Previous editions

IN FOCUS

ACA’s Thematic Peer Group "New mobility formats" latest publication

When the COVID pandemic hit, student mobility was one of the areas most affected as found themselves unable to travel abroad for studies. This led to the ‘digital experiment’ of the last two years, which, while bringing forward many challenges...

NEWS FROM ACA

ACA June 2022 General Assembly highlights

The Spring 2022 General Assembly of ACA took place online on 9-10 June 2022, under the chairmanship of ACA's President, Ulrich Grothus. This was the first formal General Assembly with the participation of new ACA members – Uni-Italia and SEPIE...

ACA travels to Tarragona, Paris and Budapest

In June 2022, ACA has been active in two project meetings and a final conference. You can read bellow the short reports from the IHES, Study in Europe and PROFFORMANCE meetings and events, stretching from Tarragona, over Paris, to Budapest....

Latest updates from ACA’s Thematic Peer Groups

ACA’s Thematic Peer Groups (TPGs) on EU Policies and Programmes, Widening Participation and Inclusion in HE and New Mobility Formats meet for the second time in 2022. The experts from ACA’s member organisations have discussed the latest developments in the EU...

Study in ACAdemy: Priority Countries

On 22 June 2022, around 30 colleagues from Czech higher education institutions participated in the most recent webinar of the STUDY IN ACAdemy series co-organised by ACA and the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research (DZS), ACA’s Czech member organisation. The Webinar #13 addressed the...

2021 DAAD annual report

The DAAD presented its annual report for 2021 in Berlin and reflected on the current year. According to the DAAD, 2021 heralded a return to normality in Covid-19 academic mobility, although at the same time the influence of geopolitics on...

Nuffic support to Ukrainian students

The Netherlands is currently hosting thousands of refugees from Ukraine, many of whom are students. For this reason, Nuffic, the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education, has launched a new information desk for Ukrainian refugee students. They can contact the...

The Czech Republic Alumni programme accomplishes two milestones

The Czech Republic Alumni organized the first ever gathering of international graduates of Czech universities in the physical format. The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Stockholm hosted the Alumni Meetup Sweden, attended by 50 Swedish alumni of Czech universities,...

New DAAD regional office in Georgia

The DAAD is expanding its global network. A new DAAD regional office opened in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. This office will cover Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and will provide information on academic exchange as well as counselling for students and...

EUROPEAN POLICY

Pilot call for a European joint degree label and institutionalised EU cooperation instruments

The European Commission launched on 15 June 2022, under the Erasmus+ Programme, Key Action 3, European policy experimentation in higher education, a much-anticipated pilot call with two lots. The first is for testing a list of proposed criteria – 11...

The Council: conclusions and recommendations

EU Ministers responsible for research adopted three sets of conclusions establishing political guidelines on international cooperation in the field of research and innovation, on the promotion of open science policies and on the implementation of European missions. The conclusions, following on from...

EP: Resolution on inclusion in Erasmus+ 2014-2020

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have adopted a resolution on the implementation of inclusion measures within Erasmus+ 2014-2020 based on the recently published implementation report by MEP Laurence Farreng of Renew Europe. The resolution notes with satisfaction the perception...

Latest news about the HE sector in Ukraine

Association of Ukraine to Horizon Europe and the Euratom Earlier this month, the agreement associating Ukraine to Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme (2021-2027) and the Euratom Research and Training Programme (2021-2025) entered into force, following its ratification...

European Development Days 2022

The 15th edition of the European Development Days (EDD) - the biggest forum at European level to discuss current issues in international partnerships – was convened by the European Commission on 21-22 June 2022, in a hybrid format (online and...

European Education and Innovation Summit

The Education and Innovation Summit took place on 23 July in a hybrid format, at the initiative of the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel. It brought together key actors in European education and innovation,...

