EMEA Newsletter
Sign up for our monthly educator email.
Stay connected and be the first to hear about free resources and training opportunities for you and your students.
SAS Educator Connection delivers the latest ways you can learn and teach SAS, helping you build strong courses and prepare your students for successful careers in data science and analytics. Each month, you'll discover software insights, hear about upcoming free workshops, learn about new instructional resources, and find ways to connect with other learners and educators.
Be the first to learn about free academic training and resources.
Archive of SAS EMEA Educator Connection Newsletters
- 2025 -
June 2025
See the highlight topics of this month.
As summer begins in the northern hemisphere, many of us finally find time to relax, recharge, or catch up on things we couldn’t fit into our busy schedules.
In this edition, we're excited to share three great opportunities, two of them happening in the same week of July: two designed especially for students (the unique opportunities to connect students with real-world analytics in high-impact industries: life-sciences and finance), and the other tailored for educators.
Whether you're guiding the next generation or looking to grow your own skills, there's something here for you.
SAS Finance
Analytics School for Students
The financial world is evolving fast—and AI and analytics are leading the way. The SAS Finance Analytics School is a unique 3-day online program (July 15–17) designed for university students in finance, data science, and analytics who want to explore how advanced technologies are transforming the fight against financial fraud.
What to Expect:
- Deep dive into fraud detection, risk analytics, and compliance, real-world use cases powered by SAS Viya, the platform trusted by 90% of top global banks.
- Hands-on experience with SAS tools used by professionals
- Career opportunities through talent connection and development sessions
Whether you're looking to boost your career or get hands-on with AI in finance, this school delivers high-impact learning in just three days and there is no registration fee.
SAS Life Sciences
Analytics School for Students
Mark the dates July 22–23, 2025 and meet the experts and learn exciting stuff including how Agentic AI will play a role in the future of Life Sciences, and the importance of synthetic data to improve outcomes.
This event is specifically designed to help equip the next generation of data scientists and analysts with critical skills needed for careers in clinical research and healthcare analytics.
Why should learning SAS matter to students?
- SAS is globally trusted, and underpins global life science and healthcare sectors
- 90% of the top life sciences companies rely on SAS to derive actionable insights, improve patient outcomes, and streamline clinical processes
- SAS Proficiency significantly increases opportunity for meaningful careers in this sector.
This year we will offer a hybrid attendance, with a face to face experience available at University of Cambridge and online to students from across our EMEA region. Attendance of the event is free of charge.
SAS Educate:
Level Up Your Summer Learning
Join us July 21–24, 2025 (each day from 5 p.m. CET), for SAS Educate – a free, virtual event created for college and university faculty passionate about AI and analytics education. Connect with fellow educators, industry professionals, and SAS experts as we explore emerging topics like generative AI, ethical innovation, and the evolving role of analytics in the classroom. Discover best practices in curriculum development, gain hands-on experience with SAS tools, and be among the first to try the new SAS Viya-powered version of Cortex, our interactive simulation game. A Pre-Conference Cortex workshop is one hour on Monday from 4 p.m CET. View the agenda and register now!
May 2025
See the highlight topics of this month.
Earlier in May, SAS hosted its global conference - SAS Innovate, where some of you were recognized for your outstanding contributions. Thank you for inspiring us and the broader SAS community. You can find all eight awarded Educators here.
While we can’t give an award to everyone, we truly believe that this recognition belongs to all of you who support SAS Academic Programs and play a key role in preparing the next generation of data professionals.
Over the next few weeks, SAS Innovate on Tour will be visiting various locations across the EMEA region. Find the event closest to you and we hope to meet you there.
SAS Educate 2025 - Registration now open!
Educators, mark your calendars – SAS Educate is back. Join us virtually July 21-24 to hear from SAS experts, educator peers and industry partners about the latest in AI and analytics education.
Whether you're new to integrating SAS in your curriculum, interested in emerging topics like generative AI and ethical innovation, or curious about talent connections and partnerships, SAS Educate is a flexible and engaging week (approx. 3 hours per day) designed to help you get the most out of SAS.
The full agenda will be announced soon. Register today to be the first to know!
2025 Curiosity Cup Winners Announced
Teams of students and their faculty advisors from around the world took part in the 2025 Curiosity Cup – an annual competition that empowers the next generation of analytics experts to explore, analyze and draw insights from data on topics that sparked their curiosity.
With record-breaking participation, our industry judges had their work cut out for them. Winning teams hailed from the Philippines, the United Kingdom and Italy. Congratulations to those who took top honors and every student and educator who took part!
Check out the list of winners and watch their videos to see their creativity and skills in action.
April 2025
See the highlight topics of this month.
