(Wuhan, 4 December 2012) The 7th International Conference on Scientometrics and University Ranking was held in Huazhong Nornal University, Wuhan, China. There were 10 conference reports and 2 forums. Professor Ronald Rousseau, President of ISSI, addressed the latest research on Big data and Informetrics. Professor Chen Daren from Taiwan University described problems in the application of H-index and developed an integrated index to evaluate performance of institutes. Citation network model made by Price in the early years was modified and improved. Also Zipf’s law and some other related topics were presented in the conference. As to the application of Scientometrics theories, Dr. Yue Weiping from Thomson Routers introduced the Consult Service Platform. Some scholars used bibliometrics methods to analyze various aspects of National Natural Science Foundation and National Social Science Foundation. Scientometrics research collaboration and other topics were addressed as well.
Scientometrics theories are widely used in evaluation practice and University Ranking has gained more and more attention worldwide. Chief director Phil Baty from The Times, representatives from Taiwan University and Professor Zhao Rongying from RCCSE addressed their ranking methodology and results on World-Class University Ranking respectively. By comparing the different indicator system and the weight allocation, different insights on World-Class Universities can be obtained. However, as Professor Huang Mu-hsuan concluded, great universities perform well in all aspects. Scholars in the conference also studied evaluation methods on scientific innovation and many other aspects.
The biannual International Conference on Scientometrics and University Ranking provides a communication platform for worldwide scholars and practitioners who are interested in Scientometrics research and University Ranking. It has attracted scholars from five continents and yielded great impact on the development of both the Scientometrics studies and University Ranking practice.
Conference Website: http://icsue.nseac.com/indexE.html.

By Paul Kniest (NTEU National Office). The Australian Governemnt today released the results of the 2012 ERA exercise.  The results show that both the volume and quality of reserach being undertaken at Australian universities increased signficantly between 2010 and 2012.  The Union's initial response can be downlaoded here.
NTEU Congratulates Australia’s World Class University Researchers
The world class work of Australia’s university researchers was recognised in today’s release of the results of the 2012 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) National Report, says the National Tertiary Education Union.
The Report found that the number of disciplines that perform at and above world standard has doubled, and confirmed that the government’s increased investment in competitive grants funding is facilitating world ranking research.
Sounding a note of caution on the ERA however, NTEU National President Jeannie Rea, said that following two comprehensive assessments of university research outputs in 2010 and 2012, it is time to take stock and review the effects the ERA. We need to understand how the ERA is influencing institutional behaviour, the kinds of research being undertaken and the impacts upon research career development.
Rea noted that it was no surprise that the 2012 ERA results demonstrated that research productivity and quality are on the rise with the number of research ‘outputs’ evaluated increasing by 24% since 2010, along with a 5% increase in full-time equivalent staff engaged in research.
“Australia is getting very good value for its investment in university research which is something to celebrate, but we need to be cautious of becoming besotted with ERA itself. It is the quality research that contributes to our future economic and social prosperity, not the instrument for the measurement of research quality.” Rea said.
“A review should also focus upon the capacity of researchers to undertake and pursue research in accordance with the principles of intellectual freedom.” Rea explained.
“The international literature is telling us that there is a point where the efficiency dividends derived from performance-based assessment and funding, such as through the ERA, can only be achieved at the expense of institutional autonomy and intellectual freedom. The danger is that research, in some areas, will be undervalued and discouraged.
“The NTEU is calling for a review and evaluation of ERA’s cost-effectiveness and its broader ramifications for the research community, before the 2015 round.”
Rea said that the NTEU has undertaken a qualitative evaluation of the impacts of the ERA assessment process within universities, the results of which will be released in early 2013.
Media comment:
Jeannie Rea, NTEU National President: 0434 609 531 jrea@nteu.org.au,
Paul Kniest, Policy and Research Coordinator: 0418 170 622 pkniest@nteu.org.au.

In this respect, the Communication emphasises at several instances the importance of languages. In a world of international exchanges, the ability to speak foreign languages is a factor for competitiveness. Languages are more and more important to increase levels of employability and mobility of young people.

The University Industry Innovation Network and the VU University Amsterdam will jointly host the “2013 University-Industry Interaction Conference”, the international meeting platform for university-industry interaction. From the 27th till the 29th of May 2013 Amsterdam will be the place where theory meets practice.
Inviting all those active in the field, both from academia and practice, to jointly share knowledge and open up discussions on the interaction between industry and universities.
The conference will be an international discussion forum for researchers and practitioners evolving around topics such as knowledge transfer, entrepreneurship, intellectual property, the entrepreneurial university, innovation and university-business cooperation.
We are now calling for abstracts for papers, presentations, workshops, tracks and posters on the themes of the conference. We would like to encourage you to submit abstracts of conceptually or empirically focused proposals as well as insights from industry. All papers will be double-blind reviewed and published in the conference proceedings. In addition, all papers compete for publication in one of the associated journals.
The abstracts can be submitted till the 17th of December 2012. For more information please visit the call details page.
We look forward to welcoming you in Amsterdam!

By Allen Ezell, retired FBI Agent. Dishonest acts by persons in positions of trust in academia are few and far between, but when they do occur, they send shock waves throughout the profession. Disclosure of internal fraud at an institution affects the good name of that institution, and it will take many, many years to regain the public’s trust. So what can you do to protect your admissions office from fraud?
Fraud, regrettably, can come from within your admissions office. Some examples of inside fraud include an incident at Touro College, New York City where several office officials accepted bribes from students to alter grades, and sold university diplomas and records to non-students. This fraud was reported, investigated, and involved students and outside ‘buyers’, with several degrees being rescinded, and several employees being arrested and convicted.
Another incident occurred at Southern University, Baton Rouge, LA. For eight years, an admissions officer was paid by students to change 541 grades, and alter their records. Best estimates are that over 2500 individual grades were affected. Degrees to 10 persons were revoked, 27 more lost credits, and institution employees were arrested. Read more...

