The draft Strategy is added as a link in the column on the left. To see all feedback provided so far (track changes and comments), you will need to download the document.

The draft Input to the Work Plan is linked in the column on the left. To see all feedback provided so far (track changes and comments), you will need to download the document.

The link to the draft Functions Profiles is provided in the 'Attachment' column. To see all feedback provided so far (track changes and comments), you will need to download the document.

Guiding question: What are the most significant opportunities and challenges currently facing our Members?

Guiding question: Where could our association have the greatest impact in helping Members seize opportunities and respond to challenges?

Guiding questions: Are there areas where we should consider a significant shift ('revolution') rather than incremental changes ('evolution') in Strategy 2030 or Work Plan 2026–2027? This could relate to our strategic positioning, the functioning of task forces, or other structural aspects. Are there any new areas or priorities, going beyond what the association is currently doing, that should be considered for the next two years to kick-start Strategy 2030 implementation?

Guiding question: Based on the above, what strategic guidance should the outgoing leadership (current Board and Co-Chairs of task forces) provide to the incoming leadership (the new Board following elections in October)?

• Digitalization & AI Integration: The rapid development of AI is challenging the traditional teaching model. Universities must fundamentally rethink teaching, examination formats and learning support.

• Funding pressure: Budgets are tight, we are asked to gain more efficiency. Competition for third party funding and students is intensifying.

• Decreasing student numbers and changing expectations of education: student numbers decrease due to different reasons. Plus students expect more flexible, practical and digitally supported learning opportunities.

• Sustainability and social responsibility.

• Safeguarding academic freedom and gaining digital sovereignty.

• Digitalization of administrative processes may increase efficiency; students may benefit from digitalization of teaching methods and research methods my be improved by digitalization as well.

• Internationalization may help in gaining more students from abroad.

• Sustainability can become a USP.

• Interdisciplinarity may help in attracting students and researchers.

• Outreach and citizen science projects may increase the trust in science.

• Impact on EU’s policy towards sustainable funding for universities and less or clearer regulations (e.g. for AI)

• Support in policy making on an institutional level

• Bringing members together and help to find synergies

Challenges:

• AI in education is a threat (e.g. during exams). We have policies / regulations that are set a year in advance, which makes it impossible to keep up with the evolution of AI. The future task force Learning & Teaching will have to address this.

• Need to have data to stir the narrative in your way to influence the Commission.

• A lot of new concepts to follow, it is hard.

Meeting with ESA is a very tangible outcome. If we could have more of these initiatives, it would really help listing the success stories, also to engage the Rectors.

Produce less documents but better documents, maybe sharper, less pages, more to the point.

This is also important to measure our impact.

We have to take the defence topic seriously.

Also the question on how far should we go international?

Preliminary thought: a new task force for International Relations. We should take advantage to the fact that we have the freedom from not being a political entity and have conversations at the higher education policy level with a strong emphasis on S&T

Support from Katharina, Justyna, Mikael, Irna & Mihnea.

It would be interesting to have something, not necessarily a task force, but a workshop on this topic of defence and transformation of industries, training and competencies, the need for engineers.