Tiina Piipponen

Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Finland

Tiina Piipponen works as an International Relations Adviser at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Finland. Through her work, Tiina is involved in organising, administering and advising on various exchange programmes, as well as in facilitating and managing related international cooperation. Her work also includes promoting and advising on matters related to internationalisation, international competence and multicultural issues, as well as internationalisation of curricula. Throughout her career, Tiina has been keen to find ways to encourage students to take part in the internationalisation opportunities and staff to create these. Alongside her work, Tiina was also a project manager at Metropolia for the Erasmus+ funded Cooperation Partnership Project Inclusive Comprehensive Internationalisation (ICI) coordinated by Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), Spain. ICI project aimed to enhance global learning opportunities for ALL students within HEIs. Expanding her expertise in the inclusiveness in internationalisation, she participated also in the Inclusion Academy organised by Academic Cooperation Association in 2022-2024.

: tiinapiipponen

Tomáš Varga

Masaryk University, Czechia

Tomáš Varga is Deputy Head and Bursar at the Teiresias Centre (Support Centre for Students with Special Needs) at Masaryk University. In this role, he oversees the management of financial operations, coordinates courses on universal design and accessibility, bridging academic instruction with practical institutional change, and contributes to the Centre’s strategic development while supporting the implementation of universal design principles across the university. He plays a pivotal role in shaping inclusive and accessible higher education at Masaryk University and beyond.
In addition to his core responsibilities, he actively participates in university-wide initiatives and international collaborations. As a member of the university committee on sustainable development (SDGs), he contributes to the integration of inclusive and sustainable practices into institutional policies, ensuring that accessibility and environmental responsibility are central to academic planning. Through international projects and conferences, he participates in global discussions on inclusive education, student mobility, and institutional development, thereby reinforcing the Centre’s role as a key advocate for equity and innovation in higher education.
He draws inspiration from his background in English studies, which has shaped him into an open-minded, critically thinking professional challenging boundaries. He firmly believes that high-quality education, particularly in an international context, is inseparable from inclusivity.

Martin Bogdan

Policy and Project Coordinator, Academic Cooperation Association, Belgium

Martin Bogdan is Policy and Project Coordinator, who first started working for Academic Cooperation Association (ACA) in 2019. He is the co-chair of ACA’s Thematic Peer Group 'Widening Inclusion in Higher Education', which discusses the management of national and European funding to increase participation of underrepresented groups in international higher education. He coordinates ACA’s several projects on inclusion and societal engagement, as well as capacity building training series Inclusion ACAdemy for HEIs and NAs. From September 2024 onward, he is a member of EAIEs Thematic Committee on Social responsibility. Prior to ACA, Martin worked in the European Commission, in several NGOs working with open access policies, migrants, arts, and media. He also briefly taught in an international school.