Annexes to COM(2017)247 - Renewed EU agenda for higher education

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dossier COM(2017)247 - Renewed EU agenda for higher education.
document COM(2017)247 EN
date May 30, 2017
agreements that set out agreed goals individual HEIs will achieve in return for public funds. Although initial results of these activities are promising, defining appropriately broad indicators to measure progress is a challenge.

In addition to structural measures in the overall funding system, some countries are introducing targeted incentives to improve particular aspects of higher education. To increase the prestige and rewards associated with good teaching, some have introduced new forms of teaching fellowship and frameworks for teaching excellence. Other initiatives aim to strengthen the relationship between teaching and research by better integrating quality frameworks and funding systems. 30 Funding initiatives have also been used to build links between HEIs and outside partners, promote research-based teaching, support inter-disciplinary education and research and bring practical innovation into the classroom.

While HEIs operate in a framework created by public authorities (funding, accreditation, quality assurance), the allocation of resources and creation of incentives within institutions has a major impact. Good institutional leadership and effective internal cooperation and resource management become even more important when the institutions’ range of tasks increases and more emphasis is placed on measuring and demonstrating performance.

The Commission will:

15.Launch a review of funding, incentive and reward structures for higher education systems, in cooperation with the OECD and build on the programme of peer counselling for EU Member States on good design of incentives and funding in higher education.

16.Ensure researchers are encouraged to perform teaching tasks, and/or be trained to do so, as an integral part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions.

3. STREAMLINING EU SUPPORT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION

To achieve progress, EU activities and funding must be better coordinated …

The priorities outlined here illustrate the extent to which the roles of higher education in education, research, society and innovation — the four elements of the knowledge helix — are linked 31 . For higher education systems to work effectively these links must be recognised and strengthened in the strategies of individual HEIs, in national and regional higher education policy and across the activities the EU undertakes.

…to support evidence for policy-making and practice

By measuring the performance of higher education policies, systems and individual institutions in a comparable way, the EU helps to provide insights into what works. This can be used to spark discussions within national systems and institutions, and to provide a basis for finding better solutions to problems.

To consolidate and improve evidence-building on higher education, the Commission will:

17.Optimise synergies between EU evidence tools by creating a Knowledge Hub on higher education. Incorporating the European Tertiary Education Register (ETER). 32 U-Multirank 33 and the proposed pilot phase of the graduate tracking study, this will enhance data quality, comparability, data collection and indicators and draw lessons from implementation of EU higher education data tools to date.

18.Strengthen the work of the Eurydice network and the Commission’s cooperation with the OECD and its Member countries in higher education, research and innovation to avoid duplication of efforts and benefit from joint work.

…ensure available resources are used to invest strategically in higher education

In addition to Erasmus+ funding, significant European Structural and Investment Funds have been allocated to support higher education in many parts of the EU, in particular in less developed regions 34 . The HESS project 35 is an important component in the Commission’s ongoing strategy to help HEIs optimise these resources by improving their impact on regional economies and innovation capacity. The European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) is also starting to be used to attract private investment to specific higher education activities that offer good prospects of financial returns but deter traditional private sector lenders.

…and promote international cooperation, exchange and mobility to boost quality

Through its actions, the Commission seeks to ensure good practices and the latest developments in education, research and innovation are shared and applied as widely as possible in Europe and worldwide. This international circulation of ideas is driven by cooperation between students, researchers, staff, institutions and governments; physical mobility of individuals; and support for ‘internationalisation at home’ within European HEIs. This in turn helps institutions to become more open to the world and helps stem brain drain.

EU higher education and research programmes are increasing their focus on international cooperation, reflecting the range of expertise needed to solve complex global challenges. The Commission will continue to facilitate student and staff mobility by ensuring that Member States implement the recast directive on students and researchers 36 and promoting electronic exchange of data between European HEIs and mobile students and staff. In view of the Bologna Process Ministerial Conference in 2018, the Commission will also convene EU Member States to discuss the direction of future cooperation in the European Higher Education Area.

