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AAQ is currently involved as a partner in the project “Developing a European Approach for Comprehensive QA of (European) University Networks” (EUniQ) coordinated by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO). The project is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme Key Action 3 – Support to Policy Reform.

Project Duration

15 May 2019 – 14 May 2021 (24 months)

Background

Higher education (HE) is always evolving which is one of the great challenges for external quality assurance (QA) and for QA agencies. In order to continuously support the enhancement of quality and innovation in HE, QA agencies need to make sure that their QA methodologies fit this demand appropriately. QA agencies have therefore always further developed their QA methodologies to best fit their national HE system. Some of the current developments in HE can however not be dealt nationally. This concerns for example the development of cross-border HE, the policy integration of university networks, the expanding offers of international joint programmes, and the establishment of European Universities. These developments put pressure on QA agencies. They need to be able to address and assess quality in all these emerging fields of HE without impeding HE innovativeness and autonomy.

Objectives and project activities

The EUniQ project supports QA agencies in addressing evolving methodological challenges. It intends to provide a roadmap for QA agencies to jointly develop QA methodologies, from a needs analysis to a developed QA approach. In this project, the policy integration of university networks and the establishment of European Universities will be the pertinent case studies. (Universities are here referred to as covering all types of HE institutions.)

Throughout the project, the partnership organises several peer support activities, from a quarterly peer support newsletter to three large-scale peer support events.

Consortium

The partnership includes eight QA agencies, six HE ministries and European stakeholder associations, namely:

• Ministry of Education and Training, Belgium/Flemish Community
• Ministry of Education, Sports and Science, Albania
• Ministry of Education and Science, Bulgaria
• High Council for the evaluation of research and Higher Education (Hcéres), France
• Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Georgia
• Ministry of National Education, Romania
• Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO)
• National Centre for Professional Education Quality Assurance, Foundation (ANQA), Armenia
• Swiss Agency of Accreditation and Quality Assurance (AAQ)
• Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (SQAA)
• Academic Information Centre (AIC), Latvia
• Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ)
• National Entity for Accreditation and Quality Assurance (NEAQA), Serbia
• National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes (ANVUR), Italy
• European University Association (EUA), Belgium
• European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), Belgium
• European Students’ Union (ESU), Belgium

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