Common challenges – Different responses Higher Education Trends in Latin America and Europe

Thursday 3 November 2011, San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Conference organised in the framework of the EU-funded EU-STEP project under the Erasmus Mundus programme.
Context
In the context of internationalisation and innovation, higher education institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean must join forces to articulate effective responses to contribute to the development of countries in the region, both in economic terms and in terms of equity and access.  Creating the foundations for common areas of cooperation in these two areas is linked to strategic concerns for the second decade of this century.
Significant progress has been made with the work of the International Congress on Education of the Americas (CAIE) (in the field of internationalisation) and with the Second Dialogue of Ministers and High Authorities of Science and Technology in Latin America 2011 (the main priorities are among others the implementation of policies in terms of doctoral programmes and the training of qualified innovation staff).  Both initiatives require universities to adapt to a changing society.  They require a dynamic attitude to transform knowledge so that it can make a strong added-valued to social, economic and cultural developments.
European policies and programmes in higher education and research are at the core of Europe’s attempts to become a smart, dynamic and sustainable competitive economy in the Knowledge Society. Over the past decade these policies have resulted in higher education undergoing major transformation with the well-known Bologna Process, the Modernisation Agenda and the more recent Transparency Agenda, as well as with the Lisbon Strategy now succeeded by the EU2020 Strategy). Such changes demonstrate the emergence of a dynamic European environment, building on the diversity of Europe’s many national systems.
Key themes and expected outcome
The conference will focus on the two main themes of internationalisation and innovation.  The issues will be discussed from the perspective of the various realities of Latin America and Europe. New opportunities for practical cooperation between the European and Latin American higher education institutions, which may developed in the medium term with the new EU programs in education (Education Europe) and research (Horizon 2020), will be analyzed.
Internationalisation
In Europe the Bologna Process has significantly contributed to degree transparency across the sector and increased mobility from students and academics.  The ECTS (European Credit Transfer System), the Diploma supplement, national qualifications frameworks and quality assurance agencies have become major tools for the development of a successful European Higher Education Area. Worldwide the international impact of the Bologna Process is increasing rapidly and the Tuning initiative (www.unideusto.org/tuningeu) is now being tried in pilot projects in the US, Australia, Russia and Latin America. 
At the level of higher education institutions, all over the world internationalisation has become a core feature.  There is the need to integrate an international dimension in a coherent strategic profile, strategic processes and operations, as well as in the delivery of education and research. Internationalization of higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean is characterized by a wide variety of different contexts.  In the last decade, efforts have been made with mixed results, which have nevertheless made it possible to encourage discussions on the need to define common quality criteria and accreditation, to stimulate the mobility of managers, students, academics and researchers, to train PhD students, encourage part time PhDs and the joint supervision of PhDs as well as the development of doctoral schools.  Working with benchmarks for  internationalization and developing the capacity of key players to define institutional internationalisation strategies has become of paramount importance.
It is in this context that the initiative of establishing the foundations of an inter-American internationalization space (CAIE) has arisen, which among others aims to share models and consolidate experiences and opportunities for joint projects, with the support of specialized associations and various university networks at national or regional level.
The presentations will focus on:
- Policies, programmes and initiatives in Europe and Latin America to support higher education institutions with their internationalization strategies
- Impacts on higher education institutions in terms of current performance assessment, management and implementation of policies or institutional strategies for internationalization.  Examples of case studies will be provided.   
Innovation
Innovation is at the core of the European EU2020 Strategy to make Europe a strong player in the global Knowledge economy.  National governments are calling for universities to respond to national innovation policies by acting as a major driver for economic growth and competitiveness, urging them to respond more proactively to the needs of Society through knowledge transfer, a better preparation of graduates for the world of work and taking on board the needs to up skilling the workforce.   
At the level of higher education institutions, engaging in (regional) innovation requires clear strategy and organizational changes to support the innovation process.
The university as a knowledge generator and disseminator plays potentially a key role in innovation, which will reach its exponential value through articulation and interaction with other social actors in a political and productive level, which are essential to overcome the challenges imposed. In this context, only a small group of institutions of higher education in Latin America has been able to generate successful innovation environments (technological poles, cities of knowledge, business incubators and scientific and technological parks) to stimulate these processes. Also, in certain Latin American countries progress at public level on issues related to regulatory frameworks, capacity building, policy design and allocation of financial resources, among others has taken place.
Taking into account the lack of results in the region in terms of progress with innovation, 19 Ministers of  Science, Technology and Innovation and High Authorities in Latin America and the Caribbean, defined in Guanajuato (MX) in March 2011 six lines of action related to: Coordination of Public Policies in Science, Technology and Innovation; Survey on competencies and training needs in human resources; pilot programmes in priority areas; Survey on Regional and Sub-Regional Platforms; Surveys in Infrastructure in Science, Technology and Innovation; and Internationalisation of Science, Technology and Innovation. In addition, six major areas of work were defined: Climate Change, Health, Biotechnology applied to Health and Industry, Food Security, Energy and Biodiversity.
In this context, higher education institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean need to professionalize their human resources and define joint strategies to respond to the current challenges and demands in innovation, which should in turn be accompanied by the creation of an Inter-American area for cooperation.