NATIONAL EDUCATION AND THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

G7 Science Ministers meet in Frankfurt

With Germany holding the G7 Presidency this year, the respective Science Ministers met this month, in Frankfurt, from 12 to 14 June 2022. The Ukrainian Minister of Science, Serhiy Shkarlet, was also invited to attend. The science ministers discussed current...

Eastern and Southern Africa HE Centres of Excellence Project

Representatives of eight countries met in Nairobi in early June 2022 under the auspices of the Inter University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), a regional community institution that coordinates higher education (HE) developments. It was decided that Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi,...

CONFERENCES

Events

Digitalisation in International Higher Education: Forward Looking Perspectives 8-9 November 2022 More information Reigniting and Reimagining Internationalisation of Higher Education in South Africa 24-26 August 2022 More information 32nd Annual EAIE Conference and Exhibition 13-16 September 2022 More information INNOVEIT...

NEWS FROM ACA

What is “inclusive excellence” in global cooperation?

On 11 May 2022, ACA and co-organisers VLUHR international, CZELO|DZS, DAAD, and HK-Dir, had the pleasure to host “Inclusive Excellence” - a Global Approach for European Higher Education? in Brussels and online. Thanks to contributions from 19 panellists with representation...

G7+ Partners Higher Education Summit & Berlin Declaration

On 3-5 May 2022, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) – one of the founding member organisations of ACA – hosted, in Berlin, the G7+ Partners Higher Education Summit 2022, with the title International Academic Cooperation amidst a World in...

Study in ACAdemy: Joint programmes & English medium instruction

This year, ACA is continuing the successful collaboration with the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research (DZS) in the joint delivery of the STUDY IN ACAdemy webinar series. A new webinar entitled ‘’Designing and implementing sustainable joint programmes...

A Dutch Micro-credentials pilot

Since October 2021, 32 Dutch higher education institutions – 10 universities and 22 universities of applied sciences – have been taking part in a national Micro-credentials pilot. It is led by the Flexible Education Zone, the Universities of the Netherlands and the...

Movetia statistics on mobility

Movetia, the Swiss national agency promoting and supporting exchange, mobility, and cooperation activities in all education sectors, has inaugurated its newest website, a platform dedicated to statistics about mobilities. This new platform, stat.movetia.ch, enables a search by location, programme or...

ERA: Reform of research evaluation

The Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany acknowledged the joint efforts of hundreds of academic organisations in Europe and beyond to advocate for responsible and quality-oriented research assessment. This engagement is particularly reflected in the involvement in the European Commission's...

ACA welcomes new team member

The ACA Secretariat welcomed a new colleague joining the team on 3 May 2022. Natalya Sharovatova is our new trainee working alongside other colleagues on conducting research projects, article writing and liaising with ACA members and other external organizations. Natalya...

An update from the ENIS network

It’s been a busy spring for the ENIS network, which has been growing since its launch in October 2021, and now brings together over 200 researchers, practitioners and stakeholders to exchange on topical issues related to International Student Mobility (ISM),...

EUROPEAN POLICY

EP’s CULT committee developments

The Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) of the European Parliament has adopted the implementation report on the “Inclusion measures within Erasmus+ programme 2014-2020”. Based on consultations with stakeholders and national agencies (NAs), the report elaborated on the implementation of...

MSCA4Ukraine scheme announced

The European Commission has announced that part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) will be dedicated to supporting displaced scientists from Ukraine. With a total budget of EUR 25 million, MSCA4Ukraine will provide fellowships for doctoral candidates and post-doctoral researchers....

NATIONAL EDUCATION AND THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

UNESCO World Higher Education Conference 2022

The 3rd UNESCO World Higher Education Conference took place earlier this month in Barcelona from the 18 to 20 May 2022. It was an was an opportunity to activate a global conversation about the reinvention of what higher education will...

THE Impact Rankings 2022

The fourth edition of the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings has been published, assessing the overall ranking of 1.406 universities from 106 different countries and regions. A considerably higher number of institutions - compared to 1.117 from 94 countries...

