Changes in Swedish authorities dealing with education

STOCKHOLM, Dec. 20 (ACA) -- Three government authorities in Sweden dealing with education – the International Programme Office, the National Agency for Higher Education and the Agency for Higher Education Services – will become two. The two new authorities, The Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) and The Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR), will be operational from 1 January 2013 ... read more

Students protest against closure of their “inefficient” uni

MOSCOW, Dec. 20 (Kommersant) -- Students at the Russian State University of Trade and Economics have organised a sit-in to protest against a government plan to shut down their university, which was included in a “list of inefficient colleges.” The Russian Students’ Union anticipates similar protests across the country. The protesters plan to continue their sit-in until the evaluation results are invalidated ... read more

Hungarian student protests widen

BUDAPEST, Dec. 19 (WSJ) -- Demonstrations by Hungarian university and high school students continued Wednesday and have spread throughout the country even as the governing Fidesz party backtracked on its plans to reduce the number of state-funded university places next year ... read more

British critique of Ivy League

LONDON, Dec. 20 (Inside Higher Ed) -- Wealthy donors to Ivy League universities can "buy a place" for their offspring, and admissions policies at elite U.S. universities are far less meritocratic than anything that would be accepted in Britain, the universities and science minister has argued ... read more

Catalan universities represent 60% of research in Spain

BARCELONA, Dec. 19 (universia) -- A report of the Catalan university association ACUP states that the region is responsible for 60 per cent of the national and of 0,6 per cent of global scientific production ... read more

Grade inflation blows up German universities

BERLIN, Dec. 19 (the local) -- When 80 per cent of students graduate with one of the top two grades, questions start being asked. “The grades which students currently receive say almost nothing meaningful about their real achievement,” says Wolfgang Marquardt, head of the German Council of Science and Humanities ... read more

European ministers back research-buddy plan

BRUSSELS, Dec. 18 (nature) -- Europe’s leading scientific institutions could work with less-developed regions to create a new type of research centre, suggests a proposal backed by science ministers last week. Under the ‘teaming’ proposal, the partners would put forward joint business plans ... read more

Italy lags behind EU countries in research spending

ROME, Dec. 18 (ANSA) -- Italy has been one of the most sluggish spenders on research in the European Union, the national statistical agency Istat said Tuesday. Italy spent the equivalent of 1.26% of the country’s (GDP) on research, compared with an EU average of 2.01% of GDP ... read more

European Commission to rank 500 universities

BRUSSELS, Dec. 18 (romania insider) -- 500 universities have been invited to sign up for inclusion on the U-Multirank listing to be completed in early 2014. The EC performed a selection process aiming to build a consortium of independent organisations that would carry out the listing ... read more | press release

Russia shakes up its universities

MOSCOW, Dec. 17 (nature) -- The New Year is unlikely to be a happy one for thousands of Russian university teachers and students whose institutes are facing massive cuts and closures in 2013, following a controversial performance review. The move reflects the determination of Russian authorities ... read more

New Russian education law leads to commercialisation

MOSCOW, Dec. 18 (BBC Russia) -- This week, the State Duma is going to hear the second and third reading of the new law on education, proposed by "United Russia". The law has caused a heated debate among academics and among the deputies themselves. Critics say it leads to a commercialisation of the educational process ... read more (google translation)

Sweden's scientific position in decline

STOCKHOLM, Dec. 16 (UWN) -- Why is Sweden’s breakthrough research in comparative decline? In 2010, a report showed that the production of cutting-edge research had fallen below that of Denmark, The Netherlands and Switzerland. This month a new report has called for funding changes, stronger academic leadership, and clear career paths and good conditions for young researchers ... read more

Record investment in Danish high-tech research

COPENHAGEN, Dec. 17 (jv) -- Twenty market-orinented high-tech research collaborations have been carefully selected, and they receive a record sum of research funding: 594 million Crowns (80 million Euros) provided by the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation, universities and companies. 38 research groups from six universities and 36 companies are participating ... read more

