EAIR - The European Higher Education Society

What EAIR - The European Higher Education Society does

EAIR – The European Higher Education Society is a nonprofit professional association founded in 1979, registered in the Netherlands (Chamber of Commerce 40077138) and operating from Almere. The organisation serves higher education researchers, practitioners, managers, students, and policy-makers through three core offerings: (1) the annual EAIR Forum, a 3-day in-person conference hosted at rotating European university venues (Cork 2024, Utrecht 2025, Vilnius 2026) with 250–500 attendees and six thematic tracks; (2) Tertiary Education and Management (TEAM), a peer-reviewed journal published with Springer Nature since January 2019 under a hybrid Open Access model; and (3) the EAIR Forum Books series published by Brill Publishers since 2013 under the imprint 'Higher Education: Linking Research, Policy and Practice.' A recently launched Summer School for early career researchers at Vilnius University extends the product line beyond the annual cycle.

EAIR has a lean operating model with 12 employees, a nine-member elected Executive Committee, and no parent company or external investment. The technology stack is minimal and non-proprietary: the association runs on WordPress for its website (the-eair.org) and uses the third-party ConfTool platform for Forum registration. Revenue is generated entirely through member subscriptions and Forum registration fees, with supplemental income from newsletter advertising, Forum sponsorship, and project co-funding (notably the EU 'Breakthrough in Educational Research' grant supporting Forum 2026). The pricing structure is transparent: standard membership at €165/year, student at €82.50, emeritus at €110, and Forum 2026 fees ranging from €350 (track chairs, students, emeritus) to €600 (full members, standard rate). The organisation is GDPR-compliant and governed under Dutch law. Its mission is explicitly to 'cross boundaries' between higher education research, policy, and practice, and between national systems across Europe.

Name

EAIR - The European Higher Education Society

Legal name

EAIR – The Higher Education Society

Website

https://the-eair.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EAIR – The European Higher Education Society is a Dutch nonprofit association founded in 1979 that serves higher education researchers, practitioners, managers, and policy-makers through its annual Forum, the TEAM journal, and the Forum Books series.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Almere

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership subscriptions with tiered pricing: Standard €165/year, Student €82.50/year (50% discount), Emeritus €110/year (33.3% discount). Corporate pricing offers 5th membership free when 5+ members join from same institution.
2. Forum Registration Fees: EAIR Forum 2026 on-campus fees: Early bird Full Members €500, Full Members €600, Track chairs/co-chairs €350, Student/emeritus/scholars at risk €350. Fees include annual EAIR membership.
3. Sponsorship Revenue: EAIR offers sponsorship opportunities including advertising in newsletters and social media channels, partnership at annual Forum events, and logo placement on website. Forum typically attracts 250-500 academics and practitioners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

EAIR is a Dutch-registered nonprofit professional association that operates an annual international Forum hosted at rotating European universities, publishes the peer-reviewed journal Tertiary Education and Management (TEAM) with Springer Nature, and issues the EAIR Forum Books series with Brill Publishers. It sells annual individual and corporate memberships that grant access to publications, networking, and reduced Forum fees, targeting higher education researchers, practitioners, managers, and policy-makers across Europe and globally.

Product overview

EAIR operates as a professional association for higher education with three core offerings: (1) the annual EAIR Forum, a major international conference hosted by different universities each year featuring multiple thematic tracks; (2) the Tertiary Education and Management (TEAM) journal, published with Springer Nature, covering higher education research topics; and (3) the EAIR Forum Books series published by Brill Publishers. Supporting offerings include summer schools, membership benefits, and the ConfTool-based registration system for forum participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EAIR Annual Forum The annual flagship conference bringing together higher education researchers, practitioners, students, managers, and policymakers from around the world for knowledge exchange, networking, and professional development across thematic tracks including Teaching and Learning, Governance and Management, Engagement and Partnerships, Academic Profession and Professional Development, Research Policy, and Evaluation in Higher Education.
• Tertiary Education and Management (TEAM) An international, interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal published in collaboration with Springer Nature, covering management, governance, teaching and learning, academic careers, and institutional research in higher education. Published approximately four times per year with around 24 articles annually.
• EAIR Forum Books Book series published by Brill Publishers, titled 'Higher Education: Linking Research, Policy and Practice,' featuring peer-reviewed chapters derived from annual forum presentations.
• EAIR Summer School A one-day academic writing and publishing summer school for PhD students and early career researchers, focused on producing work for global audiences. Hosted in conjunction with the EAIR Forum.
• EAIR Membership Annual individual or corporate membership providing access to the Forum, the TEAM journal, newsletter and news alerts, networking opportunities, eligibility for committee positions, and General Meeting voting rights. Includes tiered pricing for Standard, Student, and Emeritus categories and corporate group discounts.

