Coronavirus: EUA stands united with members and invites universities to share good practices

With the spread of the coronavirus, Europe and the rest of the world are facing a true test in terms of civic duty and the sharing of knowledge and resources. Europe’s universities are taking radical measures to slow the contagion and to better understand the new virus. EUA stands united with its members in these extraordinary times, as universities grapple with important management decisions in the face of this very significant challenge.

On its part, the Association has cancelled all public events until the end of June, including the EUA Annual Conference. This decision is intended to protect all participants, as well as contribute to Europe-wide efforts to stop the virus from spreading. The Association held an online General Assembly and transformed some of the EUA Annual Conference sessions into a dedicated webinar series. It is also postponing and moving other events online.

As universities adopt online alternatives to campus-based activities, EUA encourages members to share their experiences and solutions. Not all member universities across the continent are resourced to the same extent and this is a time for generosity and solidarity. EUA has created the hashtag #UniversitiesAtHome so that universities can relay what they are doing via social media to adapt their working methods.

The EUA Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE) is also gathering best practices for doctoral schools with the hashtag #DocEdtogthr. EUA encourages the sharing of reflections and examples. The aim is to create a compilation of practices that will be of use today, as well as in the future.

Finally, the crisis calls for universities to support governments through research and to transmit knowledge through learning and teaching to prepare a more resilient society. EUA supports its members in this mission, with the hope of best preparing Europe’s societies for addressing global challenges.