The European Union continues to champion quality higher education as it launches its Virtual Hybrid European Higher Education 2022 in the Philippines on November 18-19, 2022, at Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong.

The higher education fair provides access to information and fosters partnerships between European and Filipino higher education institutions to the benefit of students, academicians and researchers. Faculty, academicians, researchers and students can now register at at http://www.ehefphilippines.com to participate in this most exciting fair. 

With the theme “Youth for Excellence and Innovation”, the EU is opening its doors for a sustainable partnership with local universities and higher education institutions. 

It is being organised by the EU Delegation to the Philippines together with the EU Member States’ Embassies, education services and Cultural Institutes and in collaboration with the Commission on Higher Education.  

This year’s university partners include regional university hubs such as the Wesleyan University and the University of Cordilleras (Luzon), Silliman University (Visayas) and other top-notch Philippine universities such as Ateneo de Manila University European Studies Programme, De La Salle University, Holy Cross of Davao College, Mabalacat City Colleges, Rizal Technological University, Trinity University of Asia, University of Sto Tomas, and Visayas State University.

As a centre of excellence in higher education, the EU aims at sharing best practices and approaches from its many outstanding universities and higher education institutions (EHEIs) with their Philippine counterparts.

This partnership aims to enhance student and faculty mobility, research collaboration, joint scientific activities, curricular enhancement, and policy formulation.

Opportunities for mobility and research grants like Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, and Jean Monnet are open for students and educators alike.

Aside from country presentations and EHEI representatives, alumni, and scholars will conduct briefing sessions, structured seminars/ webinars on higher education and mobility opportunities and programme offerings.  A networking event will also take place on November 18 at 7:30PM at Shangri-La Plaza.

Media partners this year include Adobo Magazine, CNN Philippines, iOrbit News, Philippine Daily Inquirer – INQPOP!, The Philippine Business and News, and When in Manila.

The EU Delegation to the Philippines expressed gratitude to the academic community for this year’s higher education fair and hopes to welcome more Filipino graduate and postgraduate students as well as researchers in the EU in the next few years to experience and benefit from the topnotch higher education institutions from the EU.

Held from October 1-2, the 2021 EHEF went virtual for the second year due to pandemic restrictions.

Commission on Higher Education Secretary and Chairperson Dr. J. Prospero De Vera underpinned the wonders of technology in creating opportunities through global cooperation towards quality higher education.

“This year’s EHEF with the theme Go Higher with EU proves that international partnerships using the magic of technology cannot only surmount the limitations of the pandemic but thrive through cooperation during the period of pandemic. Us coming here today means that we can continue to create a more diverse and more connected classroom of global citizens all working together to redefine higher education under the new normal”.

With the theme “Go Higher with EU,” this year’s Fair presented 19 structured webinars, 13 country presentations, several virtual rooms, and unlimited live chats for one-on-one consultations that enabled closer interactions between the Filipino participants and the EU higher education institutions, ambassadors, and embassy officials from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, and Finland.

Judge Benjamin Turgano, President of Wesleyan University said: “ We look forward to partnering with the Universities in Europe. We look forward to a more robust and interactive relationship with the higher education institutions specifically in the mobility of faculty and students, research collaborations, and even benchmarking because of the thrust of the Commission on Higher Education for transnational education”.

Dr Betty McCann, President of Silliman University said: “It is with pride and gratitude that we accepted once again the invitation to be a regional hub for the European Higher Education Fair. Silliman University recognizes that this prestigious educational fair provides an avenue for Filipinos to learn about many scholastic opportunities they may avail from renowned partner universities in Europe.

Fr Mars Tan, President of Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan said:  “As a participating institution, Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, I would like to thank the European Union organizers and the support institutions and partners for pursuing to have this Virtual European Higher Education Fair 2021 amidst the pandemic. With this online platform, this EHEF Fair brings right at the doorstep of our students and faculty concrete opportunities to link up with EU universities and schools. The virtual Fair offers us hope and inspiration to go higher with our dreams for brighter education possibilities abroad even with the pandemic still around us”.

Over the years, the EHEF in the Philippines has grown to become a major education fair in the country organized by the European Union Delegation to the Philippines in collaboration with EU Member States’ embassies and education services and in partnership with CHED and local higher education institutions, as well as national and local media.

Partners for this year’s Fair were (regional hubs) Wesleyan University, Silliman University, Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan.

University partners  included:  LPU Batangas, Mabalacat City College, Rizal Technological University, Trinity University of Asia, University of Cordilleras, Visayas State University, Jose Rizal Memorial State University, Mindanao State University – Marawi College of Public Affairs, University of Santo Tomas, St. Louis University, and, Ateneo de Manila University.

