The Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ASCAL), represented by the director of the Agency, Mrs. Xhiliola Bixheku, and the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research System (ANVUR), represented by the president of the Agency, Mr.  Antonio Felice Uricchio, signed today, 10.11.2022, in Italy, a Memorandum of Cooperation. This memorandum marks a significant step for ASCAL since at its center is the inter-institutional cooperation between the two countries in the field of quality assurance in higher education and will contribute not only to the growth and continuous improvement of quality in higher education but also in advancing academic studies in both countries and fulfilling the criteria and recommendations of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) and the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR).

In the Memorandum signed today, among others, is stated that “ASCAL and ANVUR undertake to cooperate in the exchange of good practices between the two countries in the field of quality assurance in higher education; Exchange of information about the quality, results and accreditation of Higher Education Institutions and the programs they offer; Encourage exchanges of academic staff and students engaged in accreditation processes in both countries (as members of the external evaluation team); Joint application in regional and international projects in the field of quality assurance in higher education; Exchange of knowledge about regulations, instructions, manuals or any other legal act that regulates the field of quality assurance in higher education; Reciprocal visits of the respective staffs for the exchange of experiences between them.

During the meeting, was also discussed the establishment of joint groups of external experts, in the framework of the accreditation of joint study programs offered by Higher Education Institutions of both countries.