MicroHEI’s mission is to strengthen professional development and recognition for academic and administrative staff in higher education across Europe. While universities increasingly rely on staff expertise to drive digital transformation, sustainability and inclusion, there is currently no shared European system to formally recognise the continuous updating of their skills.

The project’s ambition is to contribute to more connected and cohesive higher education systems by creating a standardised, transparent and transferable approach to micro-credentials for staff. Through collaboration between partners from different EU countries, MicroHEI aims to align recognition practices and build trust in micro-credentials as tools for lifelong learning and career development.

To achieve this, the project will:

• develop a common competence framework and quality guidelines;
• design and deliver short online courses in key priority areas;
• award and test the first micro-credentials specifically tailored to higher education staff;
• introduce a European label to support recognition and credibility;
• establish an online observatory to monitor trends and support future policy dialogue.

By combining innovation in learning design with system-level tools for recognition and monitoring, MicroHEI contributes to more flexible, inclusive and future-oriented professional development in the European Higher Education Area.