The projects aim to encourage cooperation between the EU and Partner Countries and support eligible Partner Countries in addressing challenges in the management and governance of their higher education institutions. This includes improving the quality of higher education, developing new and innovative education programmes, modernising higher education systems through reform policies as well as fostering cooperation across different regions of the world through joint initiatives.
There are 2 types of capacity-building projects:
- Joint projects: aimed at organisations to help improve curriculums, governance, and the strengthening of relations between higher education systems.
- Structural projects: aimed at promoting reforms in higher education systems, modernising policies, governance and strengthening relations between higher education systems and the wider economic and social environment.
Capacity-building projects can be:
- National projects involving institutions from only one eligible Partner Country
- Multi-country projects within one single region, involving at least two countries from this region
- Multi-country projects involving more than one region and involving at least one country from each region concerned
Capacity-building projects in the field of higher education include the following activities:
Joint Projects
- The development, testing and adaptation of:
- curricula, courses, learning materials and tools
- learning and teaching methodologies and pedagogical approaches,
- new forms of practical training schemes and study of real-life cases in business and industry
- university-enterprise cooperation and business start-ups
- new forms of learning and providing education and training
- virtual mobility, open educational resources
- guidance, counselling and coaching methods and tools
- tools and methods for professionalization and professional development of academic and administrative staff
- quality assurance at programme and institution level
- new governance and management systems and structures
- modern university services e.g. for financial management, international relations, student counselling and guidance, academic affairs and research
- Strengthening of the internationalisation of HEI and capacity to network effectively in research, scientific and technological innovation
- Upgrading of facilities
- Staff trainings
Structural Projects
- strengthening the internationalisation of higher education systems
- introducing Bologna-type reforms (three-level cycle system, quality assurance, evaluation, etc.)
- implementing transparency tools such as credit systems, accreditation procedures, guidelines for the recognition of prior and non-formal learning etc.
- establishment of National Qualification Frameworks;
- development and implementation of internal and external quality assurance systems/guidelines
- development and implementation of new approaches and tools for policy making and monitoring, including the establishment of representative bodies, organisations or associations
- strengthening the integration of education, research and innovation.
In more concrete terms, these activities can include:
- surveys and studies on specific reform issues
- policy and expert advice
- conferences, seminars, workshops, round tables
- staff trainings on policy issues
- organisation of awareness-raising campaigns
For detailed information on activities please refer to the website of the program.
