Headlines
SKILLS AND VET AT THE CORE OF SOTEU SPEECH
On 10 September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered her State of the European Union (SOTEU) address, placing skills, vocational education and training (VET), and research at the heart of the EU’s long-term competitiveness and independence strategy. Key initiatives for the VET sector include a Skills Portability Initiative (to ease cross-border recognition and transfer of skills) and a Quality Jobs Act (to modernise employment standards for the digital era).
EURASHE Activities
HUCO LABS TRICOMP FRAMEWORK
The HUCO Labs project consortium has developed the TRIComp Framework, a competence-based model designed to strengthen applied innovation capabilities in technical professions at levels 5 and 6 of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). The research led the group to defining a new professional identity: the TRIProfessional, defining figures acting at the intersection of technology, research and innovation.
BP4LnT PROJECT KICKS OFF
The Bologna Process for Learning and Teaching (BP4LnT) project, coordinated by EURASHE, officially kicked off at the beginning of the month.
The project aims to explore the implementation of student-centred learning (SCL) and LifeLong Learning (LLL) across the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), providing the Bologna Follow-Up Group as well as the Higher Education Community with research-based evidence, peer learning, and concrete recommendations.
Representation
EURASHE ATTENDS EAIE CONFERENCE IN GOTHENBURG
From 9-12 September, we attended the European Association for International Education (EAIE) Conference in Gothenburg (SE), the one-stop shop for international higher education professionals in Europe.
It was great to see familiar faces from across the EURASHE network and membership, as well as partners such as FOREU4ALL, International Association of Universities, and four applied European Universities Alliances that are represented in our Sounding Board for the European Universities Initiative: E³UDRES², U!REKA, EU4DUAL, and HEROES.
RESEARCH & INNOVATION DAYS
On 16-17 September in Brussels, we attended the flagship event for research and innovation organised by the European Commission. In particular, we welcomed the call from Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva for simplification in Horizon Europe: this will help Universities of Applied Sciences participate more in Europe’s flagship R&I programme.
Policy
RESPONSE TO CALL FOR FEEDBACK ON A EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA ACT
In August, the European Commission published a call for feedback whose goal was “to improve the general environment for generating innovation, reducing fragmentation and boosting the EU’s competitiveness… strengthen[ing] R&D investment and bring[ing] it up to the 3% GDP target”.
EURASHE calls for an ERA Act that creates a genuine fifth freedom of knowledge, ensures legally binding support for all types of research, strengthens regional innovation ecosystems, prevents spatial inequalities, and aligns EU and national investments to build an inclusive and competitive European Research and Innovation Area.
Upcoming opportunities
JOIN OUR UPCOMING MEMBERSHIP WEBINAR
Attend the event to find out how to maximise your EURASHE membership, or why your institution should consider joining. EURASHE members represent more than 500 Higher Education Institutions in Europe and beyond. But how can you mobilise this network, raise the profile of your institution, learn, shape policy, or even help lead the association?
Our members
VIDZEME UAS INVITES YOU TO SCIENCE FESTIVAL
Vidzeme University of Applied Science will hold the 5th International Scientific Conference & the 14th Students’ Research Conference SOCIETY. TECHNOLOGY. SOLUTIONS taking place in Valmiera, Latvia on October 15-17, 2025. The Conference is organized within the E³UDRES² Science Festival.
ENCARE PROJECT TRAINING MARCH 2026
ENCARE is an Erasmus+ funded project with the aim to enhance the capabilities of UAS staff in developing better EU funding applications. The project has developed a training programme targeted to UAS staff working on EU funding, both researchers and support staff. The first full-length training will take place in spring 2026 with a face-to-face training week in Valencia, Spain in March 23-27. Application period to the training will start in late 2025.
STEELCASE HOSTS ‘CAMPUS OF THE FUTURE’ CONFERENCE
On November 12 and 13, 2025, the Steelcase Learning team is hosting the conference “Campus of the Future – Learning Spaces in Transition” at our Learning + Innovation Center in Munich. Two days filled with inspiration, experiences, and workshops centered around the question: “How can spaces best support learning, teaching, and collaboration?”
Join us as architects, researchers, university lecturers, and educational innovators demonstrate how learning environments can become genuine spaces for experience. We look forward to welcoming our network to Munich and shaping the learning environments of tomorrow together. Please note the language of the conference is German.
Upcoming events
RESEARCH COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
28 Oct | Athlone, IE
Developing a systemised research support office and team within a technological university.
QA COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
30-31 Oct | Sofia, BG
Conference on the “Quality Assurance in Applied and Professional Higher Education: National trends and European contexts”.
Highlights
STUDY SHOWS UAS STUDENTS HAVING MORE INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
A recent study by Nuffic, surveying more than 12,000 graduates, reveals that students from Universities of Applied Sciences have more international experience than their counterparts attending traditional universities.
