September 2024 | #staff
Introducing Michal Kapřísek, the General Secretary of E³UDRES², whose longstanding expertise in European higher education policy and cross‑institutional collaboration plays a key role in shaping the alliance’s strategic direction. With a background as Secretary General of EURASHE — the European representation of professional higher education in Brussels — Michal has been engaged with E³UDRES² since its earliest days, contributing to its growth, integration, and long‑term vision.
Could you please give us an introduction about yourself and your role as General Secretary of E³UDRES²?
We were already in touch with USTP - and some other partners as well - when I served as the Secretary General of EURASHE, the European policy representation of professional higher education in Brussels. My involvement in European policies and overall higher education developments was the main argument for my invitation to join E³UDRES² in 2020. I appreciated that, as it offered a similar yet more concrete role: translating European policies into alliance actions, supporting coherent development within and across partner institutions, ensuring integration with European and national structures (e.g., groups of all European university alliances, discussions with national ministries…). I was strongly involved in planning the E³UDRES² 2.0 application, identifying new partners, and - even earlier - linking some partners to Hannes for the first application during my EURASHE tenure. The position of General Secretary helps make this role clearer, although our governance model and the roles of various bodies and actors are still evolving.
What have been some of the most significant challenges E³UDRES² has faced, and how have they been overcome?
E³UDRES² is specific in many ways. It is one of the few alliances with a strong proportion of universities of applied sciences, a clear regional focus, and was built almost completely from scratch — without pre‑existing cooperation structures. So, the main challenge in the first period was learning how to act together- defining shared values, understanding one another, and building a common foundation. The COVID‑19 pandemic certainly didn’t make this easier. Despite this, E³UDRES² managed to build a strong basis for success in the second funding application. Another challenge was the identification and integration of new partners. I think we all agree that this was achieved wonderfully — thanks to our shared values, regional emphasis, entrepreneurial mindset, and willingness to experiment. There is also a beautiful context map covering these elements which should be shared across the alliance. Finally, it is worth acknowledging the strong involvement of institutional leaders, whose commitment has been critical to overcoming challenges.
Looking ahead, what are the next steps or future goals for E³UDRES² as it continues to strengthen higher education in Europe?
The first year of the second period has mainly focused on setting the scene: systemic arrangements, concepts, and structures. This may make progress appear slow — and in some aspects, we hoped for even more concrete actions by now. We also experienced many new faces joining E³UDRES² activities, which naturally requires time for alignment. The challenges ahead include moving beyond the mindset of “a project”, fully integrating E³UDRES² into standard institutional work, engaging wider academic and non‑academic communities, strengthening student engagement and deepening collaboration with regional stakeholders. Operational and conceptual issues include shared digital environments defining and supporting research within E³UDRES², flexible learning pathways in the Talent Funnel and ensuring quality across all developments. But it is not only about conceptual work. It is about communication and involving more people to actively engage. I hope the upcoming General Assembly in Fulda will allow us to reflect on these aspects and define the next steps forward.
Interview by: USTP – University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten
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