On 13th of June 2012, during the 15th ECA Workshop two agencies have signed the ECA Agreement of Cooperation. Agência de Avaliação e Acreditação do Ensino Superior (A3ES, Portugal) and Agencija za znanost i visoko obrazovanje (ASHE, Croatia) are now the 15th and 16th ECA member.

The A3ES started its activities in 2009. The Agency is a private law foundation, established for an indeterminate period of time, with legal status and recognised as being of public utility. The Agency is responsible for the assessment and accreditation of higher education institutions and their study cycles (degree programmes), and to promote the integration of Portugal in the European system of quality assurance of higher education. Current processes include ex-ante accreditation and ex-post assessment and accreditation of degree programmes (1st, 2nd and 3rd cycles).

ASHE was established by the Goverment of the Republic of Croatia in 2005. The Agency performs a part of the procedure of initial accreditation, procedures of reaccreditation, thematic evaluation and audit, collects and processes data on Croatian higher education, science and related systems, which serve as a basis for analyses necessary to establish standards and criteria of evaluations carried out by ASHE, as well as a basis for informed and evidence-based strategic decision-making of bodies in the system of higher education and science.

Congratulations to these new ECA members!