The EU-DRIVERS project is led by ESMU and is implemented by a consortium of ten partners:

European Centre for Strategic Management of Universities (ESMU)

The European Centre for Strategic Management of Universities (ESMU) is an international non-profit association promoting strategic management practices in European universities through networks, projects, benchmarking exercises and training programmes.

Currently ESMU runs several EU-funded projects (e.g. European Benchmarking Initiative I and II, MODERN and EU-STEP). Other activities include the yearly ESMU-HUMANE Winter School for senior Administrators on university management, TEMPUS projects and previous projects on University-Enterprise cooperation or involvement in the production of a major report on HE reforms (32 countries).

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HUMANE

HUMANE is a network of 200 heads of administration in European universities. HUMANE supports heads of administrations as leaders within their organizations, disseminates knowledge and skills of high relevance for the administration of European HEIs and enhances operational leadership, day-to-day management, and administration as a profession crucial to the success of HEIs. HUMANE reinforces the relationships between academic and administrative leadership and works to influence the development of efficient management procedures for higher education and research.

HUMANE organises 3 to 4 two-day seminars every year bringing together 30 to 40 HUMANE members each time to share experiences and advance good management practice) as well as a highly successful one-week joint ESMU-HUMANE Winter School for senior administrators. Highly specialised three-day study trips.

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EURADA

The European Association of Development Agencies, EURADA, was created in December 1991 in the form of a non-profit organisation under Belgian law. The activity programme encompasses:

• the exchange of information on regional development  strategies, the assistance to enterprises and the training of development agency executives;
• the analysis of Community Policy impact;
• the development of cooperation projects between different development agencies;
• the promotion of innovative and transferable techniques in the field of local and regional economic development;
• the dissemination of relevant information insofar as that concerns Community policies as much as best practice;
• a relevant forum open to new forms of know-how exchange between development agencies.

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AMSE

The Association of Medical Schools in Europe, AMSE
The aims of AMSE are to promote the activities of, and develop co-operation between, medical schools and faculties in Europe, and to enhance and ensure the quality of their activities. AMSE is concerned primarily with the function and responsibilities of medical schools and faculties including:

• the development of medical schools and faculties;
• the developments in medicine, medical science, the social sciences and society and their translation into policies of medical education and research
• organisational, academic management and institutional problems facing medical schools and faculties;
• the relationship of medical schools and faculties to health service and health-care organisations, and relevant national and international authorities;
• the developments in professions allied to medicine and their relations with medical schools and faculties;
• the role of medical schools and faculties in post-graduate and continuing medical education and in research and research training.

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EFMD

EFMD is an international membership organization. With more than 600 member organizations from academia, business and public sector organizations in more than 70 countries, EFMD provides a unique forum for information-sharing, research, networking and debate on innovation and best practice in management development. EFMD acts as a catalyst to promote and enhance excellence in management development in Europe and worldwide.

EFMD acts as a thought-leader and disseminates knowledge on best practices and changing trends in management development and management education.

EFMD provides access to quality improvement through international accreditations and benchmarking with programmes like EQUIS, (the European Quality Improvement System), EPAS (the EFMD Programme Accreditation System, CLIP, the Corporate Learning Improvement Process) and CEL, (programme accreditation for teChnology-Enhanced Learning).

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SEFI

SEFI, founded in 1973, is an international non-governmental organisation whose aims are:

• to contribute to the development and the improvement of engineering education and of the position of the engineering professionals,
• to provide appropriate services and to promote information about engineering education to improve communication and exchanges between teachers, researchers and students in Europe,
• to develop co-operation between educational engineering institutions and establishments of higher technical education,
• to promote co-operation between industry and those engaged in engineering education,
• to act as an interlocutor between its members and other societies or organisations,
• to promote the European dimension in higher engineering education.

SEFI achieves its mission through a series of activities – specific themes working groups, seminars, annual conferences, scientific publications, consultancy and special actions for Deans in HEE, such as its SEFI Engineering deans conferences.

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AAU

Aalborg University, AAU, is a public university carrying out education, research and knowledge transfer and offering an untraditional range of educational programmes and research in the fields of Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and Engineering.

AAU has an excellent track record in working with companies, organisations and regional authorities. A range of collaboration models underpins the relationship, ranging from student cooperation to large research projects and knowledge transfer activities.

A very important European network of which AAU is a member is ECIU (European Consortium of Innovative University). Since 1997, ECIU has focussed on strengthening the relation between universities, regions and industry. It has carried out diverse activities to share best practice, establish new forms of cooperation, set up research projects within the triple helix context (some financed by EU) and in general, to be at the cutting edge of innovation.

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ACUP

The Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP) is made up of the eight public universities in Catalonia. Established in 1997 with the aim of providing an essential voice for them, the ACUP both represents and promotes them.
The Association's mission is to support the work of its member universities and unite their strengths so that they may share knowledge and good practice. It therefore also calls for a diverse higher education sector that offers benefits to everybody.

The ACUP fosters activities that contribute to the social, cultural and economic development of Catalonia. The priority is the promotion of quality university training and research, which allow firm advances in the building of a society based on knowledge. At the same time, ACUP encourages efficient cooperation between the associated universities and other organisations on both national and international level, through the exchange of information and studies, reports and recommendations.

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BSRUN

The Baltic Sea Region University Network (BSRUN) agreement was signed by 16 institutions in Turku on 28 February 2000. Currently there are 40 member institutions from seven countries (Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Russia).

BSRUN is an umbrella organisation to facilitate and enhance co-operation between the members. The members intend to develop bonds of mutual partnership between students, teachers, researchers and administrators through joint events and projects, information networks and student, staff and administrator mobility and exchanges.

Special areas of co-operation are
- Baltic Studies and Baltic Sea Region studies
- Distance Education and Open and Distance Learning
- European Integration and European Studies
- Institutional Management and Administration
- Internationalisation
- Management Information Systems and Information Technology
- Regional Development.

The Plenary Meeting (every second year) and the Steering Committee take decisions on the activities and policy of the organisation.

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DUK

Danube University Krems – University for Continuing Education (DUK) is Europe’s only state-run university for postgraduate education. It combines high quality in education, research and consulting with customer orientation and service. More than 4.500 students from 80 countries are enrolled in over 150 academic courses. DUK is the largest provider of postgraduate education in Austria and 1 of the leading competence centres for academic continuing education in Europe.

The Department for Continuing Education Research and Educational Management combines applied research, postgraduate studies and consultancy work. The department’s activities are directed toward professionalizing HE management and professional teaching and training and preparation of institutions for lifelong learning (LL). LL requires the combination of continuing education in the context of enterprises, regional development and HE institutions. The mission of the department is to work as a European centre for research, management development and continuing education in the process of LL.

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