Case studies

Supporting European cooperation on education, skills and culture: evidence, policy and mutual learning

EXPERTISE
Policy Development and Evaluation
Evidence
Behavioural and Communications

The challenge
What we did
Impact
Links

The challenge

Building the European Education Area and advancing European policy goals in skills, digital transition, and culture requires real-time country intelligence, robust evaluation, and structured cooperation across 27 Member States. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC) needed rapid-response analytical and operational expertise to inform policy design, support national reforms, and track progress across diverse education and training sectors.

Addressing persistent issues like basic skills underachievement, digital divides, teacher shortages, and green transition needs demands flexible mechanisms that turn high-level EU frameworks into concrete tools for national policymakers, school leaders, and educators.

What we did

Over four years, Verian Lithuania delivered around 20 targeted assignments under DG EAC's framework contract, providing end-to-end expertise across the full policy cycle:

Country Intelligence & Policy Monitoring: Managed national expert networks across Member States to supply continuous country-specific analyses on general education and adult skills for DG EAC and DG EMPL, feeding directly into the European Semester and the Education and Training Monitor.
EU Competence Frameworks & Guidelines: Supported the development of groundbreaking reference tools, including the EU STEM Competence Framework, EU Guidelines for Democratic Citizenship Education, and quality criteria for digital education content.
Toolkits & Policy Implementation: Provided technical support and content creation for key initiatives like the Toolkit for School Success, the Pathways to School Success Roadmap, and the European Student Card initiative (ESCI).
Programme Assessments & Good Practice Mapping: Conducted rapid assessments flagship programs like the Erasmus+ Teacher Academies and analyzed VET projects targeting digital skills and vulnerable groups (NEETs).

Mutual Learning & Stakeholder Facilitation: Supported the European Education Area Working Groups, coordinated Expert Groups on Informatics and Digital Content, and contributed to Communities of Practice for sport innovation under SHARE 2.0.

Impact

Through this framework contract, Verian Lithuania served as a core analytical partner for European Commission services, bridging policy intent and practical adoption:

Enabled evidence-informed policy design by supplying regular country analyses, indicator frameworks, and evaluations to steer EU initiatives and Member State reforms.
Supported improvements in school and institutional quality by translating high-level policy goals into practical toolkits, competence frameworks, and digital guidance for teachers and administrators.

Contributed to strengthening European cooperation by facilitating peer learning, coordinating expert networks, and engaging thousands of stakeholders across education, youth, and sport sectors.