The purpose of this consultation is to invite comments on the draft Competence Framework for Academic Staff (hereafter, “Framework”). The draft Framework was developed by the OECD Higher Education Policy Team in a context of collaboration with the European Commission, Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture and with financial support from the Erasmus+ programme. The Framework aims to provide a common international framework to make visible and promote shared understanding of the competences that academic staff may require for their roles.
Public consultation: Competence framework for academic staff (AcadComp)
Public consultation
- Submission period
- 16 October - 3 December 2026
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Purpose of this consultation
The Framework has been drafted by the OECD Secretariat with input from the OECD Group of National Experts on Higher Education and Informal Advisory Group. Input collected during the consultation will be taken into account to finalise the Framework, the final version of which will be shared in 2027.
Development and summary of the Framework
The development of Framework was initiated by the European Commission in response to the Council of the European Union Recommendation of 25 November 2024 on attractive and sustainable careers in higher education. The draft Framework was developed between November 2025 and October 2026. The draft Framework is based on review of more than one hundred existing competence frameworks and other documents regulating academic careers in OECD countries. The draft Framework submitted for the public consultation is the fourth version, which has been developed through multiple rounds of research, mapping and internal consultations.
How to contribute
Policymakers and higher education stakeholders from around the world are invited to respond to the public consultation by providing comments through a dedicated MS Forms. The consultation period is open from 16 October to 3 December 2026.
Comments received will be considered public and may be published on the OECD website, unless requested otherwise. Contact information will not be published and will only be used by the OECD team to contact contributors.
Any personal data provided as part of this consultation is protected consistent with the OECD Data Protection Rules. Under the Rules, you have rights to access and rectify your personal data, as well as to object to its processing, and request erasure in certain circumstances. To exercise these rights in connection with the consultation please contact higher.education@oecd.org.
If you have further queries or complaints related to the processing of your personal data, please contact the Data Protection Officer. If you need further assistance in resolving claims related to personal data protection you can contact the Data Protection Commissioner.
If you want to know more about the OECD work on higher education policy, please visit OECD Higher Education Policy.
Information webinar – please register
An online webinar will be held on 19 November 2026 at 11:00 CET to present the draft Framework and to provide an opportunity for questions and initial comments.