European Centre for Strategic Management of Universities (ESMU)

ESMU was created in 1986 as a Brussels-based non-profit association to promote strategic management practices in European universities. 

Through European networks, projects, benchmarking exercises and training programmes ESMU offers a learning environment to assist European universities with their continuous improvements in a changing environment.

In the late ‘90s ESMU launched two networks to promote professional development: HUMANE - a major network for heads of administration of European universities - and DEAN - Deans’ European and Academic Network -.  

Other activities (past and present) include the yearly ESMU-HUMANE Winter School for senior Administrators on university management, TEMPUS projects on university management and projects on University-Enterprise cooperation.

From 1987 to 2006 ESMU provided technical assistance to the European Commission for the management of major higher education programmes, i.e. COMETT, SOCRATES, LEONARDO, YOUTH for Europe III.

With MODERN (European platform in Higher Education Modernisation), EBI-II (Benchmarking in European Higher Education) and EU-STEP (Study tours programme on European Higher Education for third countries), ESMU offers a wide range of support activities to university decision-makers striving for further strategic developments. 

Website ESMU