BRIDGE - Best Recognition Instruments for the Dialogue between Global Experts

FINAL CONFERENCE  MALTA 18th/19th OCTOBER 2012
Download the programme - List of participants
Thursday 18 October 2012
BRIDGE project: presentation of project activities - Luca Lantero (EM NS - Italy)
ENIC/NARIC networks: role and activities - Allan Bruun Pedersen (President of the ENIC network - ENIC-NARIC Denmark)
Erasmus Mundus National Structures (EM NSs): role and activities - Silvano Cristauro (EM NS - Malta)
Joint degrees and the Lisbon Recognition Convention - Carita Blomqvist (President of the Lisbon Recognition Convention Bureau - ENIC-NARIC Finland)
Quality assurance and joint programmes - Axel Aerden (JOQAR Project - NVAO: Accreditation Organisation of 
the Netherlands and Flanders)
Joint programmes require joint forces: the management aspect - Francesco Girotti (JOIMAN Project - University of Bologna)
European area of recognition manual (EAR): Practical guidelines for fair recognition of qualifications - Jenneke Lokhoff (EAR Manual - Nuffic - The Netherlands) BRIDGE project: presentation of project result
BRIDGE questionnaires (BRIDGE action 1, 2, 3)- Juan Carlos Parodi (EM NS - Spain)
Analysis of Erasmus Mundus case studies (BRIDGE action 4) - Leonor Santa Clara (EM NS - Portugal)
Study visits to ENIC and MERIC Centres (BRIDGE action 5) - Anastassia Knor (EM NS - Estonia)
Handbook on good practices in the recognition process (BRIDGE Action 6)- Luca Lantero (EM NS - Italy - NARIC Italia)

Friday 19 October 2012
Workshops and discussion on case studies (BRIDGE experiences): “Bridge Café”
1st Cafè: Creation phase - Anastassia Knor and Francesco Girotti
2nd Cafè: Selection phase - Giovanni Finocchietti and Allan Bruun Pedersen
3rd Cafè: Awarding phase - Luca Lantero and Carita Blomqvist
Beyond BRIDGE: ongoing cooperation among NS and other actors in Erasmus Mundus Action 3
Cluster on recognition of degrees and joint degrees- Dr. Edith Genser (EACEA - Head of Action 3 Erasmus Mundus)
INTERHED - The internationalisation of higher education. An on-line training course- Gerry O’Sullivan (EM NS - Ireland)
JDAZ - Joint degree from A to Z - Madalena Pereira (EM NS- The Netherlands)
INTERUV - Joint programmes - Facilitator for university internationalisation - Martina Friedrich (EM NS - Austria)

Who
- Erasmus Mundus National Structures
- ENIC and NARIC Centres
Aim
- Strengthen cooperation and facilitate the dialogue between the Network of Erasmus Mundus National Structures and the Network of NARIC and ENIC centres
- Increase awareness and knowledge about Joint courses and Join degrees, both in the framework of Erasmus Mundus and in the next generation of EU Programmes.

Bridge - Best Recognition Instruments for the Dialogue between Global Experts, is a project funded in the framework of Action 3 of the Erasmus Mundus Programme. Its main purpose is to strengthen cooperation among the Erasmus Mundus National Structures and the NARIC, ENIC and MERIC Centres.
Such an improvement emerges as a priority, considering the following two aspects: on the one hand, the need to establish Erasmus Mundus consortia to draft joint programmes and to provide for the award of the corresponding double, multiple or joint qualifications. On the other, the need to spread knowledge about the specific rules of the EM Programme among credential evaluation centres, in order to let them assess the qualifications issued by each consortium at best.
The goals of the Bridge Project are: - to enhance the dialogue between the Network of the Erasmus Mundus National Structures and the NARIC Centres;
- to establish a stable connection between the National Structures and the NARIC, ENIC and MERIC Centres;
- to assess and increase the ENIC and MERIC Centres’ level of knowledge about the Erasmus Mundus Programme;
- to provide practical tools and suggestions for the Erasmus Mundus consortia at the following stages: creation of joint programmes; assessment of the prospective candidates for Erasmus Mundus programmes; award of double, multiple and joint degrees by Erasmus Mundus consortia.
The five partners participating in the Bridge Project work both as Erasmus Mundus National Structures and as NARIC Centres:
PNC – Italia (project coordinator)
Kunsill Malti ghall Kwalifiki – Malta (project partner)
Ministério da Educaçao e Ciência - Direcção-Geral do Ensino Superior – Portugal (project partner) Sihtasutus Archimedes – Estonia (project partner)
Dirección General de Política Universitaria - Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte – Spain (project partner)
Description
The idea for the Bridge Project came after acknowledging that very often credential evaluation centres, such as the NARIC, ENIC and MERIC Centres, are not familiar with the specific elements of Erasmus Mundus joint courses and qualifications.
It was also observed that, in some EU countries, there only seem to be limited contact between the NSs and the NARIC Centres, because the two institutions are often run by different bodies. In other words, NSs have an in-depth knowledge of the EM Programme, while the NARIC Centres specialise in the different H.Ed. systems and in the evaluation of foreign qualifications, but they only rarely have the chance to share their knowledge and skills.
Looking at the situation outside the border of Europe, in the countries where there isn’t any Erasmus Mundus National Structure, we found very proactive credential evaluation centres: as in the case of the ENIC Centres (UNESCO European Region) and the MERIC ones (UNESCO Mediterranean Region). In fact, they both are potential evaluators of Erasmus Mundus qualifications, since EM students might also come from ENIC and MERIC countries.
These are the reasons why, it was crucial to involve in the project counterparts working both as EM National Structures and NARIC Centres, as the five partners of the BRIDGE project (Estonia, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain) actually do.