As the Commission prepares for the next multiannual EU budget, it will explore with Member States the future of shared EU targets in the fields of education, research and innovation and seek to strengthen cooperation in these fields as a basis for achieving the objectives set out in this Communication.

The Commission will:

19.Simplify student mobility by building on existing Erasmus+ projects 37 for the electronic exchange of student data and explore the feasibility of establishing electronic student identification systems to allow cross-border access to student services and data.

20.Initiate a discussion with Member States and stakeholders, as part of the mid-term review of Erasmus+, on efficient support to students, staff, institutions and higher education systems.

4. CONCLUSIONS AND NEXT STEPS

Implementation of this renewed agenda will require cooperation among stakeholders within and outside higher education. The Commission will initiate a dialogue on the implementation of these actions and will continue to engage with stakeholders, along with Member States, the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions, the Economic and Social Committee and the European Investment Bank Group, to take forward the agenda and ensure alignment with priorities in current and future EU funding programmes.

This renewed agenda for higher education forms part of the Commission's broader strategy to support young people and strengthen the European pillar of social rights. Complementing the Communication on school development and excellent teaching and the European Solidarity Corps, it recognises the vital role of higher education in laying the foundations of prosperous, inclusive, democratic societies. In taking forward this agenda, this is the ultimate goal that the Commission, Member States and stakeholders must keep in mind.

(1)

      COM(2017) 2025 final

(2)

      COM(2016) 940 final

(3)

      COM(2016) 381 final .

(4)

      COM(2017) 250 final  

(5)

      https://ec.europa.eu/commission/publications/reflection-paper-harnessing-globalisation_en  

(6)

     Announced in COM(2016) 941 final

(7)

      COM(2011) 567 final .

(8)

     See Annex II of the SWD accompanying the New Skills Agenda for Europe.

(9)

     See accompanying SWD

(10)

     See 'Skill shortage and surplus occupations in Europe' (CEDEFOP, 2016): 'Across the EU…[t]he top five are ICT professionals; medical doctors; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals; nurses and midwives; and teachers.' The situation varies from region to region.

(11)

     See COM(2017) 228

(12)

     (DigComp): https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/digcomp

(13)

     Short-cycle courses (EQF 5)

(14)

     https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/open-education

(15)

     Typically combining online and classroom-based learning.

(16)

     Data about learners and their contexts used to identify students’ learning needs

(17)

     Open science is the movement to make scientific research and data accessible to all

(18)

     This will include graduates of higher education and vocational education and training (VET) as well as those who leave education without a qualification. 

(19)

     Building on EU projects to date, including the EU STEM coalition . The evolution from STEM to STEAM reflects recognition within higher education of the increased importance of inter-disciplinary approaches. The interaction between STEM and art and design is driving substantive innovation and creativity.

(20)

     See COM (2017) 228. An example is the Horizon 2020-funded 'Digital Opportunity pilot project.

(21)

     In accordance with UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 on ensuring inclusive and quality education for all.

(22)

     Including teacher training on dealing with classroom diversity.

(23)

     As defined in the European Framework for Key Competences.

(24)

     National Academic Recognition Information Centres.

(25)

     https://heinnovate.eu

(26)

     The Seal of Excellence is a European Commission quality label awarded to excellent research and innovation project proposals that were submitted and positively evaluated under Horizon 2020, but not funded due to limited resources (https://ec.europa.eu/research/soe/index.cfm?pg=opportunities_msca)

(27)

     https://eit.europa.eu/activities/education/eit-label

(28)

     The CREASSESS project

(29)

      http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/hess .

(30)

     Some research funding systems include use of research in teaching as a selection criterion

(31)

     See description of quadruple helix in accompanying Staff Working Document

(32)

      https://ec.europa.eu/education/resources/european-tertiary-education-register_en .

(33)

      http://www.umultirank.org/#!/home?trackType=home .

(34)

     Up to 2020, almost EUR 13 billion of Structural and Investment Funds have been allocated to higher education and public research infrastructures

(35)

     Higher Education for Smart Specialisation.

(36)

      Directive (EU) 2016/801

(37)

      https://www.erasmuswithoutpaper.eu/  , http://europeanstudentcard.eu/ , http://www.emrex.eu