Concretely the discussion touched upon examples such as the currently debated reform of the EU copyright directive where open access principles are at stake, the EU blue card, an instrument to facilitate mobility of highly skilled labour or the new skills agenda, including measures to foster digital skills provision, an important means to foster open minds. Participants agreed that while openness was an important principle for research, education and the economy, a careful discussion should take place on the limits of openness, for instance with regard to data from patients or minors and in the area of defence. The same applies to openness in the sense of the free flow of talents which also bears the danger of brain drain, further disadvantaging certain regions and creating knowledge deserts. The importance of investment, both in research and education infrastructure, was mentioned in this connection. More...

On 10-12 September 2017, EUA participated in the 11th Annual Strategic Leaders Global Summit on Graduate Education, a high-level global dialogue event held at the Alyeska Resort in Alaska and organised by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS). The CGS represents universities and colleges engaged in graduate education and research in the United States. EUA has collaborated with the CGS for a number of years, notably in the framework of its Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE). More...

The Institutional Evaluation Programme (IEP) is preparing for a busy programme of activities in the coming academic year, during which it will complete the evaluations of 21 higher education institutions in seven different countries. Following IEP’s context driven approach, each institution will be evaluated against its own mission and goals by a team of international peers consisting of current and former rectors and vice-rectors, higher education professionals and students from across Europe. More...

Together with the European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA), EUA organises a seminar entitled “Higher education cooperation for development and sustainable development goals: meeting global and regional challenges”. The seminar will be hosted by MEP Bogdan Brunon Wenta, and will take place on 18 October (14.30 – 16.30) at the European Parliament in Brussels. More...

In the field of higher education, priority will be given to actions and projects that tackle “skills gaps and mismatches”, support the development of graduate tracking systems in programme countries, and enhance the quality of teaching, in particular by supporting the use of digital technologies. Among others, initiatives that aim to contribute to transnational teacher training courses and promote excellence in teaching and skills development, will also be prioritised. Also high on the agenda are projects intended to build inclusive higher education systems connected to surrounding communities, and those ensuring that universities and research institutes contribute to innovation. More...

EUA welcomes this general pledge for a strong and united Europe, but is convinced that Europe can only meet these ambitions and tackle major societal challenges, such as climate change and migration, through a considerable boost of research and education. In the context of changing labour markets, it is furthermore not possible to envisage a free trading Europe of strong industries without thinking about how Europeans are trained to harness globalisation. Universities play an important role in this regard and this is why a continued dialogue between institutions as well as policy-makers and the society at large is needed to tackle those challenges together. More...

The priority given to the topic can be seen in the training schemes made available to professors, which depend also on the budgets provided by government and allocated within the university. Priority can also be seen in the strategic steps taken by government and universities, and how these are communicated. For example, if a university decides to put resources on flipped classrooms, this demonstrates its strategic will. More...

The first online event on 4 October 2017 at 16.15 will focus on an “Introduction to legal concepts regarding refugee scholars and students”, with the purpose to clarify legal and social concepts such as refugee, asylum seeker, migrant, subsidiary protected etc., as the proper understanding of these terminologies and their implications for higher education access are an essential base to work with this group of people. More...

The EUA Council for Doctoral Education is pleased to invite its members (please consult the directory in case of doubt) to make a presentation at the 11th EUA-CDE Thematic Workshop,“The Impact and Outcomes of Doctoral Education Reform in Europe”. The event will be hosted by the University of Malta on 18- 19 January 2018 in Valletta. More...

The 3rd Academic and Knowledge Summit: Towards the construction of a Euro-Latin American and Caribbean common space of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, is taking place in the framework of the structured cooperation between the Heads of State and Government of the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), in which higher education, research, technology and innovation have been assigned particular priority. More...