Adrien Olszak-Olszewski is a Policy Officer in the International Cooperation unit in DG EAC at the European Commission. In this role, he focuses on fostering education, youth, culture, and sports cooperation with Eastern Partnership countries, with a particular emphasis on supporting Ukraine and Moldova in their EU accession processes, capacity building, and regional integration. Before joining the European Commission in September 2024, Adrien served as an Education Policy Consultant at the World Bank, where he focused primarily on Ukraine, with additional work experience on Moldova, Central Asia, and Kosovo.

Alma Joensen is an analyst at the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR). Alma has been at UHR for the past decade, mainly focusing on student and staff mobility. Currently, her main areas of work are the European Universities and other EU-initiatives for higher education and she has been coordinating the Swedish EUI network since 2020. From 2022-2024 Alma was the project leader for a governmental assignment to map and analyse the conditions for Swedish HEIs to participate in European Universities. The assignment was finalised in April 2024, resulting in the report Swedish HEIs participation in European Universities. Prior to UHR, Alma worked at the Nordic Council for Trade Unions as an EU coordinator, and as a mobility coordinator at the University of Iceland, among others. For years, she was an elected student representative at the local and national level in Iceland, and in the European Students' Union (ESU) from 2007-2010. She studied political science and gender studies in Reykjavik, Copenhagen and Stockholm and holds an MA in political science. Alma loves to knit, paint, listen to audio books and watch K-dramas.

Angeliki Psychogyiou works in the ACA Secretariat as a Policy and Project Officer. She is an EU Funding and Grants specialist, with considerable experience in the Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training sectors. Her main focus within the Secretariat is digitalisation, conducting both project and policy related work in this area. She is also the co-chair of the Thematic Peer Group ‘New mobility formats’, exploring the intersection between digitalisation & sustainability. Angeliki’s main areas of professional and personal interest are international cooperation, mobility as a foster agent for European identity, digitalisation, inclusion and social responsibility of educational institutions.

Antonija Gladović has been the Director of the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes, Croatian Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps National Agency since 2014. She represents and advocates for the Agency at national and European levels, collaborating with domestic and international partners and the European Commission's expert services. Mrs Gladović has been involved in the education, youth, and science fields, focusing on international project collaboration and developing these systems using EU financial instruments. Before her current position, she worked at the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports and at the Agency for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Education. Mrs Gladović has delivered numerous presentations and speeches at conferences, meetings, and seminars on the use of EU funds with the aim to modernize and internationalize the education, youth, and science fields.

Arno Schrooyen is currently serving as the Vice President of the European Students’ Union (ESU) for the 2024/25 term. Prior to joining the ESU’s Executive Committee in 2023/24, he studied for a bachelor’s degree in hotel management in Brussels and is doing now a master’s degree in administrative sciences in Brussels. He started his student journey back in 2019 on the local level. Later joining the National Union of French-speaking Students of Belgium. Last year he joined the European level entering the executive committee of ESU focusing on work related to Social Dimension, Student Participation, Internationalisation and Mobility.

Barry Dignam is Vice Dean for the European University at IADT, Ireland’s Campus for the Creative Industries. In 2021, Barry became IADT’s Programme Director of FilmEU, the European University for Film and Media Arts. FilmEU represents a pioneering approach to arts and culture education, uniting eight higher education institutions from across Europe. As a teacher, Barry has over twenty years of experience working with students and researchers at all levels. At IADT, he has served as the Head of the Department of Film & Media, Chair of Film & Television, and Irish Course Director on the Erasmus+ Joint Master of Art in Cinematography. He is the Chair of GEECT, (le Groupement Européen des Écoles de Cinéma et de Télévision / European Grouping of Film and Television Schools) and sits on the Executive Council of CILECT (le Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision / the International Association of Film and Television Schools). Barry is also a award-winning filmmaker, his work has been recognised on a global stage, with films screening in competition  at prestigious festivals including the Berlinale and Cannes.

