At-risk academics and students

At the policy level, EUA advocates for access for at-risk academics and students to existing, and for the creation of new EU grants and fellowship programmes. The Association also supports attention to and more consistent application of the Lisbon Recognition Convention, whereby signatories commit to “develop procedures designed to assess fairly and expeditiously whether refugees, displaced persons and persons in a refugee-like situation fulfil the relevant requirements for access to higher education, to further higher education programmes or to employment activities, even in cases in which the qualifications obtained in one of the Parties cannot be proven through documentary evidence.”

In addition, EUA has contributed to a number of European Union funded projects, exploring the topic of integration into European higher education from many angles, such as:

• Mapping the state of play of researchers at risk in European higher education institutions;
• Examining the conditions and circumstances for access, retention and completion of higher education for migrants from third countries, including students with a refugee(-like) background;
• Showcasing the commitment of higher education institutions and organisations in supporting refugees through concrete case studies;
• Sharing the experiences of at-risk researchers being welcomed by host institutions in Europe;
• Fostering peer learning collaboration between institutions;
• Raising awareness and enhancing institutional commitment among European higher education leadership to support researchers and students at risk;
• Developing policy recommendations and lobbying for national and European-wide initiatives.

Since 2015, EUA has engaged with higher education institutions and support organisations that support populations with a refugee(-like) background. These measures targeted the refugee population in general, including support and integration measures, often in collaboration with other local actors. But it also comprised specific actions to enable access to higher education.  

EUA and its members are actively involved in raising awareness of the importance of refugee integration into higher education on a national and European level.  For example, the Association organises annual stakeholder roundtables to keep abreast of and create synergies with initiatives aimed at supporting students and researchers with a refugee(-like) or at-risk background across Europe and engages with international initiatives.