2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the European University Association

29 March 2021

For RSU Employees

International Cooperation

It has been 20 years since European university representatives and national rectors’ conferences joined forces to form the European University Association (EUA) with the aim to create a single organisation to speak for the interests of all higher education representatives, universities and national associations.

This anniversary allows us to look back at the achievements in the field of higher education in general. Over the years, EUA has been one of the key driving forces that has encouraged peers to come together and address important challenges to European higher education. It has also helped developments in education policy resonate within learning and teaching, research and innovation.

Today, the independent voice of European higher education is made up of more than 800 universities and rectors’ conferences from 48 countries, which cooperate with leading organisations worldwide and represent the interests of almost 20m students and 2m lecturers, researchers and administrative staff.

The main task of EUA is to increase the strength of universities and the quality of activities in implementing its mission. EUA President Michael Murphy believes that ‘Europe will be as strong as its universities,’ which embodies this motto. This can only be fully realised through a close cooperation network and by sharing experience.

One of Rīga Stradiņš University’s (RSU) development goals is continuous growth and openness to cooperation. RSU’s strategic vision has parallels with European universities’ vision, Universities without walls. A vision for 2030, which was developed by EUA early in 2021. RSU also sees that a university’s strength lies in a unique combination of learning and teaching, research and modern innovations that no only create a synergy with current practices, but also strives to predict future development trends.

Aware of the importance of sharing ideas on an international level, RSU has been actively involved in EUA initiatives, especially in the recent years:

studying the vision, good practices and challenges of the participating institutions;
participating in mutual learning activities;
building university partnerships;
improving the competence of industry representatives;
disseminating innovation examples at symposiums, conferences and forums.

We have established close links with peers from learning and teaching centres at European universities. This has allowed us to jointly generate ideas for the RSU Jauno docētāju skola (the RSU School of Junior Academics), applications for targeted scholarships from the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation, and the successful implementation of specific support objective innovation projects. We have been able to invite internationally recognised experts to implement continuing education for our teaching staff. Together with competent specialists, we have evaluated study programme modernisation activities at RSU, shared our experience and received recognition for our approach to providing paedagogical support to lecturers and regularly improving the study process.

Employees from the Centre for Educational Growth have participated in the annual European Learning & Teaching Forum, both as listeners and content creators. We have also received the opportunity to participate in the year-long innovative Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Groups, at which we have both been able to share our experience in modernising study process at RSU, as well as learn from other universities. The outcomes of the intensive work have been summarised in reports on fostering engagement in developing learning and teaching and evidence-based approaches to learning and teaching, as well as in practical workshop for higher education representatives from across Europe. In 2020, RSU was selected to be admitted to the EUA and the Erasmus+ KA3 LOTUS (Leadership and Organisation for Teaching and Learning at European Universities) project. In 2021, 28 European universities, split into five work groups, will develop recommendations on developing university leadership capacity in learning and teaching.

RSU is gratified that participating in EUA has resulted in applications for joint international projects, integrating the experience of the most prestigious European universities into improving the study process at RSU, collaborative research and publications. The university's involvement provides an opportunity to participate in research, use outcomes to improve the study process and drive innovation, gain an extensive network of direct cooperation with peers from other European universities and a stable point of contact in searching for cooperation partners.

RSU warmly congratulates EUA on its 20th anniversary! Our wish for the higher education cooperation team is to continue to succeed in advancing current education policy matters and to provide a practical contribution to improving the pedagogical process.

The Centre for Educational Growth is the EUA contact point at RSU, where peers can receive detailed information about the opportunities for involvement and what resources are available.