New merger to be called University of South Wales

CARDIFF, Dec. 17 (Wales Online) -- Wales’ first super-university will be called the University of South Wales when a merger goes ahead next year. The newly-formed institution will be created from a merger between the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales Newport ... read more

Single EU patent agreed for 2014

BRUSSELS, Dec. 14 (CW) -- After 40 years of debate and diplomacy, a historic agreement to establish a single, harmonised European patent system has been achieved. The compromise deal was voted through on Tuesday 10 December by a large cross-party majority of MEPs. The promise from the European commission is that as a result the cost of filing a patent will fall 87% from 36,000 Euro today to 4,725 Euro ... read more

Swiss higher education makes a pact with Microsoft

ZURICH, Dec. 12 (switch) -- The “Microsoft Education Alliance Agreementy” is supposed to bring benefits to the entire Swiss university community. It includes the promotion of ICT, as well as a central framework agreement for software licences, and also leads to cost savings ... read more

UK universities in online launch to challenge US

LONDON, Dec. 14 (BBC) -- A partnership of UK universities is launching an online project, challenging US universities that have dominated this emerging market. This could “revolutionise conventional models of formal education”, says Universities Minister David Willetts ... read more

Partial agreement on EU research budget

BRUSSELS, Dec. 14 (siliconrepublic) -- EU research ministers met in Brussels this week to discuss the European Union’s new programme for research and innovation Horizon 2020, which will start in 2014 with a proposed budget of €80bn. The ministers reached an agreement on part of the funding package for research and innovation. The agreement reached by the ministers covers the details of the priority areas for EU funding in the next period ... read more

Government ‘exams’ for Italian scientists trigger outcry

ROME, Dec. 13 (science) -- An unprecedented government effort to shore up the quality of Italian science by reviewing the work of individual scientists and institutions has triggered a firestorm of protest. Critics say the government review is using flawed criteria ... read more

Thanks to its universities, Poland attracts US tech giants

WARSAW, Dec. 12 (Hechinger Report) -- Poland has continued to grow during the global financial crisis as neighboring countries declined. An impressive, decade-long campaign to raise the quality of higher education ... read more

More university mergers possible in Portugal

LISBON, Dec. 12 (tvi24) -- For Portugal’s education minister Nuno Crato, the path of cooperation between higher education institutions is ‘inevitable’ and the country can only gain from this policy. He also did not exclude the cancellation of courses “if the demand is low and another institution within 20 km offers the same course” ... read more

Danish professors use only a fifth of their time on teaching

COPENHAGEN, Dec. 9 (Momentum) -- A study by the University of Copenhagen shows that out of 4,500 teaching-related tasks, only 887 used in teaching - i.e. just under 20 percent. Education minister Morten Østergaard said: “That sounds very low. Here is the need for a thorough look at the balance of research and teaching” ... read more

“Irreparable damage to Spanish universities and R&D”

MADRID, Dec. 12 (MP) -- Spanish university rectors have signed a common statement demanding that higher education, research and innovation are to be considered “an investment, not a cost.” They fear that the planned cuts in the General Budget of 2013 by 18 per cent in higher education and by 80 per cent in non-interest expenses in R&D will cause an “irreparable damage” ... read more

French university professors decry a failing system

PARIS, Dec. 11 (france24) -- Five years after a controversial reform granted France’s public universities greater autonomy over budget, staff, curriculum and funding, professors seem to be anything but happy. Many blame the dire situation on the controversial 2007 “Pécresse Law” ... read more

Think tank warns against “quality assurance” creeping into universities

QUEBÉC, Dec. 10 (Montreal Gazette) -- Supply and demand may be the rule in an economy, but should it be the underlying mission of a university? Quebec’s Institut de recherche et d’informations socio-économiques (IRIS) says an emphatic “No!” — but researchers at the think tank are worried they are losing the battle as the first workshop of the Summit on Higher Education at the end of November seemed to produce a widely accepted proposition for a new governing body to oversee university quality ... read more

