EURASHE Presidency for St. Pölten UAS CEO

Hannes Raffaseder, CEO of the St. Pölten UAS, has been elected the new President of EURASHE, the European Association of Institutions in Higher Education. EURASHE unites around 600 universities, universities of applied sciences, university colleges, and comparable institutions that primarily provide career-oriented higher education and conduct applied research.

From 7 to 9 June 2023, the 32nd EURASHE Annual Conference was held in Bucharest and, within its framework, the General Assembly of this important European network for the strengthening of Professional Higher Education also took place. Hannes Raffaseder, Executive Director of the St. Pölten UAS, was not only re-elected to the Board of Directors with the largest number of votes but was also subsequently elected as the new EURASHE President with 92 percent approval.

Based on the challenges faced by these types of higher education institutions as well as the specific chances and difficulties of its members, EURASHE is strongly involved in the further development of the European Higher Education, Research, and Innovation Area, maintains close exchange with the responsible divisions of the European Commission, and contributes to relevant working groups such as the “Bologna Follow-Up Group”.

The strengthening, further development, and quality assurance of future-proof, competence- and practice-oriented higher education didactics are among EURASHE’s key objectives. Interested members exchange their views on these topics at regular intervals in a specifically established “Community of Practice” in order to learn from and with each other based on good practices and other experiences.

Deputy Governor Stephan Pernkopf congratulates St. Pölten UAS CEOs Johann Haag and Hannes Raffaseder

Social Commitment and Interaction with Companies

Applied research, social commitment, and interaction with the business world also play an important role in EURASHE. The association aims to make relevant contributions to strengthening the role of higher education institutions in regional innovation ecosystems and to making better use of existing potentials in this context. The exchange of experiences and the close collaboration at the European level are seen as essential prerequisites for meeting the global competition in the longer term.

“The election – with a large majority – as president of this European association, which is particularly important for universities of applied sciences and comparable institutions in other countries, is a great honour and at the same time, of course, an exciting challenge with a lot of responsibility. I am very pleased that from now on, together with the eight colleagues in the newly elected Board, the Secretary General and the EURASHE Office in Brussels, as well as all members, I will be able to shape the field of European higher education, research, and innovation as actively as possible in this new role. There are also numerous important synergies for our work at the St. Pölten UAS and our European University Alliance E³UDRES², which we want to make the best possible use of in the interest of all those involved”, Raffaseder explains.

The St. Pölten UAS has been an active member of EURASHE for many years and has benefited from this network in many ways, especially at the strategic level. For example, EURASHE, as an associated member, supports the further development of the European University Alliance E³UDRES², the Engaged and Entrepreneurial European University as Driver for European Smart and Sustainable Regions, coordinated by the St. Pölten UAS, and has already provided important impulses during its application phase.

On 22 and 23 May 2024, the 33rd EURASHE Annual Conference with numerous representatives of universities from all over Europe will take place at the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences.

• EURASHE
• E³UDRES²