Norwegian comment on EU HE key initiatives

In a written response to the European Strategy for Universities and the Council recommendation on building bridges for effective European higher education cooperation proposed by the European Commission on 18 January 2022, Norway’s Ministry of Education and Research declared on 27 April that the...

Iceland and Greenland sign new research partnership

The Greenland Research Council and the Icelandic Centre for Research (Rannís) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support and increase opportunities for collaboration between their respective research communities. The scope of the agreement is comprehensive, as it aims to...

Stay rate and employment of international graduates

The latest report by Nuffic maps the stay rate, labor market position and financial returns of international graduates in the Netherlands. Overall, between the academic years 2006-2007 and 2015-2016, a total of 138,640 foreign students graduated from Dutch higher education...

France – new Minister for Higher Education and Research

On 20 May 2022, Sylvie Retailleau, President (since March 2020) of the Paris-Saclay University, was appointed as the new Minister of Higher Education and Research in France. She succeeds in this role Frédérique Vidal, who previously occupied this post since...

CONFERENCES

Events

PROFFORMANCE final conference 16 June 2022 More information Webinar II: Fostering scientific literacy – universities and the future of science communication 14 June 2022 More information Link EDU-RES 2nd Multiplier Event 15 June 2022 More information International Conference on Advances...

NEWS FROM ACA

ACA Members provide support to Ukrainian students and researchers

Following-up on the initial reactions from the higher education sector, ACA members continue to provide relevant information to Ukrainian students and researchers and issue further statements condemning the ongoing conflict. DAAD launched the website of the National Academic Contact Point...

AMEUP becomes the SALTO centre for inclusion and diversity!

The European Commission (EC) has appointed the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes (AMEUP) as SALTO resource centre. As such, it will assist in promoting inclusion and diversity to agencies across 33 Erasmus+ programme countries in the field of education...

The future of HE international cooperation

Join ACA and our Brussels-based members in the afternoon of 11 May in Brussels and online to discuss the outlooks of global cooperation for European higher education. The event is dedicated to the global dimension of the European Strategy for Universities (ES4U), aiming...

PROFFORMANCE Final Conference

The conference is the closing event of PROFFORMANCE - Assessment Tool and Incentive Systems for Developing Higher Education Teachers' Performance. The project aims to support quality enhancement of Teaching and Learning at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the European Higher...

New milestones in ACA Strategy process

Following the launch of the ACA Strategy development process last month, ACA members were busy this month with two main activities: responding to an internal consultation survey and participating in an online SWOT workshop on 22 April 2022, guided by...

Developing resources for international academics

The Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) hosted a hybrid meeting of the UniWeliS project partners in its Warsaw headquarters on 7–8 April 2022. The partners presented the best from among 80 good practices in supporting academic staff’s mobility that...

DAAD extends scholarship opportunities to young Afghans

The German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst – DAAD) has extended its support efforts through the Hilde Domin Programme that awarded 26 young Afghans with a full scholarship to complete undergraduate, postgraduate or doctoral studies in Germany. The majority...

ACA welcomes new team member

The ACA Secretariat was reinforced with one new colleague joining the team on 11 April 2022. Salome Dermati is ACA’s new Junior Communications Officer, taking over for Carlo Prato, whom we deeply thank for his valuable contribution to the team. Their...

Micro-credentials as a tool for internationalisation

More than 150 German higher education institutions (HEIs) participated in the recent survey conducted by the DAAD’s Erasmus+ National Agency “Higher Education” (NA DAAD). A second study was conducted among German HEIs that form part of the EU initiative European...

EUROPEAN POLICY

Advancing the ES4U with a base on Bologna commitments

Meeting in the framework of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council (EYCS) on 5 April 2022, EU education ministers formally responded, as expected, to the higher education package launched by the European Commission (EC) in January this year, through...

