5–7 November 2025, 18 participants, from 8 countries (Europe and Canada) and 15 different organizations, gathered in Barcelona for the EDEN Digital Education Leadership Academy (DELA) — an intensive three-day seminar organised by EDEN DLE. DELA aims to strengthen strategic leadership capacities in digital education, provide hands-on experience with real-world cases, and foster collaboration among education leaders across Europe.

The DELA 2025 programme offered a rich mix of workshops, discussions, and strategic sessions led by renowned experts and higher education leaders:

• Josep M. Garrell, President of the European University Association (EUA) – delivered the Opening Keynote on Vision-Making and Strategy, highlighting EUA work on leadership development.
• Susannah Quinsee, Vice President for Digital and Student Experience at City, University of London – led an interactive session on Strategic Thinking and Leadership.
• Ale Armellini, Dean of Education & Digital Innovation at the University of Portsmouth – presented CTRL + ALT + DEL: We’ve Upgraded Everything Except the Mindset.
• Tine Baelmans, former Vice-Rector for Educational Policy, KU Leuven – shared insights from two successive strategic plans in A Networked Structure for Digital Education.
• Albert Sangrà, EDEN Vice President for Strategic Thinking & Networking, Director of the UNESCO Chair in Education & Technology for Social Change and Josep M. Duart, former EDEN DLE President and Management Board member – co-presented the Origins, foundations and evolution of Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.
• Denise Whitelock, EDEN DLE Vice-President Research – used the example of the Open University UK to demonstrate how vision can be transformed into value.
• António Teixeira, EDEN DLE Senior Fellow – revisited Universidada Aberta’s digital transformation process, encouraging participants to reflect on the change management approaches at play.
• Deborah Arnold, EDEN DLE Senior Fellow and former Chair of the Fellows Council Board – led a workshop on Ethical Leadership for the Responsible Use of GenAI in Higher Education, and guided participants in drawing up their own action plans for implementation back home. 
• As DELA rapporteur, Christian-Andreas Schumann, member of the Fellows Council Board, summed up the key learnings for each day. 

Key takeaways

• Day 1 – Vision-Making and Strategy: use the digital education leader’s toolkit as a framework for reflection and action, mobilise play to surface new ideas and connections, articulate why your institution matters, be bold in your goals for digital education, support and recognise leadership development.
• Day 2 – Tackling Digital Transformation Challenges: “Teach well, consistently well!”, upgrade mindsets for a more effective use of GenAI, find ways to make top-down and bottom-up leadership converge, listen, foster collaboration and be transparent.
• Day 3 – Ensuring Your Institution Is Future-Ready: have a helicopter view to get the bigger picture, take a holistic approach to change management, break down silos and build communities.

Beyond this, DELA 2025 also offered a social programme. Participants visited Casa Vicens — Antoni Gaudí’s architectural masterpiece — and enjoyed a networking dinner in the heart of Barcelona. The event concluded with a Diploma Ceremony, where all participants received certificates recognizing them as DELA Graduates.

DELA 2025 successfully brought together 18 current and aspiring leaders in digital education, blending expert-led sessions, peer learning, and cultural networking. The academy fostered new perspectives on leadership, innovation, and institutional resilience, further strengthening Europe’s growing community of digital education changemakers.