The SPHERE initiative facilitates good practice sharing, peer-learning and support to institutional and national higher education reforms on a wide range of themes and topics relevant to universities in Europe and HERE countries. It currently puts specific emphasis on the number of overarching priorities, that are at the core the European Union policy, namely:
- The Green Deal: Contribute to a successful green and sustainable global economic recovery (including climate change, environment and energy);
- Digital transformation: Performing digital education eco-systems, improving digital skills and competences;
- Migration and mobility: Recognition of qualifications, legal pathways and integration of migrants and displaced persons;
- Governance, peace, security and human development: human rights, democracy, fundamental values, citizenship, youth, gender, access and inclusion;
- Sustainable growth and jobs: skills, entrepreneurship, employability, links to the labour market and jobs creation.
Supporting higher education systems and policies is transversal to reaching these overall priorities.
Overall objective
Considering the political priorities described above, the overall objective of the SPHERE initiative is to coordinate and facilitate support and training measures for the HERE to achieve their goals.
This includes:
- To provide updated information and training regarding EU higher education policies and reforms, corresponding to the needs of the HERE;
- Support the development of national workplans for the HERE Teams
- Communication and dissemination of the different actions
- To organise cooperation and networking between the National HERE Teams and between them and the EU Experts;
- To help HERE raise awareness about EU higher education policies and programmes and to promote higher education reforms in the Partner Countries not associated to the Erasmus+ Programme, addressing the European Commission’s overarching priorities;
- To disseminate the results of on-going EU projects and to identify fields of interest to be addressed in upcoming calls for proposals in line with EU and National Educational Policies.