Russia and Belarus cease to be members of the EHEA

The Bologna Follow Up Group (BFUG) members and consultative members have decided to terminate membership of the Russian Federation and Belarus in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) as of 11 April. The decision was made in the context of...

NATIONAL EDUCATION AND THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

Wissenschaft weltoffen

The “kompakt” version of the annual Wissenschaft weltoffen report by DAAD and DZHW was recently published. While waiting for the full version of the report, we can preview some of the emerging and continuing trends. Key findings on international students...

New report on study experience and well-being in the Netherlands

More than one thousand international students enrolled at Dutch higher education institutions participated in Nuffic’s survey, which was conducted in late 2021 and early 2022. The main goal was to assess students’ overall experience and state of well-being, as well...

Comprehensive overview of global HE

World Higher Education: Institutions, Students and Funding is an attempt to produce the most comprehensive overview of global higher education (HE) by combining the in-depth approach of OECD and wide scope of UNESCO in international HE research. The study provides...

Easier residence permit for studies or research

Good news for international students, wishing to study abroad in Finland: the Finnish government has just passed a new law on Friday, 15 April 2022, thus granting international students and their family members residence permits for the entire duration of...

CONFERENCES

Events

ACA Event - Inclusive Excellence - a Global Approach for European Higher Education? 11 May 2022 More Information EUA webinar series: Universities and democracy: how to strengthen a crucial relationship 5 May 2022 More Information UNESCO World Higher Education Conference...

IN FOCUS

UniWeliS report: Attracting and supporting global talent in Central-Eastern and South-Eastern Europe

In the context of the global competition for talent and limited resources, attracting and supporting highly-skilled international academics can be difficult for many higher education institutions. Universities in the Central-Eastern and South-Eastern Europe are no exception to this challenge. While...

NEWS FROM ACA

HE support and responses to the war in Ukraine

Support measures Not long after the first troops crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border, the international higher education sector has mobilized overnight in supporting Ukrainian students and academics. The first reactions condemned Russia’s aggression on Ukraine and, almost immediately, support measures started...

ACA working on a new Strategy in 2022

In early March, ACA excitingly launched the co-design process of its new organisational strategy, which will cover the period up to 2027. Foreseeing the active involvement of all ACA members through a series of co-design, co-writing and validation activities, the...

Upcoming seminar: “Inclusive Excellence” – a Global Approach for European Higher Education?

How to deal with “inclusive excellence” in the global higher education context? ACA, DAAD, HK-dir, VLUHR International, and DZS-CZELO will discuss this important topic in a joint hybrid seminar organised on 11 May 2022, 13:00-17:00 CEST. Europe’s global role and...

PROFFORMANCE: final event and way forward

The coordinators of the PROFFORMANCE project (Assessment Tool and Incentive Systems for Developing Higher Education Teachers' Performance) – Tempus Public Foundation (Hungarian Erasmus+ National Agency) and the Hungarian Ministry for Innovation and Technology – will hold the final conference on...

Uni-Italia organisational updates

During the Uni-Italia Extraordinary Assembly that took place on 15 March at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation an important statutory amendment was approved and a new board of directors was elected. Uni-Italia has been active for...

Study in Europe webinar for promo agencies – Working with student ambassadors

As part of the Study in Europe project, ACA has been leading a number of webinars and networking meetings. In the most recent webinar, titled ‘Study in Europe webinar for promo agencies – Working with student ambassadors’ and held on 15...

EUROPEAN POLICY

Work in progress: Common criteria for a joint European degree label

The European Commission gathered higher education stakeholders and experts to discuss possible common criteria for a joint European degree label to be piloted in 2022. The European Strategy for Universities adopted by the European Commission earlier this year emphasized the...

Marseille Declaration - International Cooperation in Research and Innovation

On 8 March 2022, EU ministers for higher education, research and innovation presented the Marseille Declaration on international cooperation in research and innovation (R&I) at a conference, held in Marseille under the French Presidency of the Council of the European...

EP: Strengthening citizenship education

On 15 March, the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) adopted a resolution that aims to restore European civic education in all stages of the educational system across Europe. The discussions pointed to a lack of understanding in...

NATIONAL EDUCATION AND THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

Updates to international travel rules for students in Japan, New Zealand, China and Malaysia

Previously this month, popular destinations for international studies, with formerly strict entry bans for students, announced their plans to slowly start allowing students to come back to continue their studies. Japan had initially planned to allow 5 000 individuals a...

CONFERENCES

Events

ACA Event - Inclusive Excellence - a Global Approach for European Higher Education? 11 May 2022 More Information Making mobility programmes more inclusive 5 April 2022 More Information IAU - Qatar University: The importance of International cooperation in Higher Education...

NEWS FROM ACA

Welkom terug, Nuffic!

ACA is delighted to welcome back Nuffic, the Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education, one of ACA’s founding members in 1993, and an active contributor to the association for many years. Created in 1952, Nuffic supports Dutch higher...

Michal Uhl is the newly appointed Director of DZS

Michal Uhl was appointed the new Director of the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research (DZS) by the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Petr Gazdík on 14 February 2022. Michal Uhl has been working for the Czech...

DAAD’s new Community of Practice under the Digital Education Hub

DAAD has embarked on developing the European Digital Education Hub, together with several European partners and associates, including ACA. The aim of this initiative, planned under the European Commission's Digital Education Action Plan, is to coordinate and accelerate developments in...

MICHE – European Universities Initiative through the national lens

At the end of January 2022, the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research (DZS) completed, on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MEYS) the first stage of a pilot project looking into the relevance and...

Highlights of What’s new in Brussels? 2022

The 2022 edition of ACA’s flagship seminar – What’s new in Brussels? Recent Developments in European Policies and Programmes – took place on 3-4 February in hybrid mode, with most speakers present on-site in a studio in Brussels. This event...

First round of insightful exchanges for ACA’s TPGs in 2022

The first round of the ACA Thematic Peer Groups (TPGs) meetings in 2022 provided the opportunity to discuss the groups’ plans and agendas for the current year. TPG Impact of Covid-19 The TPG members gave updates about the Omicron variant...

IIE Open Doors data on international scholars in the U.S.

On 10 February, the Institute of International Education (IIE) released findings on international scholars from the Open Doors 2021 Report on International Educational Exchange. U.S. higher education institutions hosted more than 85 000 international scholars in 2020/21, a decrease of...

Research and innovation 'Made in Germany' in Silicon Valley

The DAAD has established a new German House of Science and Innovation (DWIH) in San Francisco, extending its network to six locations: Brazil (São Paulo), India (New Delhi), Japan (Tokyo), Russia (Moscow) and the USA (New York, San Francisco). DWIH...

Ulam NAWA Programme

In the era of rapid global changes – also in matters related to education and science – it is particularly important to exchange experiences, thoughts and good practices that make it possible to broaden research perspectives. The Ulam NAWA programme...

EUROPEAN POLICY

New boost for Africa-Europe education and R&D collaboration

The sixth European Union (EU) - African Union (AU) Summit, held in Brussels on 17 and 18 February 2022, resulted in a joint vision of an expanded cooperation and renewed partnership, promoting solidarity, security, peace and sustainable economic development both...

Guidelines for Inclusion of Researchers at Risk

European Commission has published a set of guidelines for inclusion of researchers at risk recommending ways to improve their recruitment in European HEIs. These guidelines provide recommended practices to Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) applicants and beneficiaries. The proposed measures relate...

NATIONAL EDUCATION AND THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

Rising international student applications: the latest from Finland, the Netherlands, and the UK

Three countries in Western and Northern Europe – Finland (FI), the Netherlands (NL), and the United Kingdom (UK) – have recently released enrollment figures, showing an upward trend for study admissions (NL, UK) and applications by international students (FI). The...

