On May 14–15, 2025, the 34th Annual EURASHE Conference took place in Portalegre, Portugal, under the theme “Place. Knowledge. Skills. Applied universities driving regional competitiveness.” The event brought together representatives of higher education institutions, policymakers, and social partners from across Europe. The event focused on the role of applied higher education institutions in enhancing regional competitiveness — a theme particularly relevant to both Lithuanian and European higher education policy discussions.
During the conference, the EURASHE General Assembly elected a new Board for the 2025–2027 term. Among the newly elected members is Dr. Lina Girdauskienė, Director of Kaunas University of Applied Engineering Sciences (Lietuvos inžinerijos kolegija). Her appointment provides an opportunity to actively contribute to shaping the association’s strategic direction and to represent the Lithuanian professional higher education sector on the European stage.
The conference also marked the election of a new EURASHE President – Prof. Hannes Raffaseder (St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, Austria), along with two Vice-Presidents: Jon Altuna (Mondragon University, Spain) and Ulla Preeden (Tartu Health Care College, Estonia).
Special recognition was given to Dr. Nijolė Zinkevičienė, Vice-Rector for Research and Partnerships at Vilniaus kolegija / University of Applied Sciences, for her contributions as a member of the EURASHE Board in recent years. This year, she also served as a moderator of the conference sessions.
EURASHE (European Association of Institutions in Higher Education) represents over 600 universities of applied sciences, university colleges, and other professional higher education institutions across Europe. The association promotes the role of applied higher education in shaping European education policy, fostering quality, and encouraging international cooperation.