We’re always inspired by the academic excellence you help shape and we’d love to hear from you.
If you’re aware of a standout final thesis, capstone project, or dissertation by your students from 2024, or one currently in progress that explores a topic of broader interest, we invite you to share it with us. If the work has received special recognition or an award at your institution, even better! We’d be excited to read it and potentially interview the student to help share their insights more widely.
Wishing you all the best in your ongoing work, we truly appreciate our collaboration.
We look forward to reconnecting with you through the SAS Educator Connection newsletter again in May.
New in the Academic Portals:
Guided Demos
Our academic learning portals continue to be your go-to resource for ready-to-use teaching and learning assets. Check out the latest additions: three guided demos that show you and your students how quickly you can go from data to insights, with data you’ve never seen before.
- Unpacking Customer Experience using Yelp Reviews
- Leveraging ChatGPT to get started with SAS Coding
- I Spy with My Little Eye: Open-Source Code in my SAS Model Studio Project!
Access these materials through the Classroom Activities section of the SAS Educator Portal. Students will find it in the Practice Activities section of SAS Skill Builder for Students.
On Demand: An introduction to SAS Global Academic Programs
Watch on-demand to learn how we in SAS support analytics teaching and learning in higher education. This 90-minute recording walks you through the many resources we provide and how we can help you meet your objectives. If there’s a part you’re not interested in, feel free to skip it — our goal is to give you a quick and up-to-date overview of what’s available.
March 2025
See the highlight topics of this month.
March and April are the months when we celebrate books in majority of EMEA countries.
Books and reading are essential to higher education, serving as key tools for gaining in-depth knowledge and developing critical thinking skills.
Did you know that educators can receive free copies of SAS related books for review? You can request up to two free evaluation copies per semester. These e-books are available in PDF format. Learn more about how to request your copies here.
One of the featured authors, Gerhard Svolba, will be in Vienna, Austria on April 10th, where he will share his experience with SAS and teaching alongside educators mainly from Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria. If you are interested in learning more about this event or would like to get some handouts from his presentations, feel free to reach out.
Getting Started with SAS Viya Workbench for Learners
This step-by-step video tutorial makes it easy for you and your students to dive into our latest offering – SAS Viya Workbench for Learners – a free, on-demand, cloud computing environment. Follow along with Dominique as she walks through the platform’s key features, helping you and your students develop programming skills and build models with ease. Share this resource with your students to help them get comfortable using Viya Workbench for Learners and enhance their learning experience.
On-demand webinar: Transitioning From SAS® Enterprise Miner™ to SAS® Viya® for Learners
Not to worry if you missed our recent the webinar, Transitioning from SAS Enterprise Miner to SAS Viya for Learners. Catch it on-demand and learn about Viya for Learners, a full suite of cloud-based software that supports the entire analytics life cycle. Hear about the software’s benefits as well as available training and curriculum support resources. Access the recording anytime.
February 2025
See the highlight topics of this month.
You have probably heard about SAS Viya Workbench for Learners and you might be curious about what it can do for you and your students, right?
In this February newsletter, we want to shed more light on this new tool that SAS introduced last year. We’re excited about its potential, but we’re even more interested in hearing what you think. Have you tried it? Do you find it useful? Would you like more training or support? We’d love to get your feedback and learn how we can make it even more helpful for you.
Watch this introductory webinar about SAS Viya Workbench for Learners
The webinar recording is now available to watch at your convenience. Discover how SAS Viya Workbench for Learners provides a free, flexible computing environment designed to help students and educators excel in data science, coding and AI model building. It supports both SAS and Python, giving you the flexibility to teach in a way that works best for your classroom.
Get Hands-on experience with SAS Viya Workbench for Learners
If you're looking to dive deeper into SAS Viya Workbench for Learners, join our enablement sessions to expand your knowledge. Register for the webinar on March 6th or watch the January one as on-demand.
SAS® Viya® Workbench for Learners Contest
If you haven’t checked out SAS Viya Workbench for Learners, now is the perfect time. Not only will you discover our latest free technology, you and your students can win great prizes. Visit our contest webpage, complete a brief entry form and register for Viya Workbench for Learners. That’s it. One student and one educator will win their choice of three tech prizes. The winning educator will also receive free admission to SAS Innovate 2025! Enter through March 1.
January 2025
See the highlight topics of this month.
In 2025, we look forward to being again your partner in learning and research with SAS. In our monthly newsletter, you'll find valuable tips, resources, and the latest updates for the academic sector. If there's a specific topic you'd like to hear more about, please let us know, and we'll include it in our editorial plan.
We are excited about our collaboration and wish you all the best.