Over 1,300 Turkish scientists now working abroad

ISTANBUL, Dec. 11 (Turkish Weekly) -- A database compiled by TÜBİTAK of Turkish scientists working abroad revealed that 76 percent of the 1,335 total scientists work for prestigious universities such as Harvard, Oxford and Yale, 12 percent work for research centers, while 10 percent are at leading global companies and institutions such as Boeing, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, General Electric, BMW and NASA ... read more

Empowered universities boost Europe’s competitiveness

MAASTRICHT, Dec. 10 (scienceguide) -- “Highly performing universities are a boost for Europe’s competitiveness in a global knowledge economy”, say researchers of Empower European Universities (EEU), a NGO headed by former Dutch education minister Jo Ritzen. According to a new EEU report the most effective determinant of educational quality is policy autonomy ... read more

Spanish state universities protest cutbacks

MADRID, Dec. 10 (AP) -- Under the 2013 budget, funding for universities has been cut by 18 percent and research funds by 80 percent. Rectors from about 50 state-run universities across Spain protested Monday ... read more

Greek university faculties to be slashed by 30%

ATHENS, Dec. 10 (ANSA) -- There will be no delay in the Greek government’s plans to reduce the number of university departments from the next academic year, Education Minister Constantinos Arvanitopoulos told Kathimerini. Arvanitopoulos said that from September, the number of faculties would be reduced from about 500 to some 350 or about 30% ... read more

Large German research universities join forces

BERLIN, Dec. 8 (Tagesspiegel) -- In a quest to improve conditions for science, research and teaching, 15 German research-oriented universities with medical faculties have launched an association to jointly promote their strategic interests ... read more | in English

1,000 Chinese university leaders to receive training abroad

BEIJING, Dec. 9 (UWN) -- Some 1,000 Chinese presidents and vice presidents of public universities will be sent to the U.S., Britain, Australia and Germany for leadership training courses beginning this month, under a new 80 million Yuan (9.8 million Euro) programme over five years ... read more

Slovenian students and university teachers united against “destructive government policy”

LJUBLJANA, Dec. 6 (Planet) -- Thousands of students and higher education employees rallied in front of the parliament on Thursday to protest against the planned changes to the law on higher education and proposed cuts as MPs convened to pass the 2013 and 2014 budgets. MPs passed an amendment returning 16 million Euro to higher education just after the protest ... read more | video

Commission launches EU Skills Panorama

BRUSSELS, Dec. 7 (EC) -- The European Commission today officially launched the EU Skills Panorama, a website presenting quantitative and qualitative information on short- and medium-term skills needs, skills supply and skills mismatches ... read more

Students unfazed by their professors’ industry ties

USA, Dec. 4 (medpage) -- Conflict of interest disclosure in the classroom shapes medical students’ views on industry relationships, but doesn’t make them more cynical about their own education, researchers found ... read more

Hungarian government wants to widen university access

BUDAPEST, Dec. 6 (BBJ) -- Hungary's government on Thursday unveiled a broad-reaching plan that aims to make higher education accessible to more students while creating disincentives for dropping out. Government spokesman András Giró-Szószz said the the merit-based system will allow as many people as possible to enter university, not just the ones with money. State-sponsored student loans will serve as a disincentive for leaving university before graduating, he said, adding that the dropout rate is almost 50% at present ... read more

“University shopping” in Belgium and the Netherlands

BRUSSELS, Nov. 5 (la croix) -- Additional to exchange programs between universities, students increasingly enroll directly in foreign universities. Unlike Erasmus mobility which is well monitored by European statistics, the widespread “individual mobility” goes unnoticed and creates imbalances. In Belgium and the Netherlands, the steady increase of students from neighboring countries in certain sectors has sparked debate ... read more

Students take Facebook to court

VIENNA, Dec. 5 (news24) -- An Austrian student group plans to go to court in a bid to make Facebook, the world's biggest social network, do more to protect the privacy of its hundreds of millions of members. The group has filed 22 separate complaints against Facebook ... read more