Beate Körner is head of the section ‘Erasmus+ Partnerships and Cooperation Projects’ in the Erasmus+ National Agency for Higher Education of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) since 2009. She is in charge of the strategic coordination and management of Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education, as well as the counselling and assistance of the German universities for the centralized actions in Erasmus+, i.e. European Universities, Capacity Building, innovation alliances, Erasmus Mundus Action, Teacher Academies and Jean Monnet Activities. With regards to European Universities Alliances, she is coordinating a new project called “European Universities Alliances as role models - Spreading innovative results to other higher education institutions” in DAAD together with the National Agencies of Austria, Hungary and Norway. She has a longstanding experience in internationalization. Before joining the DAAD in 2009 she was the head of the International Office at the Brandenburg University of Technology/Germany as well as the project manager of the LEONARDO Office Brandenburg. Beate has a background in British and American Studies as well as Intercultural Business Communication and studied in Germany and the US.

Camille de Garidel-Thoron is the Director of Strategic Projects and Networks at Aix-Marseille University, and the President of the Consortium of Euro-Mediterranean Universities, Téthys. She holds of a PhD in Earth Physics from the University of Paris Saclay, carried out in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, UK. Camille de Garidel-Thoron pursued her research in climatology and geochemistry at Columbia University, New York, before transitioning to scientific coordination and research valorization, where she managed a Laboratory of Excellence on Nanotechnologies in France. She also served as vice-president of a European Network on Nanomaterial Safety and was appointed by the European Commission as co-chair of a network on data management and nanotechnologies. Over the past five years, she has been actively involved in international relations at Aix-Marseille University with a focus on fostering collaborations in the Euro-Mediterranean region and Africa while leading the Tethys network

Claire Herrmann is working in the European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. She is a policy officer in the unit responsible for International cooperation (beyond Europe). She works mainly on the implementation of the Erasmus+ programme in Sub-Saharan Africa and cooperation mechanisms in the Vocational Education and Training sector. From previous positions, she has experience in international cooperation and programmes in education and youth, employment and social inclusion (European Social Fund) and anti-discrimination issues.

Claire Morel is the Head of Unit in charge of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions for the skills, career development and mobility of researchers at the European Commission. Before that she was the Head of the Unit for international cooperation at DG Education, Culture, Youth and Sport of the European Commission, with particular focus on the international dimension of the Erasmus+ programme and international policy dialogues in higher education and youth with various partners of the EU in the world. She has worked several years with the countries neighbouring the EU. Before, she worked for the Tempus programme (for higher education modernisation), cooperating with Central Asian countries, and for the European Training Foundation, an agency of the EU based in Turin, on the reform of vocational education and training systems in the Eastern neighbouring countries and Central Asia.

Darwyn Bruelemans is an IT professional who combines his passion for technology and global engagement as Web Project Administrator, at Erasmus Student Network (ESN). Darwyn oversees ESN's websites and IT infrastructure, driving the organization’s digital transformation. He has been working at ESN since 2015, and is committed to simplifying mobility processes, ensuring a seamless digital experience, and making participation in mobility as easy as a click of a button. Darwyn also contributes to several Erasmus+ projects, fostering innovation and accessibility in international education.

Dorothy Kelly is a professor of Translation at the University of Granada (Spain), where she was also Vice Rector for Internationalization from 2008 to 2023. She was Chair of the Executive Board of the Coimbra Group of Universities from 2010 until 2017 and was a member of Spain's national Bologna Experts Team from 2010 to 2013. She was a member of the Board of the Committee for Internationalization and Development Cooperation at the Spanish Rectors’ Conference between 2008 and 2023. She is a member of the Advisory Group on Higher Education to the Steering Committee for Education (CDEDU) of the Council of Europe. Since 2018, she has been the coordinator of Arqus, one of the first 17 European University Alliances to be approved by the European Commission and composed by the universities of Graz, Leipzig, Lyon 1, Maynooth, Minho, Padua, Vilnius and Wrocław, along with Granada.

Filip van Depoele is an economist by training (University of Leuven, Belgium) and subsequently studied European Economic Integration (College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium) and International Relations (Johns Hopkins University, Bologna, Italy). He worked for a number of years in the private sector (banking) before joining the European Commission in 1997. Filip held several positions in the Directorate General for Employment and Social Affairs and the Directorate General for Competition before moving to the Directorate General in charge of Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. After having managed the Policy Coordination unit for 5 years, he is currently heading the International Cooperation unit.

