colors
Opportunities & events

4EU+ Community Forum: Follow-up of the External Reviewing

Date: Tuesday, 17 June 2025

Time: 15:30-18:00 (CEST)

Organised by: 4EU+ Alliance – Alliance Referee for Quality Management Swantje Schirmer and General Secretariat



Registration

Registration is open for members and colleagues of the 4EU+ Alliance until Sunday, 1 June 2025.

REGISTER HERE


Background and goals

With this Community Forum, 4EU+ seeks to move forward in following up on the recommendations received from its external reviewers as part of its quality management system 4EU+QUALITY. In this system, the External Reviewing Board as external critical friends are tasked to externally review 4EU+QUALITY, which means the external evaluation and monitoring of the Alliance’s quality management system on the background of the Alliance’s strategic goals. The results of this process and the ensuing recommendations of the External Reviewers were published on 27 January 2025 via the External Reviewing Board Report. 4EU+ is now following up on the recommendations: based on the systematic input received from all concerned bodies and stakeholders in 4EU+, this forum provides an opportunity to discuss ideas and suggestions on an operational level on how to improve the 4EU+ educational offer and 4EU+QUALITY itself. The set-up of a forum engaging the entire 4EU+ community shall favour identifying potential synergies and cross-body collaboration in the follow-up. The results will be presented to the Alliance leadership-level as a basis for their decisions on concrete measures and actions to work on the implementation in the External Reviewing Board Report.

The 4EU+ Community Forum is organised in the framework of the 4EU+ 1CORE project, under Work Package 6 (Sustainable governance of the Alliance).


Resources & documents


What to expect?

The forum will be held online. The Alliance Referee for Quality Management and the General Secretariat will facilitate a short workshop: A plenary session during which the Alliance Referee for Quality Management will present the main features of the External Reviewing Board Report, will be followed by discussions in breakout sessions on the basis of three guiding questions (see below).


Why attend?

As a participant of the forum, you will have the possibility to:

  • Learn about the recommendations of the external reviewers and initial insights on next steps;

  • Make your voice heard and take up an active role in the 4EU+ quality management system;

  • Share your individual perspectives and experiences in 4EU+;

  • Actively contribute to the further development of 4EU+, its educational offer and its quality management system.


Who should join?

All members of the 4EU+ community, that is, colleagues at one of the eight member universities are warmly invited, but colleagues from the following groups are particularly encouraged to attend:

  • All 4EU+ students and academics

  • Members of the 4EU+ Student Committee

  • Members of the 4EU+ Academic Council

  • Members of the 4EU+ Flagships

  • Members of the 4EU+ Working Groups and colleagues engaged in any of the 1CORE Work Packages

  • Colleagues working in the 4EU+ Local Offices


Preliminary agenda


Time slot

Description

15:30-15:35

Welcome & Housekeeping

15:35-15:55

Plenary: Overview of External Reviewing, the report and systematic feedback from 4EU+ bodies and stakeholders

15:55-16:00

Move to breakout-rooms

16:00-16:45

Breakout rooms: Discussion on the basis of the following preliminary guiding questions

- For you and your role and work in 4EU+, what are the most important recommendations? What do you think is essential to tackle first? What recommendations can be postponed in your view, and if so, why?

- Where do you see potential for you to contribute to implementing the recommendations? What could be done at your local university and what would you address on alliance-level and where do you see need for collaboration between different stakeholders?

- What concrete ideas come to your mind that could be potential measures? What concrete goals for their implementation would you set, e.g., concerning actors that are to be involved; responsibilities and timeframe?

16:45-16:50

Return to Plenary

16:50-17:15

Plenary: Report from each breakout room

17:15-17:45

Plenary: Joint Reflection & Comparison of Group Reports

17:45-18:00

Wrap-up and Outlook


Contact to organisers

For questions and more information about the community forum, please contact: swantje.schirmer@heiquality.uni-heidelberg.de.