
New project seeks to mobilise universities’ expertise in energy-related research and education
Called UNI-SET (Universities in the SET-Plan), it aims to mobilise European universities’ expertise to address common European goals in the context of the European Union’s Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan), the technology pillar of the EU Energy and Climate policy. Specifically, the project will look to facilitate the creation of master and research programmes in the field of energy and promote new research collaborations bringing together multidisciplinary teams to work towards the objectives of the SET-Plan. More...
IEP inclusion in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) renewed until 2019
EUA’s Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP) is pleased to announce that its application to renew its inclusion in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR) has been successful. IEP will now be listed on the EQAR until 2019.
Established in 2008 in the context of the Bologna Process reforms, the Register aims to provide clear and reliable information about quality assurance agencies that operate in Europe.
To find out more about the Register please visit: www.eqar.euTo find out more about the IEP Programme please visit: www.eua.be/iep. More...
Responsible Partnering: Science and Business Research Collaboration in Europe Today
Over 60 representatives from different research stakeholder organisations (including universities, industry, research and technology organisations and public authorities) gathered in Brussels on 3 December for a workshop on the theme “Responsible Partnering: Science and Business Research Collaboration in Europe Today”, jointly organised by EUA, the European Industrial Research Management Association (EIRMA), and the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations (EARTO).
Since 2004, the “Responsible Partnering” Initiative has brought together major pan-European stakeholder organisations involved in research and innovation, which have been working in establishing main overarching principles and policy recommendations in the field of collaborative research. More...
Workshop on the Doctorate in the Arts
On 28 November, an invited group of leaders from arts academies and universities met at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland to discuss the doctorate in the arts.
The event included keynote presentations from the ORPHEUS Institute in Ghent, Belgium, and from the Conservatoire of Music Vincenzo Bellini Palermo, Italy, but was mostly based on interactive discussions concerning the principles and practices of doctoral education in the arts. The workshop largely focused on the nature of artistic research and how to ensure, document and get recognition for the reflection on artistic practice that characterises artistic research. Participants discussed at length how to concretely implement doctoral education in the arts and the challenges that this presented.
The event was organised by the European University Association (EUA), the Conférence Universitaire de Suisse Occidentale (CUSO) and The University of Lausanne, with the help of the Association Européenne des Conservatoires and the European League of Institutes of the Arts (ELIA). More information, including presentations from the event, is available here. More...
Developments in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks
On behalf of its membership, EUA monitors international trade agreements that the European Commission negotiates on behalf of EU member states with third country partners and regions, and their potential impact for European universities.
EUA Senior Adviser, Howard Davies, has produced a series of briefing documents on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations between the EU and the US, which commenced in 2013: a first background paper, followed by regular updates on TTIP-related developments. More...
Adieu UBIFrance, voici Business France

Business France : nouvelle marque d'Ubifrance et de l'AFII
La marque Business est décidément à la mode en France. Après BusinessTravel.fr, la Business d'Air France, Ubifrance et l'Agence Française des Investissements Internationaux se sont regroupés sous le sigle Business France.
Business France aura pour mission d'internationaliser l'économie française en aidant les entreprises tricolores à se développer à l'étranger ou en attirant les investissements dans l'hexagone.
La fusion d'Ubifrance et de l'Agence Française des Investissements Internationaux aura lieu le 1er janvier 2015 : Business France sera alors un établissement public à caractère industriel et commercial. Voir l'article...
La Fusion entre l'AFII et UbiFrance : une mesure capitale pour l'attractivité de la France
Lors du Conseil des Ministres du jour, Laurent Fabius, Ministre des Affaires Etrangères et du Développement International et Emmanuel Macron, Ministre de l’Economie, de l’Industrie et du Numérique ont marqué leur intention de développer l’attractivité de la France, dans la lignée du Conseil Stratégique de l'Attractivité du 19 octobre dernier. Pour porter le mouvement, l’AFII s’apprête à fusionner avec UbiFrance.
L’AFII et UbiFrance : une fusion pour une efficacité accrue
Pour garantir la réussite de la politique du Gouvernement en matière d’attractivité, l’Agence Française pour les Investissements Internationaux et UbiFrance fusionneront au 1er janvier 2015. Cette nouvelle agence aura pour mission d’assurer l’efficacité des actions menées en faveur du rayonnement économique international, que ce soit en aidant les entreprises nationales à s’étendre ou en attirant des capitaux étrangers. La politique du Gouvernement en matière d’attractivité sera ainsi plus claire, plus performante et donc plus efficace. Son action s’appuiera sur le réseau diplomatique français, premier réseau diplomatique du monde. Voir l'article...
From 1 January 2015, the European Platform and Nuffic will be joined in a new alliance
The new organisation – EP-Nuffic – will cater for the entire Dutch education sector, providing support and advice in matters of internationalisation.
International connectedness is becoming increasingly common, and increasingly important. By forging a new organisation, the European Platform and Nuffic will be able to offer more than the sum of their existing parts.
Read this article in Dutch. More...
swissuniversities – a joint university institution
The main task of this institution, to begin with, is to gradually prepare the merger of the three conferences that currently exist – CRUS, KFH and COHEP – to form the joint national rectors’ conference of Swiss universities by the end of 2014. This new institution is proposed in the Swiss Higher Education Bill on the promotion of universities and coordination in Switzerland’s higher education sector (HFKG, german) due to come into force in 2015.
Furthermore, swissuniversities will endeavour to consolidate and further develop collaboration between the Swiss academic universities, universities of applied sciences and universities of teacher education und play a role in their coordination at national level. Since the beginning of 2013, it has been acting at an international level as national rectors' conference in the place of CRUS for all Swiss academic universities, universities of applied sciences and universities of teacher education. (Statutes, german). More...