• Education, training, and research have entered a cycle of radical transformation that continues to accelerate.
• Competition is intensifying at all levels (nationally and internationally) and in all segments, reinforcing the need for clear and sustainable differentiation.
• The withdrawal of the state and changes in public funding arrangements require a new approach to economic management and are leading organizations to structure fundable projects that are aligned with their overall strategy.
• International standards tend to prevail, either directly through accreditation frameworks or indirectly due to the increasing mobility of students, bringing about significant changes in the legal and institutional framework of higher education.
• The relationship between higher education and research and local communities is taking on new dimensions in a context of workforce shortages and distance learning.
• Digital transformation is not only reshaping educational models, disrupting the way institutions operate and are managed, but is also transforming the economic model.
• Beyond research and education, institutions must offer high-quality services to their students in order to enhance their attractiveness and foster community engagement.
• They must prepare students to face an emerging and constantly changing job market, to aim to develop skills for professions that sometimes do not yet exist, and support the employability of their graduates through continuing education.
• They have a significant responsibility to accelerate the ecological transition, promote inclusion and diversity, foster better working environments, and improve social dialogue and governance.

In this context:

• Institutions are facing increasing investment designed to drive digital transformation, modernize campuses and turn them into smart learning tools, and attract and retain qualified teachers in a globalized employment market. They must therefore rethink their business model and diversify their sources of funding.
• They must demonstrate their accountability and relevance through tangible impact measures, not only vis-à-vis their stakeholders but also to facilitate their management.
• The question of size arises in different terms as it becomes necessary to aim for a critical size that comes with organizational and strategic challenges.

Support roles as well as the teaching and research roles and profession are changing; institutions must be able to commit to support plans to adapt and develop the skills of their employees.