EUA is organising its first ever conference in Asia (in Malaysia – September 5 & 6, 2007) in collaboration with the Malaysian Vice-Chancellors Committee and the Asia Europe Foundation (ASEF). The focus of the conference will be governance of higher education institutions, an issue of major and growing significance in both continents. Alongside this conference, EUA is also organising a series of special visits for its members to higher education institutions in both Malaysia and Singapore. The Asia-Europe Colloquy is aimed at university leadership and senior representatives of university associations and networks from Asia and Europe. It aims at facilitating dialogue and discussion among participants and to establish a better understanding of institutional management and governance in different parts of Europe and Asia, in order to enhance exchange and cooperation prospects.

EUA will also be taking part in a range of key higher education events in Asia, such as July’s QS Apple “Asia Pacific Professional Leaders in Education” conference in Hong Kong. Here EUA’s Michael Gaebel gave a presentation on the ‘The European Higher Education Area – New Opportunities for Asian Students and Scholars’. EUA will also be sending delegates to the Asia Link Symposiums in Malaysia, Vietnam and China later in the autumn and is playing a key role in the ASEF initiative to establish a platform for Asia Europe higher education collaboration.

These moves are part of EUA’s strategy to develop the international dimension of its activities. “Whilst individual universities and national organisations have been pursuing collaborative links, this is the first time a ‘pan-European’ higher education body such as EUA is looking to raise the profile of the European Higher Education Area. This will bring a European perspective to international education discussions and help to widen participation between universities internationally,” says Michael Gaebel.

EUA is not focusing its efforts solely on Asia, and is already building similar collaborative links with Africa, Australasia and the Americas. While supporting its members in their international developments, EUA seeks to draw attention to the importance of ensuring that international academic cooperation is based upon a community of interests, thus promoting ‘brain gain’ rather than ‘brain drain’ both within Europe and between Europe and the rest of the world, and underlining the importance of academic values and cultural diversity.