This report provides examples of government-led initiatives implemented in response to national policy objectives and university-led collaborative initiatives and partnerships pursued by the Irish higher education sector to jointly tackle common issues, reduce duplication, maximise value for money and achieve critical mass.

The EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement was the first of a new generation of free trade agreements. Ratified in 2015, it sealed the EU’s relationship with a strategic partner in a deep and comprehensive trade deal, going much further than a set of agreed tariffs on trade in goods. 

As negotiations move forward in hammering out the design of Horizon Europe, this EUA briefing serves as a practical document for policy makers. It provides strategic and practical recommendations for a simpler and more efficient use of resources under the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.

Ahead of the adoption of the European Commission’s proposal for Horizon Europe, university practitioners from 12 European countries provide solid data based on their direct experience managing national and EU-funded research projects. This report contains 12 detailed country profiles that feature practical information on accounting practices applied to the management of nationally-funded research projects.

On 4 September 2018, eleven national research funding organisations in Europe jointly published the so-called “Plan S”. Its aim is to accelerate the transition towards Open Access to research publications.

The EU hopes to conclude a series of trade deals in the near future. Its new agreement with Japan follows hard on the heels of its deal with Canada (CETA), which is now being provisionally implemented.

The European University Association (EUA) welcomes the European Commission Joint Research Centre’s report on “A Regional Innovation Impact: Assessment Framework for universities”. The report opens the debate on the impact that universities can have on regional innovation. It also recognises the importance of assessment frameworks and shows the strategic role of universities in their innovation ecosystems.

2017 has been the busiest year yet for EUA, given the broad range of policies we have advocated for at the EU level, and our growing outreach through a variety of membership activities.

What will happen to university collaboration in Europe after Brexit? With Europe’s research and mobility heavyweight leaving the European Union, many are understandably worried about what will happen in the future.

At its meeting on 12 June 2018, the Board of the European University Association (EUA) welcomed the new political momentum of the Bologna Process resulting from the Ministerial Conference in Paris (23-25 May) and the adoption of the Paris Communiqué.