As every year, the 2024 Eurydice’s Heads of Unit Meeting brought together representatives from the countries participating in our Network. The event focused on Eurydice’s role as a provider of high-quality data, comparative analysis and highlighted its commitment to evidence-based policy-making. 

The beautiful scenario of Lisbon served as a frame for the Annual Meeting of the Eurydice Network Heads of Unit. The event, which took place on the 10^th and 11^th of October at the University Nova IMS, brought together 70 national representatives from 40 European countries and spanned over two intense days of rich discussions and intense exchange of best practices. 

Organised by the Portuguese National Unit in collaboration with the European Education and Culture Executive Agency, the meeting was chaired by Peter Birch, Head of Sector at EACEA.A6: Platforms, studies and analysis.  

Under the lemma ‘Data with purpose’, the event focused on strengthening the role of the Eurydice Network as a provider of top-level quality data and analysis on education systems across Europe. 

Nuno Rodrigues, Director-General of Directorate-General of Education and Science Statistics (DGEEC), opened the meeting praising the work of the network and emphasising the need to give the Eurydice Network the visibility it deserves.    

One of the first sessions was dedicated to the presentation of the new Eurydice Network work programme that sets the goals for the next two years. 

Peter Birch said: “This work programme addresses current and emerging policy priorities in European education. It deals with well-being at school, basic skills, digital education, teachers, among other topics. It aims at supporting policy-makers across Europe in taking decisions based on evidence, while also supporting the work of the new European Commission’s priorities on education”.  

The meeting was also an opportunity for National Units to give a warm welcome to three new countries that joined the network in January 2024: Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. 

Organising the annual Eurydice Network meeting in a member country provided participants with a unique opportunity to better understand the educational landscape in a specific national context. Attendees were able to gain valuable insights into the structure and operations of the Portuguese national unit and its work in the field of education. 

“When we decided to organise the event last year, we first had a genuine impulse and an important motivation to promote the work of the Portuguese Unit. We also thought that it could be an excellent opportunity to strengthen collaboration and promote debates by sharing knowledge and experiences,” says Margarida Leandro, Head of the Portuguese Eurydice Unit. “The event represented a unique opportunity for everyone to strengthen relations and increase their knowledge, while welcoming new national units to the Network with the greatest of care,” she continues. “For us, both as a National Unit and as a country, it was a privilege to host the annual meeting. We have certainly made significant progress in strengthening the participation and commitment from the units, particularly regarding the new projects outlined in the upcoming work programme for the 2025-2026 period”. 

The event was a great success and highlighted the capacity of the Eurydice Network to provide high-quality data on European education. It also confirmed how committed the Network is in being a major player in the field of educational research. Eurydice’s data-driven inputs strive to provide a clear, unbiased understanding of the challenges at hand, enabling policymakers to make informed decisions that address real needs. 

Author: Anna Maria Volpe