On 30 January, the European Higher Education Sector Observatory was officially launched.

Supported by European funding, the Observatory consolidates key EU data tools and capacities, offering a comprehensive resource to support evidence-based policy making and provide valuable insights for universities and students.

The European University Association has played an active role in this initiative through its participation in the policy advisory board, working groups and ongoing feedback processes. This has helped to ensure that the Observatory is relevant, accessible and beneficial to the wider higher education community.

The Observatory comprises four key components:

  • The Sector Scoreboard, an interactive data visualisation platform that tracks the policy agenda of the European Education Area, presenting country-level higher education indicators aligned with EU policy objectives.
  • The Benchmarking Tool for Higher Education Institutions, built on U-Multirank, enabling institutional comparisons.
  • Microdata Access, which provides core data from European universities, evolving from the European Tertiary Education Register (ETER).
  • A dedicated repository, which will house additional tools and reports. EUA’s autonomy scorecard data is featured in the Scoreboard under the European values section.

During a dedicated conference to launch the Observatory, bringing together policy makers, higher education institutions and stakeholders, its Scientific Director, Benedetto Lepori, highlighted the importance of sustained public support in developing a robust data platform that informs policy and serves the needs of universities and students. He also emphasised that the current version is just the beginning, with further enhancements planned based on stakeholder feedback.

At the launch event, EUA’s Director of Governance, Funding and Public Policy Development, Thomas Estermann, actively contributed to discussions, welcoming the initiative while also highlighting key areas for improvement. These included the need for clearer terminology to ensure accessibility beyond EU policy circles, greater transparency about data sources and a more user-friendly approach to data visualisation, interpretation and contextualisation. He also underscored the importance of balanced data coverage across all key higher education areas and the necessity of expert guidance to help users navigate and fully utilise the platform.

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