Commission proposes youth employment guarantee

BRUSSELS, Dec. 5 (EC) -- As requested by the European Council and European Parliament, the Commission's Youth Employment Package includes a proposed Recommendation to Member States on introducing the Youth Guarantee to ensure that all young people up to age 25 receive a quality offer of a job, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within four months of leaving formal education or becoming unemployed ... read more

UK falls short on vocational education

LONDON, Dec. 4 (the student) -- A Policy Exchange poll has found that a majority of adults believe that the UK’s university education system emphasises vocational training too little. 55 per cent of respondents said today’s students followed excessively narrow academic courses ... read more

Turkish post graduates abroad with financial problems

NEW YORK, Dec. 3 (Today's Zaman) -- Students who have been receiving post graduate education in universities abroad thanks to scholarships by the Education Ministry have been expressing a growing dissatisfaction over their financial problems ... read more

Hungary faces EU infringement procedure over graduates

BUDAPEST, Nov. 27 (Politics) -- Hungary is ready to face a “pilot procedure” — which precedes a possible infringement procedure — the European Commission may launch in connection with limitations on the free movement of university graduates.
A law effective from the 2012/13 academic year requires students with a state grant to sign a contract agreeing to work in Hungary after graduating for twice the number of years spent studying ... read more

Patriot Act can "obtain" data in Europe, researchers say

LONDON, Dec. 4 (CBS) -- European data stored in the 'cloud' could be acquired and inspected by U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies, despite Europe's strong data protection laws, university researchers have suggested. The research paper, titled "Cloud Computing in Higher Education and Research Institutions and the USA Patriot Act," written by legal experts at the University of Amsterdam, explains that businesses, schools and universities located outside the United States which use cloud services could be forced by U.S. law enforcement to transfer data to U.S. territory for inspection ... read more

Ukrainian professors told to downgrade students to pay fewer stipends

KIEV, Dec. 3 (Kyiv Post) -- Ukrainian students came out on protest in Kyiv on Aug. 1 to demand to raise their stipends. The government bowed to pressure and raised the stipends then. Now professors in a few universities revealed that their universities are allegedly trying to cut the number of stipends by downgrading students ... read more

Greek university cleaners to face prosecutor for 70-day sitin

THESSALONIKI, Nov. 1 (kathimerini) -- Eleven municipal garbage collectors arrested on Friday on the grounds of Thessaloniki’s Aristotle University, where they had held a 70-day sitin demanding backpay, are to face a prosecutor on Monday ... read more

Chinese are attracted to branded British universities

Nov. 4 (China Daily) -- Chinese account for 22.6 percent of the total non-EU international population in Britain. Therefore, this is an imperative market to uphold for the Brits, who rely heavily on international funding to bolster their universities. "They (Chinese) like brand names. The more unobtainable it is, the better," says Jazreel Goh, marketing director of the British Council ... read more

University of Bologna does not rise tuition fees

BOLOGNA, Nov. 27 (QN) -- In a moment of crisis for families, companies and also the university, the Alma Mater of Bologna will not increase tuition fees for the third year in a row. For student grants additional €22 million have been earmarked ... read more

Catalan unions, employers and universities demand a pact for industry

BARCELONA, Nov. 3 (Que!) -- In a kind of manifesto, presented today at the University of Barcelona, trade unions, employers and universities ask the new Catalan government to initiate a "great social pact" giving priority to investments for industrial modernisation ... read more

Funding protest hits Bulgarian research agency

SOFIA, Nov. 28 (nature) -- Bulgarian scientists have never had much faith in their research ministry, but the outcome of this year’s grant competition has provoked a unprecedented storm of outrage. On 22 November, a detailed front-page report in the national newspaper SEGA presented a hair-raising list of allegations ... read more

Research Council of Norway recommends bugdet increase

OSLO, Nov. 26 (Forskingsrådet) -- The Research Council of Norway is recommending an increase of NOK 1 billion (€ 136 million) for research in its proposal to the national budget for 2014. “We have proposed four thematic priorities and four structural priorities in our budget input for 2014,” says Director General of the Research Council, Arvid Hallén ... read more

