The European Students’ Union (ESU), together with UEFISCDI, is organizing a Peer Learning Activity focused on Student and Staff Participation in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), taking place online on 10 November 2026. 

This event will bring together experts, stakeholders, and practitioners to explore how students and staff can take a real part in higher education governance, and how this contributes to institutional autonomy, academic freedom, and the democratic mission of higher education.

The PLA will provide an opportunity for participants to exchange experiences, share practices and discuss approaches to promoting and strengthening student and staff participation in higher education. Sessions will address key themes such as the EHEA commitments on student and staff participation in governance and the results achieved so far, what makes student participation meaningful, and staff participation in higher education, with insights from the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE). 

The programme will also include a case study on student and staff participation in Ireland, an exchange on other national examples, and a session on the role of students in external quality assurance panels in Europe, with a contribution from the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR).

Registration is open until 6 November 2026 EOD at the following link: https://forms.gle/TU8VpbfYJt2nDJ6C9. The Zoom link will be shared with registered participants in due time. The draft agenda of the event is available here.

Find out more about the NewFAV2 project and its work on fundamental values across the EHEA at:
 https://fundamentalvalues.info.

The event is part of the “New building blocks of the Bologna Process: implementing a common understanding of fundamental values – NewFAV 2” project (101228751), coordinated by UEFISCDI in cooperation with the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) and European Students’ Union (ESU), co-funded by the European Union. The project is further supported by the European University Association (EUA) as an associated partner.

Disclaimer: Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author (s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.