ACA Secretariat

Previous editions

2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005

Newsletter Edition 262-02/2023

NEWS FROM ACA

Nuffic: New outgoing student mobility data

On 21 February, Nuffic published a new analysis on outgoing mobility of Dutch higher education students. The study was conducted by Saoradh Favier and Anneloes Slapdel-Henschen, based on the outgoing degree and credit mobility data collected from various sources including...

ACA’s members discuss in-depth most pressing HE topics

In February, ACA continued with a series of thematic peer group meetings organised for the association members on several topics of common interest. The European policies and programmes thematic peer group convened its ninth meeting on 15 February. The main...

PROFFORMANCE+ Thematic webinar series for higher education teachers

The PROFFORMANCE project partners will organise a series of webinars for higher education teachers and professionals across Europe. This project and its successor PROFFORMANCE+ aim to improve the quality of teaching and learning through the support of higher education teachers....

What’s New?

As usual around this time of the year and finally in the physical format again, ACA conducted its flagship seminar What’s New in Brussels? Latest Developments in European Policies and Programmes. This year's programme focused on the translation of the...

Fostering high-quality blended student mobility in higher education

On 13 and 14 February 2023, ACA hosted the kick off meeting of the HIBLend project in Brussels. The aim of this three-year project funded under the Erasmus+ programme is to raise interest in and enhance the capacity of higher...

DAAD finances scholarships for hydrogen research

Accompanying the EU's Green Deal, and the German government's National Hydrogen Strategy, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has launched a new scholarship programme called "ERA Fellowships - Green Hydrogen." The programme supports national and international research stays, internships and expert...

EUROPEAN POLICY

Charting the way towards more encompassing learning mobility in Europe

The European Commission has launched a call for evidence on the European learning mobility framework, accompanied by a public consultation on the same topic. Views on the upcoming initiative can be expressed between 8 February and 3 May 2023 via...

Recognition of qualifications and learning periods abroad

The European Commission published a report assessing the progress made by member states in the automatic and mutual recognition of higher education and upper secondary education and training qualifications and the outcomes of learning periods abroad. This report follows the...

NATIONAL EDUCATION AND THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

Germany plans to recruit 15% of its university research staff from abroad by 2025

On 8 February, the German Federal Government published its new research and innovation strategy: Zukunftsstrategie Forschung und Innovation. This strategy aims to provide a response to the multiple new and existing challenges ranging from climate change and digitalisation to the...

Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria: HE response

On 6 February 2023, Türkiye was hit by two major earthquakes, with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6 respectively. The earthquakes also affected neighbouring countries, causing severe casualties and injuries in Syria especially, and damaging buildings in Lebanon, Iraq, Cyprus, and...

Swiss non-association to Horizon Europe and Erasmus+: lose-lose situation

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) has released new data showing the negative effects of Switzerland’s continuing non-association to Horizon Europe. Since 2021, Switzerland is no longer associated with European programmes. Swiss researchers can still participate in collaborative...

“Students at Risk” scheme in Finland

The National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) and the National Union of Students in Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (SAMOK) have received financing of EUR 85 000 from The Centre for Peace Mediation of the Finish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for...

No Covid, no longer online-only courses

China recently lifted its temporary rules that were put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing foreign universities to offer online courses to students within the country. Like many other countries, it recognised the need for students to continue their...

Germany: Adaptations to the research programme Digital.Sicher.Souverän

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has adapted the research programme on IT security “Digital.Sicher.Souverän.“ (Digital.Secure.Sovereign.) to new developments and threats and complemented it with the BMBF's newly published “Agenda Cybersecurity Research” (in German). In the new publication,...

CONFERENCES

Events

Digitalisation in International Higher Education: Forward Looking Perspectives 1-2 March 2023 More information TORCH Annual Forum: Sharing Common R&I Policies and Strategies 8 March 2023 More information Polonium Foundation- Science Polish Perspectives Meetup in Brussels 9-10 March 2023 More information...

Newsletter Edition 261- 01/2023

NEWS FROM ACA

DAAD: Positive news for HEIs and the post-Covid recovery

With the national accompanying programme "European University Networks (EUN)–National Initiative", ACA member, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) supports German universities participating in the EU initiative “European Universities”. The third funding round of the program, which started in January 2023...

Mobility rates and internationalisation index of Swiss HEIs

Movetia's latest publication: “Mobility Rates and Internationalisation Index of Swiss Higher Education Institutions” addresses a wide range of questions, such as which Swiss higher education institution has the highest mobility rate or which internationalisation factors are most encouraging for student...

Swedish HEIs in the European Universities Initiative, opportunities and challenges

Recently, the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) has been tasked by the government to map and analyse the conditions of Swedish HEIs’ participation in the European Universities Initiative (EUI). The report will entail an evaluation of the ongoing EU...

Finland: Impact assessment of EDUFI trainee programmes 2015–2018

An impact assessment was recently conducted by ACA member, EDUFI, on its international trainee programmes. These programmes enable international traineeship opportunities yearly for around 200 Finnish higher education students and recent graduates. As in the previous assessment of 2017, the EDUFI...

EUROPEAN POLICY

European Universities Initiative – focus on outcomes and way forward

As the European Commission just published the results of its European joint degree label and legal status calls, the European Universities Initiative continues to be in the spotlight at the start of the new year. Six of the ten selected...

Swedish EU Council Presidency – room for education?

Sweden assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European Union at a difficult time for member states and the Union as a whole as the geopolitical and economic situation in Europe has been strongly affected by Russia’s war against...

The EIT Campus has been officially launched!

The European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) has recently launched the EIT Campus, a new initiative aimed at fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among students and young professionals across Europe. The EIT Campus is designed to provide rich educational and...

NATIONAL EDUCATION AND THE GLOBAL CONTEXT

Hungary: explainer on the frozen funds

At the end of December 2022, the European Commission informed the Tempus Public Foundation (TPF) – ACA’s member and the organisation that serves as the national agency for the Erasmus+ programme in Hungary – that based on the Council Implementing...

Norway’s bumpy road towards tuition fees for international students

Following the Norwegian government’s budgetary proposal to introduce tuition fees for degree students from countries outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland starting from autumn 2023, approved in the Parliament last December, the higher education sector is widely debating its implementation. As...

Taliban’s ban on women’s access to higher education

On 20 December 2022, Neda Mohammad Nadeem, Minister of Higher Education of Afghanistan, issued a letter to the HEIs across the country to impose an indefinite ban on Afghan women’s access to higher education. Taliban government justified this decision based...

International student admissions in Estonia – the impact of Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine

A total of 1484 international degree students were enrolled to Estonian higher education institutions (HEIs) this academic year, which is 15% less than last year. Likewise, the total number of international degree students who currently study in Estonia dropped from...

Education exports are economically significant in Finland

The objective of the Education Finland programme, which operates within the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) and boosts Finnish education exports, is to increase the value of education exports to EUR 1 billion by 2030. According to a recent...

UK introduces a financial package to address rising costs

UK’s Department for Education has announced the provision of additional GBP 15 million (around EUR 17 million) funding to help students struggling raising with living costs. This will come on top of the GBP 261 million (around EUR 297 million)...

CONFERENCES

Events

What's New in Brussels 2023 2-3 February 2023 More information IUA In-Person Event, Researchers Share Your Views on Enhancing the Success of Ireland’s New Funding Agency 02 February 2023 More information EDEN NAP Webinar - Students’ Wellbeing In Open and...