Launching EHESO - The European Higher Education Sector Observatory

The activities to establish the European Higher Education Sector Observatory have kicked off. Developed by a consortium of five partner organisations, the Observatory will integrate the existing EU data tools for open use. This will help to strengthen the current European data sources. 

Following the publication of a Call for Tenders, the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) signed a service contract to develop the European Higher Education Sector Observatory (EHESO).  

The consortium implementing the activities of the service contract is coordinated by PPMI, in Lithuania, and it also includes the Centre for Higher Education (CHE) in Germany, the Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS) at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) and Joanneum Research in Austria. The project is supported by the  Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education (NIFU) in Norway and the Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) from Leiden University in the Netherlands, as well as a number of individual experts. 

The newly established Observatory will appear as a new section under the National Policies Platform.  It will combine the best of the current EU data tools and capacities in one single place, while further enhancing their use and relevance for policy makers, universities, students and researchers. The Observatory aims to leverage the strengths of existing EU data tools and capacities, including the European Tertiary Education Register (ETER), U-Multirank (multidimensional institutional benchmarking), Erasmus+ database (student and staff mobilities, transnational cooperations of HEIs), Database of External Quality Assurance Results (DEQAR), Eurostudent (Social dimension of Higher Education), Eurograduate (higher education graduate outcomes), Eurydice higher education policy data (Bologna Process Implementation Reports, Mobility Scoreboard, National Education systems descriptions), and other relevant data sources. 

The Observatory will make it possible to compare, analyse and showcase the higher education sector’s performance across various fields. Institutions and governments will be able to strengthen their evidence basis on key topics such as inclusion, learning outcomes, progress on digital, green and entrepreneurial skills, technology transfer, employability, students and labour market needs. This process will also reinforce the institutions’ role in innovation ecosystems, and transnational cooperation in the higher education sector. 

The European Higher Education Sector Observatory is being developed thanks to funding from Erasmus+, the European programme for education, training, youth and sport. It is an initiative by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport, and Culture.  

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