Austrian universities from an inverstor's perspective

VIENNA, Nov. 26 (Wiener Zeitung) -- According to Hermann Hauser, an Austrian entrepreneur living in Cambridge, the lack of technology clusters makes it difficult to invest in Austria. "Furthermore there is no world-class university in Austria. Universities are crowded and underfunded. A start has been made with the IST (Institute of Science and Technology), but it takes time," he says ... read more

'We'd rather go naked than wear sweatshop clothing'

LONDON, Nov. 29 (Guardian) -- Students at more than 30 universities are calling on vice-chancellors to protect the rights of factory workers who make university-branded goods. Like most clothes in the UK market, university clothing is often produced in developing countries where workers are paid little to work long hours in dangerous conditions.
"Students led the way on Fairtrade, and now they're taking the lead in putting an end to sweatshops as well," says Lauren Stephens, a student at Chester ... read more

Bad chances for young scientists in Germany

BERLIN, Nov. 29 (taz) -- In Germany there are few permnent and secure jobs for young scientists. 83 per cent of the scientific employees in the public sector have a temporary contract; before the latest law reform they were only 74 per cent ... read more

Report calls for targeted immigration to combat global skills shortages

LONDON, Nov. 30 (workpermit.com) -- A recent report on the state of the global labour market states that here is a 'chronic and significant imbalance of skills around the world... exacerbated by inflexible labour and immigration legislation in many jurisdictions. Skills in shortage are engineering, infrastructure development and healthcare.' The report includes a Three Point Action Plan ... read more

“Lisbon will be one of Europe’s major university cities”

LISBON, Nov. 26 (RTP) -- Merging the Technical (UTL) and the Classical University Lisbon (UL) will make Lisbon “one of Europe’s major university cities,” said António Sampaio da Nóvoa, rector of the latter. “This is the most important change in Portuguese higher education in decades,” ... read more

Growing private university sector in Spain

MADRID, Nov. 28 (ibercampus) -- The turnover of private universities and business schools in Spain has grown by 2% in 2012, reaching over 1.6bn Euros. This growth has been achieved through the expansion of graduate courses, more online and blended learning programs, and increased prices. A further revenue growth is forecast for 2012-2014 ... read more

Erasmus 2014-2020: EP vote retriggers debate

BRUSSELS, Nov. 27 (Europolitics) -- There are points of divergence between the European Parliament and the Council on the future of the Erasmus programme. “The new programme comprises three major areas: education and general and vocational training, youth and sport. That is why I consider that our proposal, ‘Yes Europe’, is the appropriate message,” argued Pack. Among other changes, MEPs expanded the programme’s objectives ... read more

Brussels: Student dressed as a woman gets raped

BRUSSELS, Nov. 27 (RTBF) -- The attack on a male student from Hogeschool Universiteit Brussel, dressed as a woman, took place Martyrs' Square in Brussels. The rapist was 15, his accomplice 17. Both have been arrested. The decision of the university to ban students disguised as women at parties and baptisms has provoked an extensive debate ... read more

UK colleges set to become universities

LONDON, Nov. 27 (Wales Online) -- Ten specialist colleges in the UK are set to become universities under the biggest expansion of higher education for 20 years. The move comes after the Government lowered the threshold on student numbers needed for an institution to apply for the title ... read more

Looming cutbacks in Hungarian student mobility

BUDAPEST, Nov. 26 (Budapest Times) -- A total 4,353 Hungarian students went abroad in 2011/2012, showing a steady rise in the uptake of the programme in the country over the years. The numbers may not continue increasing, however ... read more

121 proposals for a new French higher education law

PARIS, Nov. 26 (Educpros) -- On a national conference today and tomorrow in Paris, 121 proposals for a new higher education law - covering student achievement, research and a new organisational framework - are to be discussed. Science Minister Geneviève Fioraso spoke out in favour of a consensus on larger university structures ... read more

