The Central and Eastern European Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (CEENQA) marked its 25th anniversary, and Prof. Simona Lache, PhD (ARACIS) was elected President of the Executive Board. Marina Grubišić, PhD (ASHE) was appointed as a new member of the Executive Board.
The Agency for Science and Higher Education (ASHE) hosted the Annual General Assembly and Workshop of CEENQA (Central and Eastern European Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education), held on 9 and 10 June 2026 in Split, Croatia. The event brought together representatives of member agencies and experts in quality assurance.
This year’s gathering carried special significance as CEENQA celebrated 25 years of operation, during which it has grown into one of the key regional networks for cooperation and exchange of experience in the field of quality assurance in higher education. The anniversary provided an opportunity to reflect on the organisation’s achievements while also discussing future challenges and priorities in the development of the European Higher Education Area.
The two-day programme included the CEENQA General Assembly meeting and a workshop dedicated to current topics in quality assurance.
On the first day of the event, welcome addresses were delivered by Prof. Danijela Horvatek Tomić, PhD, Director of the Agency for Science and Higher Education, and Vesna Dodiković-Jurković, PhD, President of CEENQA. Vesna Dodiković-Jurković gave a presentation titled “25 Years of CEENQA: Looking Back, Looking Forward”, reflecting on the organisation’s development over the past 25 years and its contribution to the international quality assurance community. On this occasion, she also presented the results of the study “INQAAHE Global Study II: CEENQA’s Contribution to the Study.”
Future directions in quality assurance systems were presented by Stéphane Lauwick, President of EQAR, in his lecture “Quality Assurance in the EHEA: the Outlook”. Meanwhile, Lana Par, President of the European Students’ Union (ESU), delivered a presentation titled “Students and Quality in Higher Education: Challenges, Expectations, and Guidelines for the Future,” focusing on the role of students in quality assurance processes and the expectations of future student generations.
The programme also featured a panel discussion entitled “CEENQA with Internal and External Stakeholders’ Eyes,” where participants exchanged views on CEENQA’s role and its cooperation with various stakeholders within the higher education system.
The afternoon workshop session focused on showcasing examples of good practice by quality assurance agencies under the theme “Digital Transformation in External QA.” During this session, CEENQA members presented their experiences and solutions related to the digital transformation of external evaluation procedures and quality assurance processes.
During the General Assembly, a new CEENQA Executive Board was elected, headed by Prof. Simona Lache, PhD, Vice-Rector for Internationalisation and Quality Assessment at Transilvania University of Brașov, Romania, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Simona Lache (ARACIS, Romania) is one of Europe’s leading experts in quality assurance and the internationalisation of higher education. Throughout her career, she has actively contributed to the work of international organisations and networks, including INQAAHE, CEENQA, and EUA-IEP, and has participated in numerous ENQA evaluations as well as projects focused on developing quality assurance systems, higher education policies, and international cooperation between academia and the business sector.
A new member of the Executive Board is also Marina Grubišić, PhD, Assistant Director of ASHE and Head of the Higher Education Evaluation Department.
The celebration of CEENQA’s 25th anniversary in Split further highlighted the importance of international cooperation in the field of quality assurance in higher education. By hosting this important gathering, the Agency for Science and Higher Education once again confirmed its active role within the European Higher Education Area and contributed to strengthening cooperation among agencies, exchanging professional expertise, and further developing a culture of quality in higher education.
Files
- General Assembly & Workshop CEENQAPDF | 253 KB
- Vesna Dodiković-Jurković: Higher Education QA Trends in the Eastern European Region CEENQA’s contribution to INQAAHE II Global StudyPDF | 3 MB
- Lana Par: Students and Quality in Higher Education: Challenges, Expectations, and Guidelines for the FuturePDF | 1 MB
- Stéphane Lauwick: Quality Assurance in the EHEA: the OutlookPDF | 1 MB
Posters
The event was organised within the framework of the project “Quality Assurance in Higher Education,” financed through the Effective Human Resources Programme 2021–2027 of the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).