Even as early as the 19^th century, Filipino “ilustrados” studied in Europe and equipped themselves with the proper education to be able to institute political and economic reform to favor the natives under Spanish rule. However, back then, only the middle class and landed people had the opportunity to study in Europe to broaden their horizons.

Through the years, the European Union has proven its sincerity in supporting the Philippines. It is interesting to note that the EU is also the largest investment partner of the Philippines in its economic development, employing around 450,000 Filipinos.

The commitment of EU to strengthen regional cooperation and the internationalization of higher education has further opened doors to Filipinos wanting to study in Europe through the European Higher Education Fair (EHEF).

There are many Filipino students who benefited from this educational program of the EU and many of them graduated with flying colors and made their mark in their respective chosen fields of specialization through the Erasmus Mundus or Marie Curie scholarship programs.

Despite the pandemic, the EHEF continues its mission to provide excellence in education and creates a strong bond among countries that share the same aspirations of development and progress through higher learning and be able to pay it forward to their respective countries.

On October 2-3, 2020 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., Filipinos can learn more about the European Higher Education Fair and can pre-register now via www.ehefphilippines.com.

The EHEF features structured webinars on the following: The Jean Monnet Programme – Experiences from the Philippines; Building Entrepreneurial Ecosystems to Enhance Higher Education Value-Added for Better Graduate Employability; and Ph.D. and Postdoctoral opportunities in Europe with the Marie Curie Actions. Apart from these, the fair offers webinars to guide students on the best possible course offerings and to enable them to know more about the EU member states.  Altogether, a total of 29 webinars are at stake in this year’s fair.

With the theme “Study in Europe: The Future is EUrs,” EHEF 2020 is staging the fair online to make it more accessible to Filipino students all over the country.

This year’s virtual fair will feature 92 participating universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) from Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Slovak Republic, Spain and Sweden.

What makes this year’s EHEF more exciting are the live chats with HEI representatives, alumni, and scholars.

Virtual meeting rooms will also be set up for Philippine higher education institutions (HEIs) and their EU counterparts for linkages and collaboration opportunities.

Blended and online learning will also be given special focus as most European HEIs are now offering post-graduate degrees through distance education programs.

For the first time, EHEF 2020 has collaborated with regional partner institutions Wesleyan University (Luzon), Silliman University (Visayas), and Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan (Mindanao) to co-host clustered presentations especially crafted for their respective regions.

EHEF 2020 is organized by the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines, together with EU Member States’ Embassies in partnership with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and supported by media partners Business Mirror – Envoys & Expats, Business World Spark Up, Gadgets Magazine, Roots & Wings Online, Sub Selfie, The Philippine Business and News, and When in Manila.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world to a halt but despite of that, the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines sees a great opportunity to champion higher education as an essential tool for young people to influence the world today and in the near future. 

On 2-3 October, the EU Delegation will host the first-ever virtual European Higher Education Fair (EHEF). The 2020 fair is embracing the digital transformation by staging the much-anticipated annual education fair live online. This makes the event more accessible to Filipino students and members of the academe, and extends its reach to other provinces in the country.

This year’s theme, “Study in Europe: The Future is EUrs” further establishes EU as the Filipino youth’s gateway to excellence in higher education. EU is known as one of the world’s ultimate hubs for cross-fertilization of ideas, cutting-edge technology, and innovation coming from its many outstanding universities and higher education institutions (HEIs).

The EHEF 2020 provides the best platform to link Filipino students with EU universities and European higher education institutions (EHEIs). This year’s online fair will feature webinars on research programs, sponsorships, and mobility opportunities. There will also be country presentations and live chats with EHEI representatives, alumni, and scholars. Virtual meeting rooms will be set up for Philippine higher education institutions (PHEIs) and their EU counterparts. Students will have a chance to explore opportunities for distance learning, with many EHEIs offering post-graduate degrees through distance education programs.

As EHEF 2020 goes virtual, it also goes regional for the first time, and in real-time. Regional partner institutions Ateneo de Manila University (Metro Manila), Wesleyan University (Luzon), Silliman University (Visayas), and Xavier University –Ateneo de Cagayan (Mindanao) will host clustered presentations for their students and other interested parties in their respective regions.

A virtual networking event will also take place on 2 October at 7:30PM.

EHEF 2020 is organized by the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines, together with EU Member States’ Embassies, in partnership with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and supported by media partners Business Mirror – Expats & Envoys, Business World Spark Up, Gadgets Magazine, Roots & Wings Online, and The Philippine Business and News, and When in Manila.  

Interested parties can pre-register now via www.ehefphilippines.com.