EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package - Higher Education Programme (SCOPE-HE)

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SCOPE-HE is part of the EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package and aims to enhance exchanges and connectivity in higher education, research, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), between ASEAN and the EU. Focusing on green transition, blue economy, and digitalisation, the programme builds on the successes of the EU Support to Higher Education Programme in the ASEAN Region (SHARE) and ERASMUS+. The programme involves representatives from all ASEAN Member States.

Name of the action: EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package - Higher Education Programme (SCOPE-HE)
Commissioned by: European Union
Partnering with: Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Implementer: NUFFIC (The Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education)
Implementing Partner:    DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)
Programme region: EU-ASEAN Member States
Duration: February 2024 - January 2028
Value: €9,300,000

 

Key Activities

SCOPE-HE focuses on three main pillars of key activities designed to strengthen higher education collaboration between the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regions. Each pillar addresses specific areas to promote academic mobility, university network development, and improvements in vocational education and training (VET).

  • Academic Mobility pillar aims to facilitate dialogue and collaboration among key ASEAN institutions. This includes holding policy dialogues to discuss findings and share best practices in educational services, providing technical assistance and capacity-building, and conducting comparability studies between ASEAN and EU frameworks. Additionally, workshops and events are organised to build capacity in higher education and disseminate the results of comparative studies. These activities aim to enhance the recognition of academic and professional qualifications and foster a more integrated and robust educational environment across the regions.
  • University Network pillar focuses on supporting and developing EU-ASEAN university networks to foster research connectivity. This involves facilitating dialogues among higher education and research institutions to strengthen these networks, organising networking and capacity-building activities for university students, and prioritising research activities in areas like the green transition, digital transformation, and the blue economy. Furthermore, the programme implements mobility schemes for doctoral students and researchers and holds thematic research symposia to promote collaboration and innovation among EU-ASEAN university networks.
  • Vocational Network pillar seeks to improve graduate employability and enhance connectivity between vocational education institutions and the private sector. Key activities include facilitating dialogue to improve employability, conducting studies on graduate employability, and providing capacity-building to strengthen regional networks. Additionally, the programme designs and implements an ASEAN-wide Labour Market Insight (LMI) website, organises multi-stakeholder workshops, and develops an online mentoring platform to support capacity-building. These efforts are aimed at fostering stronger connections between vocational education and industry, particularly in the context of the green transition and digitalisation.

Expected Result

  • Strengthened student and academic mobility in line with the relevant ASEAN strategy and action plan in this area.  
  • Stronger EU-ASEAN cross-regional University Networks to jointly tackle global challenges by fostering research and technological connectivity.  
  • Stronger ASEAN regional network of Vocational Education Training Institutions and businesses focusing on ‘green transition’, ‘digital transformation and ‘blue economy’.