Australian universities prefer Chinese over US partners

CANBERRA, Nov. 26 (The Australian) -- Australian universities have decided China is the best place for student and staff exchange and collaborative research for the first time, dumping former favourite USA ... read more

Social mobility much easier in France and Sweden

EUROPE, Nov. 23 (scienceguide) -- Second-generation Turks are far more successful in France than in Germany. A new study assumes that more open educational systems in countries like Sweden and France are better suited to include the children of Turkish immigrants in higher education than the more stratified school systems of Germany and Austria. Belgium and the Netherlands, with their more mixed systems, would fall somewhere in between ... read more

Mismanagement at top French university

PARIS, Nov. 26 (The Australian) -- France’s elite university Sciences Po was dogged by repeated fiscal mismanagement between 2005 and 2010 under its last head, the country's top audit court has said in a report ... read more

European nations try to balance student-mobility costs

AMSTERDAM, Nov. 25 (New York Times) -- Comments by a Flemish education official brought attention to a debate over whether it was fair for Belgium, which has lower tuition fees, to be paying to educate students migrating from the Netherlands. His criticism reflected a broader concern about how European nations should share the cost of educating their students ... read more

Released Russian physicist remains defiant

MOSCOW, Nov. 24 (BBC) -- A Russian physicist convicted of spying for China has been freed after nearly a decade in prison. Valentin Danilov said the charges against him had been “fantasy”. Now 66, Danilov has reportedly said he intends to pursue his case with the European Court of Human Rights ... read more

UK's first for-profit university

LONDON, Nov. 22 (THE) -- The College of Law has been granted university title and will be known as the University of Law. The institution says in a statement that it “will be a significant global player and is already one of the largest professional law schools in the world. It trains more than 7,000 students each year” ... read more

Commission presents new Rethinking Education strategy

BRUSSELS, Nov. 20 (ESNA) -- The strategy calls on Member States to strengthen links between education and employers, to bring enterprise into the classroom and to give young people a taste of employment through increased work-based learning ... read more

News laws to encourage Danish students to abroad

COPENHAGEN, Nov. 18 (UWN) -- Danish Science Minister Morten Østergaard last week published three new law proposals to increase the number of Danish students studying abroad. His proposals concern study loan flexibility, academic recognition, and quality assurance ... read more

Geoghegan-Quinn criticises British claims about EU budget

BRUSSELS, Nov. 22 (Irish Times) -- EU commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn has criticised Britain on the eve of negotiations on the union’s budget for branding the funding “a budget for Brussels”. Most of the €1.03 trillion sought by the commission was money to be spent in EU countries, she said. The money was being spent on farmers, infrastructure projects, companies and universities and claims about overspending on the EU’s bureaucracy were also untrue. The countries lobbying for a cut in the budget – such as the UK and the Nordic states ... read more

South Bohemian students defy communist education minister

TŘEBOŇ, Nov. 22 (ČTK) -- Several hundred high school students and students of the University of South Bohemia joined a strike on Monday enraged about communist leadership at the regional Department of Education. A petition, signed by over 9,000 people, calls for protest against the newly formed coalition of Democrats and Communists ... read more

Comenius University supports union strikes for education

BRATISLAVA, Nov. 21 (24hodín) -- The leaders of the Comenius University in Bratislava —Slovakia's oldest and biggest higher education institution— support the goals of the Education and Science Union's strike announced for Nov. 26. "We agree with the trade union on long-term deficiencies especially in the field of legislation in education and research, and on the dangerous under-funding of the sector" ... read more

Russian universities face bleak future

MOSCOW, Nov. 21 (CW) -- Russian universities are on the verge of massive cuts and restructuring after the publication of an audit of the country’s state run universities branded 25% as 'inefficient'. This leaves many universities potentially facing closure, if the Ministry of Education follows the course supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin ... read more

One in three Dutch universities trades in risky derivates

THE HAGUE, Nov. 20 (Dutch News) -- One-third of the Netherlands' colleges, training schools and universities invest in complicated financial products known as derivatives to cover themselves against the risk of a rise in interest rates on loans ... read more

Wave of violence at Greek universities

THESSALONIKI, Nov. 21 (Imerisia) -- Unprecedented violence took place yesterday afternoon at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. A professor and two students were beaten at the Theological School, while another teacher was threatened because they gathered trash from the classrooms and corridors. In an anonymous letter to the dean, law students describe a climate of hooliganism and fear ... read more

"Scholarship Germany" - top or flop?

