Universities and the higher education sector as a whole stand at the crossroads of education, research and innovation, with the capacity to shape sustainable and resilient economies and make the world greener, more inclusive and more digital. Towards this end, the EU seeks to empower universities as key actors of change in the twin green and digital transition, carrying out a range of educational and training opportunities in the European Education Area — an initiative that structures collaboration between Member States and stakeholders worldwide, to build more resilient and inclusive national education systems. Through fairs and other activities in ASEAN, the EU shares information on studying abroad at its close to 5 000 higher education institutions through Erasmus+, vocational training, recognition of qualifications and skills.

The European Research Area — towards a single, borderless market for research, innovation and technology across the EU — also seeks to help countries be more effective together, by strongly aligning their research policies and programmes through the free circulation of researchers and knowledge. The EU provides funding opportunities for this through Horizon Europe’s EUR 95.5 billion budget and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, to research partners through platforms such as EURAXESS and for jobs and fellowships that promote innovation.