SAS Seasonal Schools in 2025 - all dates available
We have all the dates for the 2025 SAS Seasonal Schools, with one event for each season of the year! These virtual two-day sessions have been empowering educators and students for the past four years, with thousands of attendees benefiting from hands-on learning and inspiration in analytics and data science.
Each Seasonal School introduces you to the Analytics Life Cycle – a way to work with data, that covers the entire process from data preparation, data discovery, to deployment. Everything will be centered around the SAS® Visual Analytics software, accessed from our SAS® Skill Builder for Students platform. On the platform you’ll have free access to SAS software, extensive training materials, e-learning courses and documentation - even after the course.
Educators, this is an opportunity to book your place and also invite your students to join whether you're looking to enhance your teaching practices or help your students gain critical analytics skills. There is no registration fee.
Serving Up Insights: Analyzing Tennis Earnings With SAS Visual Analytics
Look no further than our academic learning portals for a ready-to-use sports analytics project for the classroom. Using SAS Visual Analytics, students will build interactive dashboards to analyze tennis players' earnings and uncover compensation patterns. This exercise enhances data visualization and analytical skills while also preparing students for real-world applications in sports analytics.
Access these materials through the Classroom Activities section of the SAS Educator Portal (after sign-in, check the panel on the right-hand side). Students will find it in the Practice Activities section of SAS Skill Builder for Students.
- 2024 -
December 2024
See the highlight topics of this month.
As we close out 2024, we want to express our gratitude for your support and cooperation throughout the year.
Looking ahead to 2025, we remain committed to bridging the gap in workforce development and creating opportunities for the next generation through talent connection activities.
We are excited to highlight also resources for your students interested in building their careers in analytics within SAS. In April 2025, we will be offering internships in various roles across different countries. Feel free to share the CareerStart@SAS webpage with your students so they can check out all the opportunities waiting for them.
We wish you joyful festive days and a wonderful start to the New Year!
Meet SAS Viya Workbench for Learners
Get ready to transform your teaching and empower your students with SAS Viya Workbench for Learners! This free, cloud-based modeling and development environment provides all the flexibility and power you need to teach data science and coding, offering seamless integration with popular tools like GitHub, VS Code, and Jupyter Notebook/Lab. Whether your students prefer SAS or Python code, they'll have the freedom to analyze data and build models in a dynamic environment – helping them learn faster and tackle real-world projects with ease.
Students are Invited to Explore Data, Find Answers, and Build Confidence
Encourage your students (and you as an Educator are also invited) to kick-start their data journey with the SAS Project-Based Learner Series, Jan. 13-17! The workshops are scheduled from 1:00 to 3:00 PM EST, which corresponds to 7:00 to 9:00 PM Central European Time (CET). This free, five-day series is designed to help students dive into data exploration with SAS, guiding them through essential topics like:
- Getting Started With Data and SAS.
- Exploring Data Through Visualizations.
- Data Wrangling and Descriptive Statistics.
- Basics of Machine Learning Models.
- Interactive Display of Insights.
This series is perfect for students who want to learn best practices for answering research questions while gaining hands-on experience. No data? No problem. SAS will provide datasets to work with. Share this opportunity to help your students build foundational skills in data analytics!
November 2024
See the highlight topics of this month.
We’re nearing the end of the year, and it’s time for the second-to-last edition of our monthly newsletter, made just for you—Educators who use SAS in teaching and research.
We’ve added a fresh post to our dedicated website featuring highlights from the recent SAS Viya for Learners training. You might also be interested in our previous posts, where we’ve featured interviews with some of you, diving into the topics that matter and can inspire others in the community. We’re excited to keep sharing more with you in the new year! Explore SAS Powered Educators website.
If you missed last month’s update about the Curiosity Cup, a global SAS student competition, you can quickly catch up here.
Enjoy the read, and let’s continue to inspire curiosity together!
Building impactful reports in SAS Visual Analytics
Are your students ready to take their report-building skills to the next level with SAS Visual Analytics? Our six-part series of SAS Communities articles is packed with practical tips and tricks to help them create reports that truly stand out. From drafting a clear plan to selecting the right charts, focusing attention on key insights, and testing reports for functionality and design, these articles cover the essentials of report-building. The first post in the series dives into the importance of planning your report to ensure it delivers meaningful insights and visual impact.
SAS recognized as a top programming language for jobs
SAS was ranked #5 in IEEE Spectrum's 2024 Top Programming Languages Jobs ranking, which measures employer demand. This ranking reinforces the value of incorporating SAS into analytics curricula and emphasizes its relevance alongside other major languages like Python and SQL. IEEE Spectrum is the flagship publication of the IEEE, the world’s largest professional organization dedicated to engineering and applied sciences.