Quantifiable outcome

• TEAM journal published 4 times/year with approximately 24 articles annually, including selective special issues
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Vilnius UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 August 2026Host of EAIR Forum 2026. The Education Policy Centre at Vilnius University is a key collaborator, with PhD student Rūta Bružienė serving as Co-Opted Member of EAIR Executive Committee and Forum 2026 Organiser.
• Futura ScientiaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 August 2026Co-host of symposium 'Relational Internationalization in the Periphery: Attracting and Retaining International Talent Beyond Brain Gain' held immediately after EAIR Forum 2026.
• Utrecht UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 August 2025Host of EAIR Forum 2025 with theme 'Openness: a Mission Challenged'. Forum held at Utrecht Science Park.
• University College CorkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 August 2024Host of EAIR Cork Forum 2024 with theme 'Sustainability, Resilience and Wellbeing'. Dr. Anne Gannon serves as UCC Staff Wellbeing & Development Manager and EAIR Secretary.
• Springer NaturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019EAIR's journal TEAM (Tertiary Education and Management) published in collaboration with Springer Nature since January 2019. Hybrid model with Traditional and Open Access options, moving toward full Open Access.
• Brill PublisherscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013EAIR Forum Books published in the series 'Higher Education: Linking Research, Policy and Practice' under Brill imprint since 2013. Previously published by Peter Lang, Central European University, and Sense (now part of Brill).
• Research Council of LithuaniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funder of EAIR Forum 2026 under Research Project No. P-EDU-23-27, in cooperation with the 'Breakthrough in Educational Research' project No. 10-044-P-0001.
• Go VilniusminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConference Support Programme partner for EAIR Forum 2026, providing promotional and logistical support for the Vilnius venue.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• European University Association (EUA): Brussels-based membership association representing over 850 universities and national rectors' conferences across Europe. Directly comparable to EAIR as a pan-European higher education association, although EUA focuses more on university leadership and policy advocacy while EAIR emphasizes research networking.
• Consortium of Higher Education Researchers (CHER): European network of higher education researchers founded in 1996, hosting annual conferences and workshops. Overlaps with EAIR's research-focused European membership model and competes for the same researcher audience.
• Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE): US-based professional association for higher education scholars and practitioners, hosting an annual conference and publishing Review of Higher Education. Closely comparable in mission, conference-driven model, and journal-based content offerings to EAIR.
• Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE): UK-based learned society for higher education researchers, founded in 1965, publishing Quality in Higher Education and Studies in Higher Education and running an annual research conference. Operates the same research/policy/practice membership model as EAIR, with similar publication and conference offerings.

Broad incumbents

• European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA): European membership association for quality assurance and accreditation agencies in higher education. Larger and more policy-focused than EAIR, but addresses overlapping higher education governance and quality themes through events and publications.
• American Educational Research Association (AERA): US-based large scholarly association for education researchers across all levels, hosting an annual meeting and publishing multiple journals. Comparable to EAIR's research-association function but operating at significantly larger scale and broader scope.

Regional players

• Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA): Australasian professional association for higher education researchers and practitioners, publishing Higher Education Research & Development. Operates the same membership-and-conference model as EAIR but serves the Asia-Pacific region rather than Europe.

Others

• European University Foundation (EUF): Luxembourg-based university network focused on European higher education policy, mobility, and institutional cooperation. Operates adjacent initiatives (alumni, civic engagement) to EAIR's research/policy/practice mission.
• Advance-HE: UK-based charity providing membership services, professional development, and accreditation for higher education institutions and staff. Notably, EAIR Vice-Chair Mark O'Hara is a Senior Consultant at Advance-HE, illustrating the close ecosystem ties between EAIR and adjacent HE organizations.
• European Students' Union (ESU): European umbrella organization representing national student unions. Complementary rather than competing with EAIR, addressing the student-policy dimension of higher education while EAIR focuses on the research/policy/practice nexus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-eair

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EAIR - The European Higher Education Society