NOKUT becomes a partner in Erasmus+ project
This summer, the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT) and the rest of the consortium behind the LABEL-UP (Launching Actions for Boosting the European Degree Label – UP!) application were awarded Erasmus+ funding. Together with the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research and a range of international partners, NOKUT will contribute to developing and testing arrangements for a European Degree Label and explore the possibilities for a future European degree in higher education.
Before the summer, the European Commission launched the Joint European Degree Label. The label is intended to increase the visibility of European joint programmes that meet high-quality standards. Its purpose is to strengthen mobility, promote cooperation among European higher education institutions, and make it easier to develop joint study programmes.
As part of the launch of the label, Erasmus+ funding is also being allocated to support the development of national legislation and evaluation frameworks in line with the label’s criteria. Norway, together with a consortium of partners, applied for and has now been awarded funding for the LABEL-UP project (Launching Actions for Boosting the European Degree Label – UP!).
“LABEL-UP will make it easier to develop and recognise joint European study programmes. For NOKUT, this is an exciting opportunity to help reduce barriers to cooperation in higher education across Europe,” says Kristin Vinje, Chief Executive Officer of NOKUT.
Norway’s contribution to the development of the European Degree Label
Norway contributed to the development of the guidelines for the European Degree Label through representatives from the Ministry of Education and Research, the Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions, and NOKUT. Building on this work, the Ministry and NOKUT were invited to join the consortium in January 2026 and have since contributed to the development of the project and the Erasmus+ application.
The project is led by the Dutch Ministry of Education, with the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research and NOKUT each co-leading a work package together with partner organisations.
The grant agreement will be signed in October, and over the next two years NOKUT will work with its partners to explore the possibilities of a future European degree.
A broad partnership
The consortium consists of ministries and quality assurance agencies from six European countries: the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, France, Flanders (Belgium), and Sweden. The partners represent a wide range of national systems and traditions for accreditation and quality assurance, providing a strong foundation for testing how a European Degree Label can be implemented in practice.
Supporting the implementation of the European Degree Label and exploring a European Degree
LABEL-UP will examine both challenges and opportunities related to the implementation of a European Degree Label and explore the prospects for a future European degree. The project has three overarching objectives:
- Support the implementation of a European Degree Label.
- Strengthen communication, visibility, and stakeholder engagement.
- Analyse national regulatory frameworks to assess the feasibility of a future European degree, using engineering education as a pilot field.
The project is organised into four work packages:
- Project management, quality assurance, and governance.
- Capacity building and activities to support the effective implementation of the European Degree Label.
- Communication and visibility.
- Regulatory analysis and cross-border cooperation.
NOKUT’s role
NOKUT co-leads Work Package 2 together with NVAO, the Dutch-Flemish quality assurance agency. In addition, NOKUT supports the Ministry of Education and Research in Work Package 4 and participates as a full partner in the remaining work packages.
“We look forward to contributing our expertise to the work of implementing a future European degree. At the same time, the project will provide an excellent opportunity to deepen our understanding of quality assurance practices and regulatory frameworks in other countries, benefiting both NOKUT and the Norwegian higher education sector,” says Hege Brodahl, Director of Higher Education.
Interested in the topic? Read more here:
Blueprint for a European degree