A Meeting with EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel

Last week, representatives of the St. Pölten UAS were invited to consultations with Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. 20 renowned universities of applied sciences and other universities participated in the exchange – from Sorbonne University to Charles University in Prague and Uppsala University . The objective of the consultations was the coordination of measures in the educational and university sector planned by the EU.

“It is a great privilege for the St. Pölten UAS to be asked to take part in this meeting. The invitation reflects the recognition of our good research performance as well as our efforts in the field of research and knowledge transfer”, emphasises Hannes Raffaseder, member of the Executive Board of the St. Pölten UAS.

Strengthening Regional Innovation

Apart from university representatives, the chairpersons of the major European university networks EUA (European University Association) and EURASHE (European Association of Institutions in Higher Education) as well as the European Students’ Union participated in the virtual meeting.

EU Commissioner Gabriel presented the central agenda for the next couple of years: the “European Education Area 2025“.
Three items were highlighted in particular:

• Co-working, co-creation and open innovation are to be increasingly promoted and pushed forward in future. Innovation is to be fostered through a stronger collaboration between the universities themselves and between the universities and the industry.
• Lifelong learning is to be encouraged, for example through the establishment of so-called “micro-credentials”.
• Inclusion and permeability between the universities in all member states are to be ensured.

“We are very pleased that thanks to our self-image as an ‘Engaged University’, we have been active in the very areas over the past few years that have now been defined as primary objectives”, says Hannes Raffaseder. “The regional basis of the St. Pölten UAS and the promotion of innovation structures in our environment are an integral part of our activity – and the ideal complement to the traditional research work of the big universities.”

European University Networks

The European University Association (EUA) represents the interests of more than 800 universities and national Rectors’ Conferences at the European level. It is, for example, significantly involved in the implementation and further development of the Bologna Process and is an important driving force behind the discourse about the role of universities in a European knowledge society.

The  is a network of mainly European universities of applied sciences and university colleges as well as accreditation agencies and other higher education players. A primary objective of EURASHE is to integrate the perspective of strongly practice-oriented universities into the discourse concerning European higher education politics.

Both organisations are strongly involved in the development and formulation of European university and research policies.

The St. Pölten UAS has been a member of the EUA since 2018 and of the EURASHE network since 2019.