The National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education (NIAD-QE) held the "International Symposium on CAMPUS Asia Common Quality Assurance Standards Project" on November 4th, 2025, in a hybrid format of in-person and online. The event aimed to disseminate outcomes of the initiative within the "Inter-University Exchange Project" subsidized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan.

Under the CAMPUS Asia Common Quality Assurance Standards Project, NIAD-QE had been developing the "Common Quality Assurance Standards^*1" collaboratively with the Education Quality Evaluation Agency of the Ministry of Education (EQEA, China) and the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE, Korea) since 2021 to support sustainable quality assurance efforts by university consortiums across Asian countries and enhance quality-assured inter-university exchanges and student exchange within the region. The "Standards" were finalized in April 2025 and disseminated as project outcome at this symposium.

The symposium highlighted the content of the "Common Quality Assurance Standards" and introduced the latest practices of policies in Asia and Europe, which is advancing in this field, as well as initiatives by the Campus Asia Consortium and the "European University" consortium, a cross-border university consortium within Europe.

The symposium contributed deeper understanding of the perspectives, practices, and approaches to quality assurance in such programs that will promote further enhancement of the quality of international inter-university exchange programs in Asia.

Please visit our website for event report, presentation materials and recordings of the symposium:
https://www.niad.ac.jp/english/news/en2025/entry-5770.html

^*1 "Common Quality Assurance Standards" are intended to serve as a reference point for fostering a shared understanding of quality expected in inter-university programs, in order to promote inter-university exchanges with assured quality in Asia. The Standards also aim to support autonomous and sustainable efforts for quality assurance and enhancement of inter-university programs. The details of the "Standards" can be viewed here.

The contribution of CAMPUS Asia Common Quality Assurance Standards Project was acknowledged by Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN^*2), and NIAD-QE, EQEA, and KCUE were awarded the 2025 APQN Quality Award. This award is presented by APQN to institutions and individuals who made outstanding contributions to quality assurance or implemented exemplary practices that serve as a model in the Asia-Pacific region. The project initiative was highly recognized, and the three agencies received the "APQN Award of International Cooperation in QA," which honors institutions that made significant efforts in cross-border education and international collaboration in quality assurance.
The award ceremony took place in conjunction with the 2025 APQN Annual Academic Conference & Annual General Meeting in Hong Kong on November 21, 2025. NIAD-QE President HATTORI Yasunao and representatives from EQEA and KCUE received the trophies from Dr. Galina Motova, President of APQN and Dr. Jagannath Patil, Chair of APQN Quality Award committee at the ceremony.

^*2 APQN is a network of quality assurance agencies established in 2003, with the aim of maintaining and improving the quality of higher education in the Asia-Pacific region. NIAD-QE has been aｎ APQN member since November 2005.