Ireland supports European Universities Alliances

The Irish Higher Education Authority, joining other EU countries in supporting the initiative, has announced funding of EUR 3.1 million to be awarded to Irish higher education institutions, who are members of seven European University alliances. Each of the participating...

CONFERENCES

Events

Spring Research Training Seminar on the #internationalisation of higher education 28 March - 1 April 2022 More Information "Spotlight on recognition" project conference 13 May 2022 More Information 31st EURASHE Annual Conference 23-24 May 2022 More Information

NEWS FROM ACA

¡Bienvenido, SEPIE!

ACA is happy to announce the newest addition to our membership, the Spanish Service for the Internationalisation of Higher Education (SEPIE). Integrated in the Ministry of Universities in Spain, the Madrid-based agency has a two-fold function, acting as the Erasmus+...

Swiss universities in European Universities Alliances

The 2022 project call of the "European Universities" initiative has been expanded, allowing the participation of all educational institutions that are part of the European Higher Education Area. Swiss universities will now be able to join one of the existing...

DAAD is funding 15 new SDG related projects

A first selection round enabled 15 projects to be implemented at German higher education and research institutions. For the ‘SDG Partnerships’ programme, which promotes international higher education collaboration, the DAAD has received funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation....

NAWA's Solidarity with Belarus programme - second edition

The Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) continues its efforts to support students and scientists from Belarus, together with the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (CRASP), acting on behalf of the Polish Ministry of Education and...

Flanders’ new scholarship for top students studying abroad

The Flemish government in Belgium approved the launch of a new scholarship programme supporting Flemish students studying at top universities abroad. With an annual budget of EUR 2 million, the programme will promote outgoing degree mobility of Flemish students from...

EUROPEAN POLICY

European Strategy for Universities

The European Commission presented a ‘higher education package’, consisting of the European Strategy for Universities and a proposal for a Council Recommendation on effective European higher education cooperation. An outcome of an intensive co-design process, the Strategy recognises the universities’...

Proposal Council Recommendation – Towards effective European higher education cooperation

The European Commission’s new ‘higher education package’ included a proposal for a Council Recommendation on building bridges for effective European higher education cooperation. Highlighting the special role of transnational higher education cooperation in sustaining Union values and building Europe’s resilience...

Toolkit against foreign interference

The European Commission (EC) has published the staff working document Tackling Foreign Interference, aimed for higher education institutions and research performing organisations. Following up on the Commission Communication on the Global approach to Research and Innovation (for more details, see...

NATIONAL EDUCATION AND THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

The effect of COVID on international student numbers

Two years after the COVID-19 outbreak, we can now clearly see the effects the pandemic has had on international student mobility. Governments, funding agencies and institutions around Europe have been researching and reporting on student mobility in higher education and...

The experience of Finnish Erasmus+ students during Covid-19

As the corona pandemic shook up mobility habits, students and higher education institutions (HEIs) had to quickly come up with solutions and adapt to the new situation as most courses and social interactions were moved online. Feedback surveys showed that...

The economic value of international students and alumni in Estonia

In the academic year 2020/2021, current and past international students contributed a total of EUR 16 million in labour taxes to the Estonian economy. International students amount to over 10% of the total number of students in Estonia and around...

“Research in Germany” in new colours

The ‘Research in Germany – Land of Ideas’ initiative has received a makeover – a good reason to visit the new website! The aim of the redesign is to attract more international researchers to benefit from the diverse opportunities offered...

CONFERENCES

Events & Conferences

What's New in Brussels? ACA's flagship seminar 3-4 February 2022 More Information Climate Sustainability in the Academic System 1 February 2022 More Information The challenge of sustainable mobility: the launch of the Green Erasmus survey report 3 February 2022 More...