upskilling and reskilling opportunities for the labour force.

This briefing looks at the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on higher education in Europe over the past six months. In particular, it examines the sudden shift to emergency remote learning and teaching, the impact on internationalisation and mobility, as well as the effects on research.