HEQUITY PROJECT
Quality higher education is equitable higher education
Meeting | January 2026
The European Center for Economic and Policy Analysis and Affairs (ECEPAA) is the coordinator in the Erasmus+ project “Building Higher Education Quality InclUsIon PaThwaYs” (HEQUITY) funded by the AEF – Europe. Together with partner institutions from Latvia (University of Latvia – Faculty of Education, Psychology and Art), Turkey (Sakarya University), Italy (NGO Associazione Popoli Insieme), and Belgium (KU Leuven), ECEPAA is contributing to the implementation of a series of planned activities aimed at strengthening inclusion in higher education.
In late January 2026, the project consortium gathered at KU Leuven in Belgium for a transnational meeting to review progress made so far and plan the next steps of the project.
ECEPAA played a key role in the coordination of the meeting agenda and in facilitating structured dialogue among partners on approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within higher education institutions.
During the visit, the consortium had the opportunity to learn from KU Leuven’s long-standing experience in supporting students with a migration background. A university representative responsible for diversity affairs presented the institution’s strategic objectives and practical measures for integrating international and migrant students into campus life. The consortium explored KU Leuven’s approaches to equity-centred support, inclusive student services, and cross-cultural community building.
Of particular interest to all partners, including ECEPAA, was a visit to the Pangea Student Centre — a dedicated hub that has supported international students, including those with migration experience, for over 30 years. The centre’s peer-support “buddy programme” attracted significant attention: through this initiative, students are matched with a study companion who provides both academic and social guidance. The centre operates with a blend of volunteer students, salaried staff, and student employees who offer support on specific topics as well as evening assistance.
ECEPAA brings a critical perspective on structural barriers and institutional policies that affect the participation of migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees in higher education. Within the HEQUITY framework, ECEPAA contributes to the analysis of policy environments across partner countries and leads efforts to identify effective, evidence-based strategies for administrative staff engagement in DEI implementation.
The overarching aim of the HEQUITY project is to understand how higher education institutions engage administrative personnel in implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion policies — with a specific focus on supporting students with migration experience, including refugees and asylum seekers. ECEPAA’s analytical expertise is central to mapping the structural and cultural obstacles faced by these student groups, and to developing meaningful institutional responses.
As part of the project outputs, ECEPAA will develop a practical toolkit compiling strategies employed by higher education institutions across partner countries for involving administrative staff in DEI policy. Building on these findings, the consortium will develop a practical methodological guide and set of guidelines for university administrators, as well as a series of training workshops aimed at advancing the inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers in academic settings.