The HEA is funding a workshop to guide academic promotion policy and practice in both the UK and Australia.
The benchmarking workshop takes place at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) and will bring together leading academics from Newcastle University, the University of Leicester, the University of Wollongong and UTAS.
The four institutions involved will be able to share information on and compare promotion policies and processes, as well as staff perceptions of promotion. It will develop a benchmarking framework to be shared at the Universities Australian Higher Education Conference in Canberra in February 2013 and at a UK conference in April.
Professor David Sadler, UTAS' Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students and Learning), said: "This project builds on a HEA report in 2009 on reward and recognition and internationally recognised work at the University of Wollongong.
"The process includes the development of a self-review template with performance indicators and measures which can be applied across the higher education sector, national and internationally.
"The ultimate aim is to produce the resources to underpin the recognition of teaching as core to the assurance of standards in higher education."
Dr Jeanne Keay, Head of International Strategy at the Higher Education Academy, said: "Recognition of teaching excellence is at the heart of the HEA's work and the opportunity here to share our experience and learn from other models is important in taking a dynamic approach to further developing promotion policy and practice."
Professor Annette Cashmore from the University of Leicester is the UK project leader and Dr Chris Cane (Leicester) and Professors Stephen McHanwell and Sue Robson (Newcastle University) are also team members.
The external evaluator is Dorothy Whittington, Emeritus Professor, University of Ulster.
Seven UK and eight Australian universities are represented on the two international advisory groups. The UK international advisory group includes the HEA's Dr Jeanne Keay, Prof Gavin Brooks (University of Reading), Prof Mick Healey (Gloucestershire), Prof Janice Kay (Exeter), Prof Dai Hounsell (Edinburgh), Prof Allison Littlejohn (Glasgow Calendonia University) and Prof Nick Lieven (Bristol).

Thank you all for participating in EUCIS-LLL’s Lifelong Learning Week
The LifeLong Learning Week is now over and EUCIS-LLL wishes to deeply thank all its members for organising and attending its events as well as all participants for their presence and contribution to the discussions. Staffan Nilsson, EESC President, reminded the importance of lifelong learning and of civil society at our cocktail reception. This year’s edition took place from 26-29 November 2012 under the title: “Rethinking skills: A civil society perspective”. Find the pictures of all events as well as the presentations online!

I would be honoured if your organisation could respond to this survey. The objective is to identify the state of play of the implementation of ERA and the areas where progress is both possible and necessary. It is important that all organisations involved in Research and Innovation contribute to the survey to ensure that the results accurately reflect the situation on the ground in each country. Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science
Research organisations and research funders are crucial for the daily implementation of the European Research Area (ERA).
Through this survey
The European Commission seeks to identify existing practices, needs and barriers where organisations believe further action is needed in order to complete a single market for researchers, knowledge and technology. The results will be aggregated at national level to reflect the overall state of play in each country. Data collected will not, in any circumstances, be used to report back at organisational level.
Download the questionnaire
The survey has been designed to accommodate different organisational profiles. Please select the relevant questionnaire according to the profile of your organisation:

• Organisation and/or agency that funds research or allocates research funding:
  EN (2.02MB) | FR (1.92MB) | DE (1.65MB)
• Organisation that funds and performs research:
  EN (3.30MB) | FR (2.78MB) | DE (2.89MB)
• Organisation that performs research:
  EN (2.07MB) | FR (2.22MB) | DE (2.23MB)

ANSWER THE SURVEY ON-LINE   EN | FR | DE

You will need a code to answer the survey. If you have not received a code or you have any questions about the survey, please contact DG Research and Innovation at RTD-ERA-SURVEY-2012@ec.europa.eu
The survey will be active until the 25 January 2013
The questionnaire addresses different aspects of ERA, requiring the contribution of different departments or units within your organisation (e.g. Human Resources and Information Technology departments). Therefore, it is advisable to download and distribute the questionnaire prior to filling it in online. The European Commission would like to thank your organisation in advance for participating in the survey. It is an essential action to better understand the state of play concerning the ERA priorities.
Useful Links
ERA survey glossary
ERA Communication - A Reinforced European Research Area Partnership for Excellence and Growth: BG CS DA DE ET EL EN ES FR IT LV LT HU MT NL PL PT RO SK SL FI SV
European Research Council (ERC)
The principles for innovative doctoral training 
The 2010 ESFRI roadmap
Structured innovative doctoral training programmes apply the principles for innovative doctoral training.
The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers
Euraxess.

Europe has many hundreds of higher education institutions, renowned as centres of excellence around the world. However, higher education systems have traditionally been formulated at the national level. Increasing European integration is changing that, with the development of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) helping to reinforce the attractiveness of higher education in Europe.
The EHEA is a region with a world-class knowledge base and cutting-edge research facilities in internationally-renowned centres of excellence. This is what attracts hundreds of thousands of foreign students each year to study in Europe.
Increasing mobility and links between national higher education systems serve to reinforce this attraction. Foreign students coming to Europe can see for themselves the amazing diversity available to them (both inside and outside the university), while taking advantage of the smooth transferability of coursework, qualifications and research opportunities.