Internationalisation Conference

KeynoteDr Chris Yeomans, Head of Policy,

UK Higher Education International Unit

The EU, Bologna and internationalisation – new

opportunities and challenges from Europe

Dr Chris Yeomans

UK HE International Unit

The strategic turn

• 94% of institutions now have an internationalisation strategy

• 75% with a European strategy have it embedded in the international strategy

• Joint Outward Mobility Steering Group

• International Education Advisory Forum

Context: EU 2020 strategy

• The ‘Europe 2020’ strategy follows on from the Lisbon Strategy  (2000-2010) that set out to create “'the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy' in the world

• 3% of the EU's GDP should be invested in R&D by 2020

• The share of early school leavers should be under 10% and at least 40% of the population aged 30-34 should have completed tertiary or equivalent education

The next generation of EU HE and Research

programmes

• New budgetary cycle: 2014-2020• Rationalising, simplifying, connecting• Focus on added value of European level• Europe in international context

Erasmus for All: More money, less paperwork

• New European Commission programme proposal to run from 2014-2020

• Unites the seven existing programmes for education, youth, training and sport

• Proposed budget of €19 billion: an increase of 70%

Erasmus for All: Proposed changes

• Streamlined architecture supports three key actions:

- Learning mobility

- Cooperation for innovation and good practices- Support for policy reform

• 2/3 funding on mobility grants

• 5 million people to benefit between 2014-20

Erasmus for All: Opportunities

• Erasmus activities: substantially strengthened and expanded internationally

• Staff mobility: significantly strengthened

• International collaboration: consolidation

• Collaborative degrees

• Erasmus Master

Collaborative degrees - on the rise

2007 IU survey: • do you have the power to award?

2011: • 47/80 institutions award a joint degree or multiple/dual double degree• 48 collab. programmes with UK partner; 78 with European partner; 48 with

HEI outside Europe

Building on success of Erasmus Mundus

• B

Collaborative degrees - on the rise

• Most regularly cited problems/obstacles: administrative burden; curriculum compatibility; credit equivalency; conflicting quality assurance expectations; legal issues

• Of those who do not offer a collaborative degree: 26% are in the process of establishing

• Erasmus for All will strengthen support for collaborative programmes – EU and non-EU

Erasmus Master Student Loan Guarantee Facility

• Too little full degree mobility – partly due to limited nature of national support schemes.

• Support cannot be provided by another state• Erasmus Master will offer chance for Masters

kevel students to access loans at favourable rates

• Tell us more......provided it does not impinge on Member State autonomy

Innovative cooperation

• Strategic Partnerships– Cross sector alliances between educational

establishments and youth organisations– 23,000 partnerships

• Knowledge Alliances– Large scale partnerships between HEIs and

businesses– 400 alliances

And there’s more......

• IT support platforms

• Virtual mobility

• E-Twinning

• Jean Monnet

• Knowledge Alliances

• HE capacity-building projects

• Transnational traineeships

Concerns

• Vague – need more details

• Too good to be true?

• EU tools for valorisation: U-Multirank

• Also keen to ensure that the international element of Erasmus for All  includes all regions

Value of EU research policy to UK universities

Horizon 2020: renewing the EU research landscape

• 15% of the EU budget allocated for the current Framework Programme has gone to UK researchers.

• Total contribution of FP7 to UK research expected to reach €7 billion.

• Annually, FP7 contributes 5% of the UK’s national science budget, which is equivalent to the spending power of a medium-sized UK research council.

Horizon 2020: renewing the EU research landscape

• ‘Horizon 2020’ is the proposed new EU programme for research and innovation.

• 2014 – 2020, total budget of €80 billion – a substantial increase on the budget for FP7

• H2020 brings together all existing EU programmes for

research and innovation under single umbrella: FP7, Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).

• Innovation focus

Horizon 2020: Three key strands

• Excellent Science (€24.6 billion) • 77% increase for ERC;• Special attention to Future and Emerging Technologies (FETs); • International co-operation encouraged

• Societal Concerns (€31. 7 billion) :• Health, demographic change and wellbeing; • Food security, sustainable agriculture and bio-economy; • Secure, clean and efficient energy; • Smart, green and integrated transport; • Climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials; • Inclusive, innovative and secure societies.

• Industrial Leadership (€17.9 billion).

Horizon 2020: Broadly aligned with UK HE sector interests

• Substantial budget increase for European Research Council

• Continuation of excellence as underlying principle for allocation of EU research funding

• Single set of administrative rules for all components of Horizon 2020. 

• Extension of administrative model of the European Research Council across Horizon 2020, allowing a 100% reimbursement rate (direct eligible costs).

• Move towards a more trust based control strategy eg. acceptance of the accounting practices of all participants

Remaining issues for the UK HE sector

• Increased role for the European Structural Funds in capacity building and widening participation across Europe.

• Cost declaration through full costing will not be possible. 

 • Specific Grand Challenges identified by the Commission

under the ‘Societal Concern’ strand of Horizon 2020

• Balance of funding between innovation and research

Key Bologna Process Reforms

• Bachelor – Master – Doctoral cycles(UK already uses this structure)

• Overarching Framework for Qualifications of the EHEA(UK HE qualifications frameworks self-certified)

• European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the EHEA(Quality Assurance Agency – QAA)

• European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)(Experience of using credit – NUCCATS, SCQF)

• Diploma Supplement(New challenge – development of HEAR)

Bologna Process 2009-2012: Leuven Communiqué

Student mobility: in 2020, 20% of students graduating in the European Higher Education Area should have had a study or training period abroad

Lifelong Learning: Ministers formally acknowledged learning outcomes as the basis for recognition of formal and informal learning.

‘Multidimensional transparency tools’: BFUG to monitor development of classifications/typologies and rankings of HEIs

Expanding Bologna’s remit: to include additional policy areas

International dimension enhanced in 2009

But what is interesting....increasing implementation

• 79% HEIs currently use the Diploma Supplement – 20% more than in 2007

• Of those who do not use the DS, 28% plan to introduce it

• 61% use ECTS for credit transfer; 26% for accumulation

Bologna doesn’t stop at Europe

• Enhances global attractiveness

• Deep integration - sits at heart of internationalisation strategy

• Erasmus Mundus – worldwide since 2009

• Horizon 2020 – third countries

• Erasmus for All -

To finish with...good news from the IU survey

• 294 one-year or 12-month Masters Degrees currently offered – compared to 69 two-year Masters degree programmes

• Recognition of UK qualifications: 72% not aware of any difficulties experienced by UK Integrated Masters graduates, 80% not aware of any difficulties experienced by one-year full-time Masters graduates – compares to 66% not aware of difficulties in 2009.

Internationalisation – does it make a difference to the student experience? A student and graduate perspective.

Kian Golzari, (MA Soc Sci 2010), Product Development Manager, Highlander Outdoor Wear

Student Study Abroad Ambassadors,

Kate Goldie and Lynsey Wallace