EURASHE 21st Annual Conference in Nice March, 31 – April, 1 2011

Growing research brings professional higher education outputs closer to important practical applications
EURASHE 21st Annual Conference in Nice to Examine Expanding Field of Professionally Oriented Programmes in Higher Education, March, 31 – April, 1 2011,  at the Institut Universitaire de Technologie Nice in partnership with ADIUT-France.
The Conference is traditionally a meeting of EURASHE’s individual and associate members, outside experts from a range of academic fields and stakeholders to construct a unique range of educational experiences of relevance to professionals from all geographical regions and sectors of European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and from outside the EHEA.
"This year's conference is particularly important for professional higher education," said conference co-organizer and the Vice-President of l'ADIUT Philippe PIERROT. "The IUTs (Instituts Universitaires de Technologie), which form an integrated part of the university system, focus on the professionally oriented programmes in France. These technological and commercial tracks within the university system, contribute to regional development and applied research. One of the peculiarities of the IUTs is well-developed co-operation with other ‘regions’ in the world, such as Latin America, Africa and Asia. In addition to the growth in basic research activities related to professionally oriented programmes, we are also looking at the main features of ‘professionally oriented mobility’ outside the EHEA, with examples from the experience of the French IUTs, and other member associations of EURASHE, so as to give a varied picture of mobility in professional and vocational contexts. We would also like to underline the role which technological higher education plays in the policies of town and country planning and as tool mattering from accession in higher education for strata less favoured by society”.
Over the next decade, European Professional Higher Education is expected to undergo a profound change because of the “Europe 2020 Strategy”. The two tracks of the conference will provide the input for some of the topics in EURASHE’s planned Bologna 2020 publication, based on “EURASHE’s Ten Commitments for the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) in 2020 – Visions & Strategies”.
The conference will cover the topic of European Mobility in the global context, and the special role of professional Higher Education: higher interest in applied research, synergies through innovative role of placements; factors and conditions influencing the mobility flows and the position of the individual institution on the global market.
Mr.Delplace, Secretary General of EURASHE, underlined that EURASHE would in this upcoming 21st conference pay attention to the unique position of one of its member organisations and compare their achievements to other models in European Higher Education. It will also be an outstanding occasion for EURASHE to develop and present its own involvement in a recently approved Erasmus Mundus project, in the Caribbean Islands, where there is a broad spectrum of professionally oriented institutions and programmes.
In the margin of the conference, a ‘mini-seminar’ will offer to participating heads of institutions and of faculties, quality assurance coordinators and stakeholders in QA, the possibility to give their feedback on the “Implementation of the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance on an institutional level”, an EU funded project.