Georgiana Maria Pleşu is a Policy Officer in the International Cooperation Unit of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture since July 2022. She is responsible among others of relations with the countries in the Southern Neighbourhood. Prior to this, she worked for 10 years on funding and the external dimension of migration and security policies within European Commission’s Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs.  She studied International Business and Economics and European Affairs at Bucharest University of Economic Studies and Strategic Management at Rotterdam School of Management.

Gerhard Volz is Head of the Department for International Cooperation in Higher Education at the OeAD (Austrian Agency for Education and Internationalisation). He is responsible for national, European and international support schemes in higher education, including Erasmus+ and various global funding measures, as well as for additional initiatives such as Study in Austria, EURAXESS, Bologna support projects and activities of ENIC NARIC Austria. Working for the OeAD since 1998, Mr Volz was initially responsible for university cooperation programmes and funding schemes for Central and Eastern Europe as well as for development cooperation programmes worldwide. Between 2007 to 2020 he was Head of Section for Erasmus+ Higher Education. Mr Volz holds a Master’s degree in Political Sciences, History and Education (University of Vienna). He has studied and participated in work-related activities in Europe, the US, Asia and Africa.

Gro Tjore is the President of the Academic Cooperation Association and the Deputy Director General at the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir). The Directorate is the executive agency for the Ministry of Education and Research within the higher education and higher vocational education sectors and is responsible for the national skills policy. Gro Tjore has been working in education since 2006. Her main focus has been on international cooperation in higher education, including programme administration, programme development and policy development. Since 2018 she has mainly been working with organizational development, managing large restructuring processes and developing new strategies. She previously worked within the field of humanitarian assistance and spent 9 years working for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). She holds a degree in political science from the University of Bergen, Norway.

Hilde Haaland-Kramer has been the Head of the Department for Global Cooperation and Capacity Building at the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills since 2019. She has worked in international higher education since 1997. She holds a MA in International Relations from American University, Washington D.C. and a BA in Political Science from California Lutheran University. Hilde has extensive experience from both government and higher education sector, having served seven years as the Educational Attaché at the Royal Norwegian Consulate General in New York and worked with international education and quality assurance at the University of Bergen for almost 10 years. Before joining the directorate, she was the administrative head of the Center for Care Research at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences for five years.

Ioana Dewandeler is Policy Officer for Higher Education in the  European Commission's Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture where she is mainly in charge of the coordination of the European Universities initiative. Ioana has over 15 years prior experience in various positions within the European Commission, in DGs for Research and Innovation and for Education, Youth and Sports, working on higher education policy, strategic coordination of the Erasmus+ programme, social sciences and humanities in research and innovation, and the socio-economic dimension of transport research policies. She studied economic and social public administration and EU law and litigation in Romania and France.

Irina Ferencz is the Director of ACA and has been working in international higher education since 2008. Irina has specific expertise in the area of international student and staff mobility in the European context (data collections, trends, policies), as well as in planning, monitoring and assessing internationalisation activities at institutional and national level. She also has a growing interest in widening inclusion in internationalisation activities. Currently, she is also a PhD candidate at Ghent University, CHEGG, and an occasional reviewer for two higher education journals. She has authored and co-authored multiple publications in the field. Irina holds an MSc degree in European Politics and Policies (KULeuven, Belgium) and a Bachelor's degree in International Relations and European Studies (Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai, Romania). She is a Romanian national, speaks several languages, and calls Belgium 'home'.

Joerg Niehoff is Deputy Head of Unit for “ERA, Spreading Excellence and Research Careers” in the Research and Innovation Directorate General of the European Commission. The Unit is responsible for the design and implementation of the ERA policy agenda, coordinates the ERA governance, develops a policy for research talents and careers, and empowers higher education institutions. The unit is also responsible for promoting the Spreading of Excellence and preparing the Horizon Europe work programme on “Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area”. Joerg has more than 15 years of experience with the coordination of national research policies and programmes and European Partnerships. Previously he was as head of the Brussels office of VDI The Association of Engineers in charge of VDI’s European representation. First experience in management of research programmes he gained as Technology Consultant in the VDI Technology Centre, Research funding organisation on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, with projects and programmes related to photonics research. He started his professional career as a researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology. Joerg Niehoff holds degrees in engineering and in industrial engineering and a PhD from the RWTH Aachen. 

