The Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) 2025 Education Fair took place in New Delhi, India, from 24-28 March 2025, with more than 2,000 delegates from around the world attending. Representatives of 14 universities and a delegation from the Ministry of Education represented Slovakia at the Study in Slovakia national stand. "India is our partner in many areas, not excluding education. Hundreds of Indian students are studying in Slovakia, especially at the doctoral level," said State Secretary for Higher Education and Academic Research Róbert Zsembera.
The University of Economics in Bratislava was represented at the event by the Vice-Deans for International Relations Paulína Krnáčová from the Faculty of Commerce and Jana Blštáková from the Faculty of Business Management, whose participation was funded by the Slovak Recovery and Resilience Plan.
"Participation in APAIE 2025 is an excellent opportunity for the University of Economics in Bratislava to strengthen international cooperation and create partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region. At the same time, it allows us to expand mobility opportunities for students and staff, or to innovate study programmes. The interest in cooperation with our university confirms that study programmes and research activities are competitive on a global level," said Paulina Krnáčová.
The number of existing bilateral agreements that the University of Economics in Bratislava has concluded with the region testifies to the relevance of this region for establishing further partnerships. On the basis of the many meetings that EUBA representatives have held, it can be concluded that cooperation in the field of internationalisation in the form of student and staff exchange, the preparation of double degree programmes, as well as in the field of science and research, will be expanded to include other universities. EUBA delegates have held bilateral meetings to establish and develop cooperation with universities from Australia, Canada, South Africa, India, Taiwan, Finland, France, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and other countries. They also attended a bilateral meeting at the International Management Institute University, Nai Delhi, which is accredited by AACSB.
The participation of representatives of the University of Economics in Bratislava at APAIE 2025 not only contributed to greater visibility of EUBA in the broad international space, but also opens up further opportunities for increasing the internationalisation of the university. As Jana Blštáková said, "Slovak universities need visibility. We have repeatedly convinced ourselves that our study programmes, quality of education and research activities meet the demanding standards of a mature academic environment. We have a lot to offer, and if we get the opportunity, we will also gain the trust and cooperation of prestigious universities. We need to keep trying to make ourselves known."
