On 15 October 2026, the Erasmus+ RE-DIRECTION - “Redefining Higher Education on a digital context, while promoting a common, inclusive and sustainable framework based on EU best practices and policy recommendations” - project held its international final conference, “Shaping Future-Ready Higher Education”, online, bringing together more than 410 participants and receiving 95% positive feedback. Originally planned to take place in Kyiv, the conference was moved online due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The conference opened with a welcome address by Prof. Dr. Robert Lepenies, President of Karlshochschule International University (Germany), followed by a panel discussion on “Resilient Universities” exploring the challenges facing higher education and strategies for strengthening institutional resilience.
The event provided an opportunity to reflect on the project’s key achievements. Over the course of the project, 16 partner organizations from Ukraine, Georgia, Greece, and Germany collaborated to modernize higher education curricula and strengthen digital transformation, sustainability, and inclusivity.
Major achievements included developing a methodological framework covering 15 competencies, updating curricula and introducing nine new courses aligned with the European Qualifications Framework, creating an inclusivity guide for higher education, and training academic staff in inclusive teaching, online learning, and AI-enhanced educational methods. The new learning materials were piloted with 428 students and 42 lecturers, and the results informed further improvements.
Building on these achievements, the conference also focused on policy recommendations designed to address institutional, structural, and systemic barriers to educational transformation. A dedicated workshop, led by representatives of Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science, provided a platform for discussing practical approaches and future initiatives.
Despite electricity shortages and internet connectivity challenges faced by participants in Ukraine, the conference and workshop were successfully delivered, reaffirming the importance of international cooperation in building resilient, inclusive, and future-ready higher education systems.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the European Education and Culture Executive Agency can be held responsible for them.