October 2024
See the highlight topics of this month.
Welcome to the October issue! The semester is in full swing, and with it comes the exciting return of The Curiosity Cup—a competition we’re thrilled to spotlight this month. Building on the success of past years, we’ve seen how this event makes a meaningful impact on everyone involved: students, educators, judges, and us at SAS. Why is it worth your attention? How does it help shape the next generation of data science talent?
Take a moment to reflect on last year’s competition with this article, which beautifully captures its spirit: The Curiosity Cup: Nurturing Tomorrow’s Data Science Talents.
Enjoy the read, and let’s continue to inspire curiosity together!
Exploring data uploads in SAS® Viya® for Learners
Do you have data you want to upload into SAS Viya for Learners? Let us help. Check out the SAS Communities article for eight – yes, eight – different ways to go about it. You'll find steps and screenshots for each option, making the process a breeze no matter which option you choose.
Help students stand out with applied learning
Our customers tell us that when they review early-career candidates for employment opportunities, applied learning experiences often differentiate individuals. The Curiosity Cup, our global student data competition, offers your students the perfect hands-on learning experience. The experience fosters teamwork, develops skills and showcases analytical prowess. And the jury members are real-life data scientists and consultants.
Plan to make The Curiosity Cup part of your curriculum and give your students a competitive edge. Registration opens Dec. 1, and the competition runs through April 2025.
September 2024
Check out our new home for teaching and learning resources!
We've migrated the SAS Educator Portal to a new learning platform. Enjoy the same great features – free software, instructional resources and digital learning – with a modern, user-friendly experience. SAS Skill Builder for Students is also on the new platform.
If you have accessed the SAS Educator Portal in the last 12 months, you're already registered in the new platform. You can access your content and learning progress on the legacy learning environment until Jan. 31, 2025. If you're not registered, now's the perfect time to explore how SAS can help you and your students turn data into intelligence.
Please, note you do not have to register for SAS Skill Builder for Students as you can access it throough your SAS Educator Portal easily.
For all the details and to learn what this means for you and your students, visit our FAQ page.
Have questions about SAS certification?
Check out the new SAS certification FAQ for answers to the most commonly asked questions about earning an industry-recognized SAS certification.
From exam scheduling to accessing score reports and certificates to claiming badges, everything you need to know is in this SAS Communities resource. You'll also find contact information for the SAS certification support team and Pearson VUE, our third-party partner for exam scheduling, payment and delivery.
July 2024
See the highlight topics of this month.
There's never been a better time to use SAS Viya for Learners
Whether you're a longtime SAS Viya for Learners user or the software is new to you, you're going to want to explore the latest just-released version. What makes it great?
For starters:
- Improved performance.
- Fresh look and intuitive interface.
- Expanded open source integration.
New users will go right to the newest version after signing up. Existing users have automatically been enrolled and will have the new version available to them upon sign-in. If you still need access to the previous version, you will find a link on the Viya for Learners launch page after you log in.
You and your students can use the previous version until Aug. 28.
Explore AI in the Life Sciences Industry
Join us for the SAS Life Sciences Analytics School from August 26-28, 2024 (3 mornings), open to all enthusiasts of AI, Data Science and Business Analytics.
Invite your students and dive into the Life Sciences industry, gaining hands-on experience with SAS on specific use cases.
Discover exciting career opportunities through expert-led sessions and interactive workshops. Enhance your skills and knowledge in this dynamic field.
The agenda and speaker information are now available on our website.
June 2024
See the highlight topics of this month.
SAS Educate set to deliver inspiration and opportunity
The agenda for SAS Educate, a free virtual learning week July 22-25, is taking shape, and we know you'll find sessions that inspire and inform you no matter what you teach or where you are in your SAS journey.
Topics include:
- Responsible innovation and trustworthy AI.
- Applied learning opportunities and data competitions.
- Transitioning to SAS® Viya® for Learners 4.
- Panels featuring educator award recipients and the SAS HBCU+ Fellows.
- Skills disruption in analytics careers.
- Data storytelling in SAS Visual Analytics.
- Industry and talent connections.
- And much more!
Speakers will include SAS experts, educator peers and industry partners. Join us and discover all that SAS has to offer educators.
3-hour sessions start each day at 5 pm Central European Time (11 am EDT).
SAS makes it easy to find the right book for your class
Looking for texts to use in your classroom? Whether you're diving into the world of statistics, exploring the nuances of visual analytics or delving into advanced SQL techniques, we've got you covered with free copies for educators to review.
Instructors at accredited academic institutions get up to two free evaluation copies per semester. E-books are available in PDF format.
Read more and learn how to request your copies in the latest SAS Communities article.