BERLIN, Nov. 20 (WAZ) -- The new “Deutschlandstipendium” for talented students, introduced in 2011, is still highly contentious. 11,000 scholarships have been granted in 2012, twice as much as last year. Opposition parties point out the low interest in the scholarship and demand more support for all students instead ... read more

Few foreign students at Polish universities

WARSAW, Nov. 19 (WBJ) -- Foreign students account for only 1.1 percent of all students at Polish universities, according to a recent study by the educational foundation Perspektywy. In this regard, Poland – next to Croatia – is the least internationalized EU country ... read more

Gates Foundation funds online university open access

UNITED STATES, Nov. 19 (BBC) -- Online courses provided by some of the top universities in the United States are going to be used by students at local community colleges, in a project funded by the Gates Foundation. The edX project, set up by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ... read more

E-book program monitors student reading habits

UNITED STATES, Nov. 19 (The Verge) -- Three universities — Texas A&M, Rasmussen College, and Villanova University — have teamed with CourseSmart to pilot a program that monitors students as they read through digital textbooks. Professors will be able to ... read more

Blue Card warmes the shelves in Germany

BERLIN, Nov. 18 (Focus) -- The Blue Card, introduced in August, was supposed to lure highly qualified personnel to Germany. According to a news report, only 139 have been issued up to now ... read more

"All French universities in deficit unil 2014"

PARIS, Nov. 16 (Figaro) -- "More than 20 universities will be in deficit in 2012, by 2013-2014 it will be all of them." In a letter to science minister Geneviève Fioraso, 14 university presidents claim more autonomy: "The situation is dramatic and will fastly spread if nothing changes" ... read more

Greece commemorates 1973 student uprising

ATHENS, Nov. 17 (AP) -- Greeks took to the streets by the tens of thousands on Saturday to commemorate the 39th anniversary of a deadly student uprising against the country’s former dictatorship. With more than 6,000 police deployed in the city center, protesters marched from the National Technical University of Athens, where the 1973 uprising kicked off, to the U.S. Embassy. They were led by students carrying a Greek flag bloodied during the uprising ... read more & video | background

Italian students protest against austerity

ROME, Nov. 17 (Eastday) -- Thousands of students took to the streets across Italy on Saturday during the International Students' Day to protest against the education cuts carried out by Prime Minister Mario Monti's technocratic government. On Wednesday, some 300,000 students, according to organizers, converged on over 25 Italian cities amid a wave of strikes across Europe to protest against harsh budget measures, and many groups clashed heavily with police ... read more

Biggest ever law scholarship programme launched by KCL

LONDON, Nov. 15 (independent) -- King’s College London today unveiled Europe’s biggest ever law scholarship programme, offering up to 80 awards worth over £2m. The scheme will include up to five £90,000 scholarships over three years for Law PHD students, a record individual amount ever offered for legal research ... read more | press release

Mass demonstrations in Spain, Portugal, Italy against austerity and unemployment - students join protests

EUROPE, Nov. 15 (WSWS) -- Hundreds of thousands of workers took to the streets Wednesday in a number of European countries to demonstrate against rapidly rising unemployment and the austerity measures dictated by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. Demonstrations involving tens of thousands of students and workers took place in Rome ... read more

Horizon 2020 - What will be cut?

