While this topic has been on the agenda for more than a decade, developments such as data-driven governance and the use of machine learning have increased its scope.

The digital transition presents significant opportunities for innovation, but also requires universities to develop new infrastructure and enhance digital skills among staff. Policy and funding frameworks must be adjusted to reflect universities’ interests, both as adopters and developers of digital technologies and approaches.

The European University Association takes a holistic approach to the digital transition of universities, including artificial intelligence. This involves looking at the cultural and institutional changes that will allow universities to use digital technologies to enhance their activities and missions, while keeping control of their digital choices, tools and data and promoting university values.

EUA supports its members in the  development of their strategic approaches to digitally enhanced learning and teaching with a view to cultivating a ‘high-performance digital education ecosystem’, notably through the DIGI-HE project (2020-2023).

Learn more about the DIGI-HE project

As part of its work on Open Science, for many years EUA has actively promoted open access to data. The Association is a member of the governing board of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and is engaged in furthering skills to ensure Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) data through the FAIRsFAIR Project. Additionally, EUA has gathered data on universities’ innovation activities related to the digital transition via its recent innovation survey.

Digital technologies also have significant potential to deepen institutional partnerships. As such, EUA monitors the political drivers and initiatives shaping approaches to digitally-enabled cooperation across the sector. In its briefing on ‘Developing common learning opportunities through interoperability’, the Association looks at the implementation of interoperable systems within the European Universities alliances and explores possible trajectories for its wider application both within and beyond alliances.

Read our interoperability briefing

Launched in September 2024, EUA’s Digital Transformation Map gathers the experiences of EUA members and the wider university community in tackling ongoing developments in the digital sphere.

To do so, it presents a rich collection of practice examples, reflecting a diverse range of initiatives undertaken to advance transformation in Europe’s university sector. As such, it is an invaluable reference for senior university leaders driving change within their institutions, offering orientation and guidance on pressing issues for university communities, including digital sovereignty, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and many others.

As digital technologies, as well as the frameworks that govern activity in the digital sphere, continue to advance at a rapid pace, the map will also grow and evolve. For this reason, EUA members can contribute to the map’s further development by sharing initiatives that might be applicable in other contexts or support peer institutions in their transformation. They can do so by visiting the Digital Transformation Map and completing the ‘Contribute’ form.

Discover and add to the Digital Transformation Map

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