Liesbet Cosyn joined HOGENT in 2007 after completing her PhD, starting as a lecturer and later specialising in education through various leadership roles. She directed a bachelor’s program in healthcare and was the driving force behind the successful development of the joint degree medical technology. In early 2024, she took the lead for HOGENT in transforming U!REKA, an international network based on voluntary collaboration, into a European University Alliance fostering sustainable, co-creative, and inclusive collaboration. U!REKA's mission centers on fostering smart and sustainable cities, addressing urban and regional challenges through education and research partnerships. Liesbet represents HOGENT at U!REKA's management level and on national and European platforms. Her expertise and dedication to innovation make her a pivotal figure in shaping the future of European collaboration among universities of applied sciences.

Luis de Barutell is an Education Advisor at the Higher Education Unit of the Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education (SEPIE; Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities). Before working for SEPIE, he held different research and teaching positions, both in Spain and the United States, where he got his PhD in Social Work (University of Illinois) and served as a Social Policy analyst, focusing on socioeconomic disparities, social cohesion, and predictors shaping European public opinion towards migrants. Originally from Asturias (right there, by the Bay of Biscay!), Barutell is very passionate about the European project, particularly on its social and cultural dimensions.

Martin Bogdan is a policy and project officer at ACA where he first started as a trainee in 2019. While at ACA he has managed the CARe project, which deals with labour integration of refugee researchers in Europe, and the Internationalisation in Higher Education for Society mapping report. Before joining ACA, he completed a Blue Book Traineeship in the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency of the European Commission in the unit working on Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees. In his pre-Brussels life, Martin worked for a number of NGOs in different capacities and briefly taught social sciences and history in an international school. He has a joint MA in European studies from Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and Jagiellonian University Krakow, as well as a MA in cultural anthropology and museum studies from the University of Zagreb and a BA in anthropology and information science also from the University of Zagreb.

Mladen Kraljić has served as head of International Relations at University of Maribor since 2000, with short careers as Secretary-General of the newly established Faculty of Arts (2006-2011) and of University of Maribor (2016-2018). He participated in several EU projects in different programmes (TEMPUS, Socrates-Erasmus, Erasmus LLP and Erasmus+) mainly in a partner role, but also as coordinator. He supported the rectors of his university in their memberships and presidencies in Danube Rectors' (2000, 2022-2024) and Alps-Adriatic Rectors' Conferences and is now heading the secretariat of AARC. He supported several CEEPUS networks. He participates in EUSDR Steering Group PA 7 and 8 meetings as representative of University of Maribor, stakeholder member. He was member of teams who applied for European University Initiative (EUNICE and ATHENA), is head of the legal team of ATHENA and in this academic year, he is secretary-general of ATHENA.

Michael Gaebel joined the EUA (European University Association) in 2006, where he was first in charge of Global Dialogue and internationalisation. In 2009, he became Head, and then Director of the Higher Education Policy Unit. This unit focuses on issues related to higher education learning and teaching, including the Bologna Process, lifelong learning, e-learning and MOOCs, internationalisation and global dialogue. He worked for more than a decade in higher education cooperation and development in the Middle East, the former Soviet Union and Asia. From 2002 to 2006, he was the European Co-Director of the ASEAN-EU University Network Programme (AUNP) in Bangkok.

Michael Hörig is the Director of the DAAD Brussels Office and is responsible for representing DAAD towards the institutions of the European Union, European partner organisations and German representations in Brussels. Previously he held different positions at DAAD headquarters in Bonn, covering a broad range of topics from Strategic Planning to Develop Cooperation and Higher Education Projects in Africa and Asia. Michael studied political science and international relations at Ghent University, Belgium. He spent one year as an exchange student in Sweden at Stockholm University (Erasmus)

Mika Saarinen is the Director of the Finnish Erasmus+ National Agency at the Finnish National Agency for Education EDUFI. Mika has over twenty-five years of experience with international cooperation and development of education and training both nationally, at the EU-level as well as globally. Over the years he has participated in policy work, conducting studies and surveys, writing guides and manuals as well as lecturing widely within these fields. Some of the topics Mika has most recently worked on is strategic impact of internationalisation, skills and competences gained through international experiences, links to working life trends, as well as the digitalisation and greening of international activities. Currently Mika sits on number of national and international committees and governing boards related to EU-cooperation and global affairs. Mika holds a master’s degree within theoretical philosophy from the University of Helsinki and has done further studies in international politics and adult education. He is also an alumni of the Lester B. Pearson United World College, Victoria B.C., Canada.

