A New Benchmark for Erasmus+ CBHE: UNICATION Delivers Beyond Expectations and Builds a Lasting Legacy

What began as a vision to unify communication in international projects has grown into one of the most impactful cross-regional Erasmus+ CBHE initiatives in Southeast Asia.

Between 20–21 November 2025, at Batangas State University, we gathered more than 100 participants in a powerful hybrid Final Conference — a celebration of two years of collaboration, resilience, and shared purpose across Europe, Cambodia, and the Philippines.

In his welcome message, BatStateU and PASUC President Dr. Tirso A. Ronquillo highlighted how UNICATION has strengthened the operational capacity of international offices in Philippine universities, enabling them to manage global partnerships “with greater order, consistency, and professionalism” and better prepare graduates for an interconnected digital economy.

He added “Let it be remembered that today… we rekindled the fire to partner with all of you as we pursue the Sustainable Development Goals, especially on partnerships.”

Our Project Officer, Dr. Petronela Burceag, representing the EACEA, also joined us via Zoom to deliver a message of congratulations for our achievements.

In addition, our External Evaluator Carlos Machado  was present and led a workshop designed to support the preparation of the final outputs for the last quality report.But UNICATION did much more than complete a project.

But UNICATION did much more than complete a project:
 It created a community.
 It built capacity at a scale no one expected.
 It delivered results far beyond what we promised.

 We didn’t meet our KPIs — we surpassed them. Every single one.

Here is what the consortium achieved together:

 200+ academic staff trained (target: 50)
 50+ administrative staff trained (target: 20)
 50 people with fewer opportunities included (target: 30)
 60+ women involved (target: 30)
 2 national workshops across Cambodia & the Philippines
 18 dissemination events (target: 10)
 3 new project proposals submitted (target: 1)
 3,500+ people reached (target: 2,000)
 MoUs signed with all partners, strengthening long-term cooperation
 Engagement with Ministries, Embassies, EU Delegations and research institutions
 Participation in EU Study Fairs (Cambodia & Philippines), QS Summit, EAIE, ICEDU, and more

Across every metric — capacity building, inclusivity, cooperation, institutional engagement —
 UNICATION overperformed.

 We delivered sustainable results that will live far beyond the project

During the Final Conference, we proudly launched:

 Inclusivity in Project Management Booklet (IST)
 A practical guide to make Erasmus+ projects more inclusive and accessible

 Internationalization@Home Guide (UNICA)
 Helping HEIs implement global learning without physical mobility

 UNICATION Voices Documentary Series
 Stories of transformation from Cambodia, the Philippines and Europe

 The UNICATION Podcast
 Conversations on internationalization, inclusion and capacity building

 The UNICATION Final Video
 Celebrating two years of collaboration and impact

 Posters & Research Outputs
 Masterclasses, trainings, and national multiplier events workshops presentations in open source (unication.eu)
 final conference (6 posters)+Presentations at EAIE 2024-2025, ICEDU 2025, Técnico Lisboa ISW 2024–25, Latvia 2025, Brazil 2025

 And one of our most innovative outputs: the UNICARD Game

Developed to make international project management collaborative, inclusive and fun. UNICARD is more than a tool —
 it is a new way of learning, co-creating and breaking barriers between institutions.

 Strengthening EU–Asia Cooperation

Throughout the project, we worked closely with:
 EU Delegations in Cambodia & the Philippines
 Embassy of Hungary
 Embassy of France
 Embassy of Portugal
 Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (Cambodia)
 CHED – Commission on Higher Education (Philippines)

Joint achievements include:
 Dialogue National Conference with the CHAIN Project
 EU Study Fairs in Cambodia & the Philippines
 Regional collaboration strengthened between UHST, NUM, PPIU, UP & BSU
 Policy dialogue towards inclusive and internationalized HE sectors between Ministries of Cambodia and Philippines

 More than numbers — a shared identity

Five words reflect this journey:

 Conquista — achievement built step by step
 Engagement — the deep commitment of our teams
 Kitartás — perseverance through challenges
 Samakkī — solidarity and unity
 Bayanihan — the community spirit that defined our collaboration

Together, they form the soul of UNICATION.

 What’s next?

The project ends — but the movement grows.

Our consortium is now ready to:
 co-create new Erasmus+ proposals for other thematic
 expand capacity building across other countries in Asia
 support regional cooperation for inclusive internationalization

If your institution wants to collaborate with a high-performing, innovative and human-centered consortium —
 We are ready.

Thank you to every partner, every speaker, every trainee, and every student who shaped this unforgettable journey.

This is not the end.
 It is the beginning of something even greater.

#ErasmusPlus #CBHE #HigherEducation #Internationalization #EUAsiaCooperation
#CapacityBuilding #InclusiveEducation #GlobalPartnerships #UNICATION
#UNICARD #ErasmusSuccess #InternationalProjects #SustainabilityInEducation