The UK Higher Education Europe Unit is a sector-wide body which aims to raise awareness of the European issues affecting UK higher education and to coordinate the UK’s involvement in European initiatives and debates. Launched in January 2004, the Unit seeks to strengthen the position of the UK higher education sector in debates on the Bologna Process and EU policy. The three European Union institutions working in the field of higher education are the European Commission, European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.
It is jointly funded by Universities UK, the three higher education funding councils of England, Wales and Scotland, GuildHE and the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). In representing the sector as a whole, the three staff also work closely with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly. Further stakeholders who support the Unit include the UK Research Office (UKRO), the British Council, the Association of UK Higher Education European Officers (HEURO) and the Wellcome Trust. The Department for Employment and Learning Northern Ireland are also kept informed of the work.
The policy positioning of the Unit are informed by a High Level Policy Forum and an officer-led European Coordinating Group, both comprising representatives from key sector organisations.
The Unit publishes a monthly newsletter on European higher education entitled This month in Europe. They also regularly distribute Europe notes which provide the sector with more detailed information on specific issues.
