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EUA Leadership Development Programme

2026

The European University Association’s Leadership Development Programme equips senior university leaders with the skills, foresight and networks needed to steer universities through increasing complexity and drive impactful change within their institutions.

With a distinctive European perspective, it offers a unique blend of international insights and tailored support for EUA members.

For each edition, the programme convenes a diverse cohort of senior leaders who build meaningful connections with European peers and engage in a learning experience that is reflective, practical and connected to European and global policy developments. The design and implementation of the programme is supported by a group of over 30 university leaders, facilitators and EUA experts.

In September 2025, EUA successfully concluded the pilot edition of the Leadership Development Programme. The 2026 edition of the programme is now fully subscribed.

The call for participation for the next edition of the Leadership Development Programme is now open. We invite applications until 3 July 2026, 23.59 (CEST).

Learn more and apply

Over 10 working days during an eight-month period, the LDP combines in-person and online learning, leadership exchanges with peers and policy makers and sustained group simulations. Developed under the guidance of a dedicated Advisory Board, the programme is based on the outcomes of the EU-funded NEWLEAD project and supported by a wide range of external experts and institutional leaders.

Leveraging EUA’s extensive research and expertise, it delves into the most crucial leadership and governance challenges across university missions in learning and teaching and research and innovation, as well as key developments in the quality assurance of higher education. Participants explore essential facets of European higher education leadership, including cultural diversity and leadership styles and cultures, and gain insights into the latest strategic foresight and communication methodologies.

The programme features three in-person sessions in April, June and September delivered through a mix of expert input, real world cases, dilemma-based exercises and interactive group work.

  • Following online onboarding from February, a one-day kick-off session takes place around the EUA Annual Conference in April, providing direct exposure to policy discussions and sector-wide networking. Participants have the opportunity to engage in hands-on leadership exercises, peer learning and exchanges with university leaders.
  • The core of the programme is delivered through a five-day block in Brussels in June, which brings together sessions facilitated by experts and experienced university leaders, foresight and governance workshops and leadership exchanges with senior policy makers. This provides an exclusive behind-the-scenes view on decision-making processes in Brussels.
  • In September, the programme concludes with a final module in Brussels, focused on the transversal challenges of leading international collaboration such as European Universities alliances, sustainability strategies, equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), artificial intelligence and systemic transformation. It features an exchange with members of the LDP Advisory Board and concludes the group simulation exercise in which participants, organised in teams, develop and defend a five-year strategic plan for a fictional European university.
  • Between the in-person activities, online sessions complete the offer and address themes including values-based leadership, academic freedom, shared leadership, crisis management and global challenges in higher education.

Each year, the Leadership Development Programme brings together a group of around 25 university leaders from universities across Europe.  

The programme has been designed to support members of universities’ senior leadership teams with responsibility for strategic decision making. It targets both senior academic leaders and professional support leaders with an interest in developing their leadership skills and competencies with European peers and engaging in a multicultural European setting, fostering open exchange and collaboration.

The programme’s highlights include:

  • A holistic approach: A wide array of themes and topics including leadership, governance, foresight, ethical decision making and crisis preparedness.
  • The latest research and experience: Informed by the latest European-wide research on leadership and transformation.
  • Cutting-edge insights: Exclusive content on European policies and trends in learning and teaching, research and innovation, quality assurance and governance, tailored to the unique challenges faced by senior university leaders.
  • European policy engagement: Direct engagement with key European policy makers, including the European Commission and the European Parliament, gaining exclusive insight into the future of higher education policies.
  • Not just another event: A dynamic blend of real case studies, group work, foresight exercises and interactive sessions designed to challenge and inspire.

Participation in the programme is open to members of university senior management teams with responsibility for strategic decision-making. Applicants require the support of their EUA member institution’s senior leadership.

To ensure that the programme reflects the diverse needs of EUA’s membership, EUA established an advisory board to guide its development.

  • Chair: Josep M. Garrell, President, European University Association; former Rector, Ramon Llull University (2012-2022), Spain
  • Hans Adolfsson, President, Stockholm University; Chair, Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions (SUHF), Sweden
  • Mihai Gîrțu, Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation, Ovidius University of Constanța, Romania
  • Agata Kulesza, Secretary General, Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (CRASP), Poland
  • Eeva Leinonen, President, Maynooth University, Ireland
  • Anne Lequy, former Board member, European University Association; former Rector, Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences (2014-2022), Germany
  • Snježana Prijić-Samaržija, former Rector, University of Rijeka (2017-2025), Croatia
  • Manuel Tuñón de Lara, Board member, European University Association; former Rector, University of Bordeaux (2014-2022), France
  • Koen Verlaeckt, Secretary General, Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR), Belgium
  • Arturs Zeps, Vice-Rector for Strategic Development and Finance, Riga Technical University, Latvia

EUA Secretariat:

  • Thomas Estermann, Director, Governance, Funding and Public Policy Development
  • Maria Blanco, Adviser, Governance, Funding and Public Policy Development
TAGS
Institutional Governance
Capacity Building
Leadership
Institutional Leadership
Leadership Development
Institutional Strategy

Useful links

Universities need a new generation of visionary leaders [Op-ed]      
NEWLEAD (Innovative Leadership and Change Management in Higher Education)      
EUA’s work on leadership      

Downloads

Programme brochure      

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