Dr. Oleksandr Khyzhniak is a professional in international cooperation and higher education management and education. He currently serves as a project manager at the Centre for International Cooperation at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where he co-leads strategic initiatives under the Aurora University Alliance, including institutional capacity-building programs and the creation of the Karazin University Peace Education Hub. Dr. Khyzhniak previously (2018-2022) headed the International Relations Office at Karazin University, Ukraine, where he played a pivotal role in fostering collaborations across the Aurora Alliance and Erasmus+ frameworks. His efforts have extended to leveraging additional Erasmus+ funding lines to support Ukrainian higher education institutions and partnerships with global universities, with a strong focus on capacity-building, mobility programs, and research development. A PhD in Sociology, he has extensive experience in managing interdisciplinary projects, facilitating training, and bridging gaps in research and education systems, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. Dr. Khyzhniak’s insights on achieving impactful collaboration and addressing evolving needs in crisis settings underscore his expertise in navigating complex academic and societal challenges.

Paola Vellani has worked at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in the Education Department in international project management with a focus on consortium agreements since 2021. She is a member of the Civis university alliance’s Education Unit for which she is supporting the coordination of Civis Masters projects. The Civis Education Unit is the executive body that, with the Mobility Unit and the Communication Unit, implements the alliance’s educational offer. Her specific expertise includes programme administration, programme development and policy development. Previously, Paola worked as a Political Desk officer at the Directorate General Press and Communication managing the political desk for the Nordic countries group. She also worked as EU project coordinator for the Institute for Surface Chemistry (now in KTH – Sweden’s Royal Institute of Technology) within the European, Research and Development Fifth Framework Programme. Paola holds a master’s degree in political science- international relations from the “Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali” (LUISS) in Rome. She speaks 4 of the 8 languages of the alliance.

Ragnhild Solvi Berg is a senior adviser for the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills and has been working for the directorate and its predecessors since 2004. Since 2016 she represents the directorate at the Norwegian Cooperation Office for Research, Innovation and Education (NorCore) in Brussels, and follows EU education programmes and policies. From 2010-1016 Ragnhild was seconded as a national expert to the European Commission, Directorate General for Education and Culture, where she worked as a policy officer in the unit for international cooperation and programmes. She holds a master’s degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Bergen.

Rita Dias comes from the coast of Portugal. She is currently the president of Erasmus Student Network (ESN). Rita joined ESN in 2018 and has held several positions in the network, such as President of Portugal and Liaison Officer for Inclusive Mobility. As president, she is responsible for the general coordination of the organisation, external relations, policy, and advocacy. Her main priorities include increasing participation in learning mobility and fostering civic engagement and participation of young people through Erasmus.She has a bachelor's in Political Science and International Relations and a master's in Public Policy. Rita did her Erasmus in Leuven, Belgium, and worked at the United States Embassy in Lisbon in 2018 and in the Political Observatory in the Association for Political Studies and Scientifical Research in 2020.

Svava Finsen is a Policy Officer in the Higher Education unit in DG EAC in the European Commission. Her focus is on Key Action 131 and the implementation of the Erasmus+ programme for student and staff mobility in higher education. She also works on inclusion in the Erasmus+ programme and the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education.

Veronika Kupriyanova is Deputy Director at ACA. Before re-joining ACA in November 2020, Veronika worked for the European University Association (EUA) and several consulting companies specialising in higher education and research. Veronika spent two years in Berlin hosted by the Humboldt University of Berlin with the fellowship of the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung and later worked as a researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). She is experienced in a wide range of higher education and research topics and has a keen interest in policies and programmes supporting internationalisation at the institutional, national and European level. Veronika holds a joint Master’s degree in World Politics from the Moscow State Institute in International Relations (MGIMO) and the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po). She speaks three official languages of Belgium in addition to her mother tongue (Russian).

Yann-Maël Bideau is a Policy Officer in the Higher Education Unit of the Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, in the European Commission. Yann-Maël is currently mainly working on quality assurance and the European degree. Before joining the European Commission in 2019, he worked as a language teacher and in the field of university cooperation in France, Czechia, Slovakia and Belgium.