EQ-Arts is a sector-specific, not-for-profit, Foundation that represents a wide range of disciplines within the broad remit of the creative and performing arts and design (CPAD). Its focus is on enhancement-led quality assurance (QA) for higher arts education across the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and beyond. The QA activities we carry out are aligned to the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG) 2015.
Building on the experience gained from 25 years of quality assurance and enhancement (originally founded within the administration of the European League of the Institutes of Arts [ELIA] in 1996) EQ-Arts was subsequently established as an independent Foundation under Dutch law on 20th July 2015. It is registered at the Chamber of Commerce in Amsterdam (reg. no. 63775751) where its offices are based.
Through its activities EQ-Arts supports higher arts education institutions in the self-evaluation and enhancement of their internal quality systems to promote a strong quality culture across the higher arts education sector.
The activities undertaken by EQ-Arts are based on the governing principle that all institutions will be treated fairly and equally in having open access to the professional knowledge and experience of EQ-Arts. Therefore, the mission of EQ-Arts is to assure and enhance quality across the CPAD sector as a whole in ways that are even-handed and impartial.
Operated and driven by a group of trained and highly experienced international peer quality experts in higher arts education, EQ-Arts co-operates with national QA agencies and it is an ENQA affiliate.