Türkiye, 15 March – The Eurasia Higher Education Summit (EURIE) is an annual international education conference and exhibition that connects Eurasia’s dynamic higher education sector with the world. The summit addresses critical topics in internationalization and higher education management, featuring prominent speakers and sector leaders. It offers effective networking, academic collaboration, and business development opportunities.
Since its inception in 2016, EURIE 2024 marks the seventh summit, held in Istanbul, Türkiye. The platform facilitates the sharing of ideas, experiences, and best practices for the internationalization of higher education. It generates partnership opportunities for academic collaboration, student and staff exchanges, and other joint ventures. The summit also provides a forum to discuss challenges in higher education, explore new trends, and discover innovative solutions.
EURIE 2024 at Istanbul Lutfi Kirdar International Convention and Exhibition Centre
The EURIE 2024 Summit boasted 150 exhibitors, 270 participating institutions, over 2000 participants, 156 speakers, and 62 panels. Representatives came from various countries including Romania, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Germany, Canada, Cyprus, Palestine, and European higher education institutions and organizations. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) was represented by Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Ariffin Abu Hassan, Director of UTM International, and Dr. Ain Naadia Mazlan, Manager of International Alliances, alongside other Malaysian higher education institution representatives from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) and Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA).
Malaysia’s delegation from UMPSA, UTM and UPSI
A highlight of the program was the opening ceremony, featuring a keynote speech by Prof. Dr. Erol Ozvar, President of the Türkiye Council of Higher Education. The summit also included three workshops and over 30 parallel panel discussions, covering various aspects of higher education. These discussions promoted professional development, sustainability, and principles and practices. Networking events, such as the Bosphorus welcome reception, offered scenic views of Istanbul on a ferry ride.
As a member of the Eurasian Universities Union (EURAS), UTM participated in the EURAS forum session to discuss the organization’s role and importance in the Eurasian region. This session covered EURAS’s institutional parameters, such as its slogan, values, strategic objectives, and the EURAS Student Platform: EURAS-NEXTGEN.
During the summit, Dr. Mohd Ariffin Abu Hassan and Dr. Ain Naadia Mazlan engaged in networking sessions with 24 higher education institutions from 14 countries, including Türkiye, Germany, Romania, Italy, Somalia, Algeria, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Canada, and Poland. These connections will serve as a foundation for future memoranda of understanding (MoU) and agreements (MoA), benefiting UTM in areas like international mobility and capacity-building activities.
Multiple networking sessions conducted by Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Ariffin Abu Hassan and Dr. Ain Naadia Mazlan
EURIE significantly benefits UTM by establishing a collaboration network with international universities. This enhances academic collaboration between UTM and these institutions. After the 2023 summit, UTM signed seven cooperation MoUs and 10 MoAs.
Additionally, EURIE offers opportunities for Erasmus+ cooperation. For instance, UTM secured 10 new Erasmus partnerships, yielding around RM 300,000 in mobility grants for academicians, staff, and students.