On 4 - 5 October the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the Anchor Institutions Task Force, organized a conference on the local mission of higher education. Hosted by Dublin City University, the conference gathered some 35 higher education leaders to explore how higher education institutions can best serve the communities of which they are a part. Participants, who included the President of the International Association of Universities and representatives of the European University Association, underlined that service to community must be adequately recognized as part of the higher education mission. They saw social inclusion as an important part of the local mission. Improving access to and success in higher education for underrepresented groups cannot start at higher education level. Institutions should work with local communities and schools to motivate students and parents and to lay the basis for success in higher education.

A follow up meeting in Strasbourg in June 2019 will aim to establish European cooperation in this area.