Objectives and mission of the HEREs
The purpose of the National Teams of Higher Education Reform Experts is to provide a pool of expertise in order to promote reforms and enhance progress in Higher Education in the countries concerned and therefore participate in the development of policies and reforms in Higher Education in their respective country.
The mission of the HEREs is threefold:
- support policy development in their respective countries by supporting modernisation reform processes and strategies in Higher Education, in close contact with the local authorities concerned and in particular as regards for instance curriculum development, modernisation of governance, management and functioning of higher education systems and institutions, strengthening relations between the higher education sector and the wider societal and economic environment, etc.
- support policy dialogue with the EU in the field of Higher Education possibly in synergy and coordination with the various policy platforms established under the Erasmus+ programme or other potential initiatives established by, and under the guidance of, the European Commission.
- support Erasmus+ and former EU programmes projects by disseminating their results and outcomes, notably best practices and innovative initiatives and exploiting them for modernisation and development purposes.
In order to fulfil their mission national teams of HEREs will perform activities at national and international level, targeting primarily:
5.a Activities at international level
Activities at international level will be organised by an external service provider, under the supervision of the European Commission and the Executive Agency, and will correspond to the following types:
a) Thematic seminars designed to meet specific needs common in various Partner Countries. The aim of the thematic seminars is to provide new knowledge and practical experience. They may include field visits at higher education institutions or other relevant stakeholders. They will also provide a platform for questions, discussion and exchange of practices on specific topics and processes.
b) Study visits that will take place in prominent EU or Partner Country universities, focusing on specific topics and fields of interest, common to various Partner Countries. Such visits will provide an opportunity to meet with academic and non-academic staff directly responsible for the introduction and the implementation of specific reforms or policies in the field of Higher Education. The visits will include meetings with several types of stakeholders as well as presentations, question & answer sessions and debates.
c) International large-scale conferences including key note speeches by prominent experts and specific workshops dedicated to the attention of the HERE teams of all Partner Countries. Such conferences will deal with themes and topics connected to the core issues of the modernisation of the higher education sector in fields such as governance, management, funding, curriculum development and lifelong learning.
d) Technical assistance missions. Specific technical expertise and advice by EU or Partner Country experts will be provided locally to HERE teams to carry out training and consultancy activities in the Partner Countries, targeted at a wide audience of university staff, officials and other higher education stakeholders. The service provider will identify relevant experts, who can be entrusted with such short term missions. These technical assistance activities will be organised upon specific request from the HERE teams, channelled by the NEOs.
e) Surveys / publications: HEREs may be involved in the preparation of surveys or publications commissioned by the European Commission or EACEA in relation to the Higher Education sector, its institutions, policies, reforms and modernisation process.
f) Virtual expert community and material: HEREs will be provided with a web platform to communicate, liaise and exchange. This includes the provision of information materials, brochures and case studies.
The support services required for the preparation, implementation and monitoring of the international HERE activities will be provided by the European Commission and EACEA with the support of an external provider.
5.b Activities at national level
In addition to the international activities referred to under 5.a above, HERE teams will have to perform counselling and advisory activities at national level and more concretely:
a) At institutional level, HEREs' work will consist in counselling, advising and providing assistance to higher education institutions with regards to the introduction and implementation of reforms.
Higher Education Reform Experts should be actively involved in all kinds of promotional and awareness-raising activities about HE reforms in general and EU higher education programmes and initiatives in particular. Experts with specialist knowledge and experience may be recruited for the development and delivery of training activities for HEREs in those areas.
b) At national level, HEREs will support national authorities in designing, implementing and monitoring policy reforms in the field of HE. Overall, this could include the following types of activities: