Three new projects for EQAR

We are thrilled to announce that EQAR has been awarded funding for three new projects, all starting later this year, in which EQAR will contribute as project partner.

This two-year project, coordinated by SKVC, aims to address gaps in implementation of automatic recognition. The project will support NARICs in implementing key EU Council Recommendations and EHEA commitments in the area of automatic mutual recognition (AR) and fair recognition practices, as well as better implementation of the Lisbon Recognition Convention (LRC), by focusing on three main areas:

• Expanding and operationalising the Multilateral Treaty on Automatic Recognition of Qualifications, signed and ratified by the Baltic and Benelux countries and open for signatures to others (the Treaty), and the AR-go tool aimed to support its implementation;
• Exploring and aligning tools instrumental for achieving automatic recognition;
• Strengthening the role of quality assurance (QA) in enabling automatic recognition.

An important objective for EQAR in this project, is integrating quality assurance data by linking AR-go with DEQAR. AR-go is the tool used for generating automated statements of comparability for the qualifications covered by the Treaty. This integration will significantly improve the digitalised services available to stakeholders covered under the Treaty, ensuring more efficient and reliable recognition.

This three-year project, coordinated by ARACIS, will support the work of the Bologna Thematic Peer Group C on Quality Assurance (TPG C on QA) during 2025-2028, building on the achievements and best practices from the IMINQA project that supported the work of the TPG C during 2022-2025.

• One of the objectives will be to update, enhance and expand the EQAR Knowledge Base. This will enhance the applicability and usefulness of the EQAR Knowledge Base for monitoring implementation of a range of Bologna process tools and commitments related to QA, including the key commitments of external QA in line with the ESG.
• Another objective where EQAR will play an important role is supporting the TPG C members to amend legislative frameworks to allow the European Approach for QA of Joint Programmes (EA) by conducting an analysis of implementation and best practices. The analysis will be conducted to identify gaps in the implementation of the EA, examine their underlying causes, and propose potential remedies. This analysis will be carried out through a combination of desk research and input from EHEA member states.”

The main aim of this three-year project, coordinated by CIMEA, is to support the implementation of the Bologna Process focusing on the key commitment 2 on national legislation and procedures compliant with the Lisbon Recognition Convention (LRC) in the countries being part of the Thematic Peer Group B (TPG B). The project identified the following objectives, in line with goals of the Bologna Process and the Tirana Communiqué:

• Strengthened TPG B capacity to contribute to attaining a more even implementation of the six specific thematic indications identified by the BGUG for the Group and under the aegis of the BICG.
• Enhanced ownership and information sharing between national authorities, higher education institutions and other relevant stakeholders
• Strengthened cooperation and sharing of practices between stakeholders involved in recognition processes.

EQAR’s role will be to contribute to enhancing the interoperability of the DEQAR database as a tool for automatic recognition. EQAR is also a key partner that will focus on quality assurance.