The last trimester of 2024 brought together experts from ACA member organisations for a series of regular Thematic Peer Group (TPG) meetings. These gatherings provided a valuable platform for exchange, joint reflection, and strategic planning, as members exchanged insights, shared achievements, and prepared for the future joint initiatives in European and international higher education. 

On 1 October, the TPG Global Developments met for a stock-taking meeting on national-level developments on responsible internationalisation and knowledge security. This captured all developments since December 2023 (when the group did a similar exercise), as increasingly more ACA members are being tasked by governments in their countries to support the development of national strategies, guidelines and toolkits on this salient topic. The members also held a challenging discussion on what constitutes “acceptable risk” in their respective countries, comparing approaches on how this is assessed (if at all), as well as addressing the many related challenges while trying to keep cooperation in higher education open. 

On 13 November, the TPG Communications concluded part two of a series of meetings dedicated to creating and measuring impactful messages. The communication officers across ACA members shared internal practices and questions regarding the topic of measuring impact. While many communications officers regularly record and analyse data from social media platforms, there are mixed approaches as to how this data is used and what it informs. The guest expert, Carlo Prato, Twipe, gave an interesting and informative presentation on data analytics, current trends of user engagement and platforms, and reminded us that data cannot be relied on alone in understanding communication’s impact.   

On 14 November and then on 16 December the TPG Research held two consecutive meetings, largely dedicated to the design and set-up of an internal repository of studies showcasing the multi-faceted impact of international education activities – a joint endeavour with ACA members participating in this group. The latter meeting also served for the selection of topics to be addressed by the TPG in 2025. These developments are part of a larger organisational effort to collect all relevant evidence on the impact and relevance of internationalisation activities at personal, institutional, national and European level, and to utilise this evidence in further programme planning and policy-making processes. 

On 24 October and 3 December, the TPG European Policies and Programmes concluded the series of annual meetings aimed at supporting ACA members’ internal consultations on the future Erasmus+ programme, based on the lessons learnt from its mid-term evaluation. The meetings offered a platform to discuss the evolving EU policy priorities affecting the higher education field, in the aftermath of the European Parliament elections and the start of the new European Commission led by its re-elect President Ursula von der Leyen. The discussions focused on the ultimate value of the Erasmus+ programme in its entirety for the renewed political agenda, possible areas for improvement, particularly in terms of simplification, and the funding considerations. The outcomes of these internal discussions will feed into the public debates in 2025. 

On 9 December, the TPG Inclusion group convened to discuss the implementation of funding mechanisms for inclusive support in the Erasmus+ programme at national levels, and the potential improvements in the existing schemes. The participants also provided updates on their ongoing and future activities, and also discussed how to further use the Inclusion Scan tool and consultations. An external presentation on the latest edition of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) survey was given by Neli Kalinova, followed by a lively discussion.  

Last but not least, on 10 December, the TPG New Mobility Formats convened for its final meeting of the year. The session featured a presentation on Digital Opportunity Traineeships by Darwyn Bruelemans from ESN, highlighting the efforts to enhance digital learning opportunities within the Erasmus+ traineeship scheme. Additionally, the TPG members shared updates on the implementation and funding of Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) in their respective countries. Discussions underscored the growing interest in BIPs, with notable trends in improved delivery rates and opportunities for staff-focused BIPs, but also persistent administrative challenges.