Internationalization

International activities of ANVUR

International activities of ANVUR

The d.p.r. 76/2010 (art. 2, c. 3) gives ANVUR the task of collaborating with international and European Union bodies, as well as with international agencies and bodies working in the field of quality assurance in higher education and research.

This collaboration is particularly important in the current scenario of higher education and research, which is evolving towards a dimension of increasing transnational cooperation: it thus requires a shared reflection on the principles and methods of quality assurance and closer and more effective coordination between the agencies operating in the different national situations.

The consolidation of its presence in the international context, the strengthening of cooperation networks at European and non-European levels, and the construction of strategic partnerships with agencies from other countries are strategic objectives for the Agency, which pursues them by engaging, increasingly in recent years on several fronts:

• participation as a full member in the activities of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA). The admission to ENQA, obtained in 2019, has a five-year duration and must be renewed in 2024 following a visit conducted by an international panel; on the same occasion, the application for registration in the European Register of agencies operating in accordance with European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area – ESG (EQAR) will be also submitted.
• the application – through a visit of international experts scheduled in 2023 – for recognition by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), which is necessary to allow students who graduate in Medicine in Italy to continue their educational and professional path in the USA Specialty Schools, in addition to allowing the Italian Schools of Medicine to enhance their attractiveness towards foreign students;
• the extension of the collaborations with European and international agencies, which has recently led to the conclusion of formal cooperation agreements with the Agency of the Holy See (AVEPRO), the Agency of the Community of Aragon (ACPUA), the Peruvian National Quality Assurance Body (SUNEDU), the Argentinian National Assessment and Accreditation Commission (CONEAU), the Montenegro Quality Assurance Agency (AKOKVO / ACQAHE)the Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education of Albania (ASCAL), the Fundación para el Conocimiento madri+d Agency of Madrid, as well as the signing of the Agreement on reforming research assessment. The relations with the French agency HCERES, already formalized in 2015 through the stipulation of a collaboration protocol, have been recently consolidated through the designation of a member of the Governing Board in the French Haut Conseil;
• the organization of International Working Groups (for example in the field of Advanced Artistic and Musical Training) or the active presence of members of the Governing Council and ANVUR staff in international projects and working groups on topics of particular relevance to the future of higher education and European research (such as micro-credentials, European universities, research evaluation);
• participation as a founding member in the European Research Infrastructure Evaluation Consortium (ERIEC), dedicated to the evaluation of European research infrastructures, that also involves the European agencies HCERES (France), AEI (Spain), EVALAG (Germany);
• the promotion – within European and international programs – of staff mobility initiatives , both incoming and outgoing; to encourage more direct and in-depth knowledge of the different quality assurance systems and to promote the exchange of experience and good practice at the international level;
• the promotion and organisation of international events  (study meetings, workshops, conferences) on subjects of specific competence and interest of the Agency, such as the comparison between the different internal and external quality assurance models or the impact assessment of the “third mission” activities carried out by the Universities.