EQAR NEWSLETTER - JULY 2025

Register lists 60 agencies

At the Register Committee (RC) meeting of 26-27 June, the following six quality assurance agencies were found to be working in substantial compliance with the ESG and were thus admitted to the Register:

ACSUCYL - Quality Assurance Agency for the University System in Castilla y León
ACSUCYL reports in DEQAR
AQUA - Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education in Andorra (initial application)
BAC - British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education
BAC reports in DEQAR
KAA - Kosovo Accreditation Agency
madri+d - Fundación para el Conocimiento Madrimasd
madri+d reports in DEQAR
THEQC - Turkish Higher Education Quality Council
THEQC reports in DEQAR

This was the last meeting of RC members Beate Treml (also Vice-Chair), Maria Arminda Bragança, Riitta Pyykkö, Steffen Westergård Andersen (all RC members since 2017) and Inga Lapina (RC member since 2023).

They were thanked for their diligence, commitment and numerous insightful contributions. Their presence has been greatly appreciated by the whole organisation and they will be missed both professionally and personally within the Committee.

⇒ More about the RC meeting

⇒ Check out the composition of the current Register Committee

Three new projects

We are very happy to share that EQAR has been awarded funding for three new projects, in which EQAR will contribute as a project partner.

1) DIGI-REQA - Digital Tools and Quality Assurance for Automatic Recognition

Connecting the AR-go tool with DEQAR
An important objective for EQAR in DIGI-REQA is integrating quality assurance data by linking AR-go with DEQAR. AR-go is the tool used for generating automated statements of comparability for the qualifications covered by the Multilateral Treaty on Automatic Recognition of Qualifications, signed and ratified by the Baltic and Benelux countries and open for signatures to others.

The project is coordinated by SKVC and the aim of the integration is to improve the digitalised services available to stakeholders covered under the Treaty, thus ensuring a more efficient and reliable recognition. DIGI-REQA is a two-year project and was launched in June.

⇒ More about DIGI-REQA

2) SIQA - Support for the enhancement-oriented implementation of the quality assurance key commitment

Enhancing the EQAR Knowledge Base
In the SIQA project, coordinated by ARACIS, one of the objectives important for EQAR will be to update, enhance and expand the EQAR Knowledge Base. This will enhance the applicability and usefulness of the EQAR Knowledge Base for monitoring the implementation of a range of Bologna process tools and commitments related to QA, including the key commitments of external QA in line with the ESG.

⇒ Check out the country information on the EQAR Knowledge Base

Analysis of implementation and best practices of the European Approach for QA of Joint Programmes (EA)
Another task for EQAR (together with ENQA and the TPG C members) is to support the TPG C members to amend legislative frameworks to allow the European Approach for QA of Joint Programmes by conducting an analysis of implementation and best practices.

Building on other project outcomes, a comprehensive analysis will be conducted to identify gaps in the implementation of the EA, examine their underlying causes, and propose potential remedies. This analysis will be carried out through a combination of desk research and input from EHEA member states. SIQA is a three-year project and will start in September.

⇒ More about SIQA

3) TPG-LRC Plus - Fostering LRC implementation in the EHEA

TPG-LRC Plus will support the implementation of the Bologna Process by focusing on the key commitment 2 on national legislation and procedures compliant with the Lisbon Recognition Convention (LRC) in the countries being part of the Thematic Peer Group B (TPG B), during 2025-2028. The three-year project is coordinated by CIMEA and will be launched in September.

Enhancing the interoperability of DEQAR as a tool for automatic recognition
EQAR’s main contribution to the project will be to enhance the interoperability of the DEQAR as a tool for automatic recognition. EQAR is also a key partner to focus on quality assurance.

⇒ More about TPG-LRC Plus

Now that the three other projects (IMINQA, QA-FIT and TPG-LRC CoRE) that EQAR was partner in, have been completed, we look forward to working on these new projects, together with the coordinators and the other project partners (both new and old).

A Decade of the European Approach

We celebrated ten years of the European Approach for QA of Joint Programmes (EA) with many of our higher education colleagues, in Cologne on 17 June.

The one-day event was organised by the European Consortium for Accreditation in higher education (ECA) and AQAS, in cooperation with EQAR. In the shade of the imposing cathedral, we looked at the EA from all sides; from the perspectives of the QA agencies, from the (joint programmes) consortia and from the regulators. We looked both back and forward and discussed best practices, achievements, but also the challenges and ideas on how to address the implementation gaps. Last but not least, we also looked beyond the European Approach.

The EA is an important topic for the coming year(s) in any case, not only because of the SIQA project (see above), but also because of the upcoming revision of the European Approach for QA of Joint Programmes.

The revision will be conducted by the same structures as for the revision of the ESG and will similarly involve consultation with appropriate stakeholders and experts. This process will probably start towards the end of the year, so that the main lines of the ESG revision are already clear and can be reflected in the EA.

Members' Dialogue 2025

This years Members’ Dialogue (MD) will be held in Brussels on 15-16 October and will be hosted by the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture.

The MD covers recent policy developments in quality assurance as well as EQAR’s current and future activities. Thanks to the informal setting of the Members’ Dialogue, it also serves as a forum for exchange and networking among governments on issues related to quality assurance.

This year we will open two slots for our governmental members to present the topic of their choice in the Knowledge Cafe. Think about it during summer!

We look forward to seeing our members in October.

European Quality Assurance Forum

Registrations are now open for the 2025 European Quality Assurance Forum (EQAF).

This year’s Forum, on the theme of "QA in times of crises – Ensuring stability, autonomy and international cooperation in higher education", will focus on how quality assurance can support the higher education sector in responding to current and emerging challenges.

EQAF 2025 will be hosted by the Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary, from 12 to 14 November. During the event, paper and poster presentations and workshops will allow for interactive audience participation and opportunities for exchange of experiences and good practices.

⇒ Registration and programme

Holidays

Please note that the EQAR office will be closed from 11 to 17 August.

We wish you all a wonderful summer!