BRUSSELS, Nov. 15 (Nether) -- A series of crucial votes on the EU budget and R&D policy is coming up in the European Parliament. On the eve of the first committee vote on the EU's ambitious €80 billion Horizon 2020 proposal, some of the key members of the European Parliament involved in the debate speak and answer questions about what should be done with Europe's leading research and innovation programmes ... read more | live stream

ETH wants Numerus Clausus for foreign students

ZURICH, Nov. 15 (Landbote) -- Student numbers are growing since years. The relation of student per professor has deteriorated since 2007, says the latest budget report of the Swiss Federal Institute Zurich (ETH) - a risk for its international ranking position. To hire more professors ... read more

Web Entrepreneur Support Actions in Horizon 2020

BRUSSELS, Nov. 12 (earto) -- The European Commission has launched a consultation on support actions in the area of ICT innovation for the benefit of web based entrepreneurship and web businesses, to be supported by the EU under Horizon 2020. This consultation goes in the line of the Digital Agenda, as one of its priorities is to strengthen ... read more

High tuition fees in Britain feed inflation

LONDON, Nov. 15 (THE) -- Higher tuition fees were the biggest contributor to a rise in the consumer price index measure of inflation in October from 2.2 percent to 2.7 per cent, according to an Office for National Statistics release on 13 November. No surprise ... read more

Latvian art academies demand minister's resignation

RIGA, Nov. 14 (Baltic Course) -- Latvian fine arts and performing arts academies and colleges today issued a statement of no confidence against Education and Science Minister Robert Kilis, demanding he step down for being unable to ensure a well-thought out and high quality reform process ... read more

Police clash with students in Naples over labor market

NAPLES, Nov. 12 (gazetta del sud) -- Police in Naples on Monday fired tear gas and charged at student protestors after they hurled bottles and stones during the visit of Italy's and Germany's labor ministers. Students were protesting against poor labor conditions in the country, where youth unemployment is 35% and even higher in the south, and internships and temporary contracts are the norm ... read more | video

Dutch applied sciences students unfit for the labour market

THE HAGUE, Nov. 13 (DN) -- Graduates from universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands are not ready for the jobs market and either have difficulty finding a job or need extra training from employers, according to research by students' jobs agency StudentenBureau ... read more

Online courses put pressure on universities in poor nations

INTERNATIONAL, Nov. 14 (MIT) -- While MOOCs could be an opportunity to improve education in poor regions, they’re also profoundly threatening to bad professors and to weak institutions. Google R&D chief Sebastian Thrun has predicted that within 50 years there might only be 10 universities still “delivering” higher education. That worries some academics. Jason Lane and Kevin Kinser, two education studies professors, warned of an impending “McDonaldization” of higher education: the exact same stuff, just served everywhere ... read more

Growing influence of the EU on national education and science policies

BONN, Nov. 11 (Forschung & Lehre) -- Education and science are in national responsibilities. But the influence of the European Commission in this field is growing — and comes along with standardisation, a narrow economic understanding of education, and a lack of transparency. Kerstin Odendahl has analysed the situation ... read more

Dutch government replaces scholarships by loans

THE HAGUE, Nov. 12 (veto) -- The new Dutch government, a coalition of liberals and social democrats, has agreed to abolish scholarships for students in higher education. At present, students receive an allowance based on their living situation. From 2014-2015 on, they will have to borrow the money ... read more

Many prestigious Russian colleges ineffective - some may be shut down

MOSCOW, Nov. 8 (indrus) -- A veritable tempest broke out in Russian higher education, as the Ministry of Education and Science said a considerable portion of state-run colleges was ineffective ... read more

British thinkers vow to fight marketisation of universities

LONDON, Nov. 9 (Guardian) -- Some of Britain's most high-profile public intellectuals have formed a coalition to defend universities against the erosion of academic freedom and the marketisation of higher education. The group's manifesto claims the basis of a degree is under threat ... read more

French pact for growth, competitiveness and employment

PARIS, Nov. 9 (Figaro) -- Apprenticeships, international experience, orientation... A new report commissioned by the government to Louis Gallois advocates an overhaul of the higher education. A national pact for growth, competitiveness and employment proposes to make professional and technical studies more attractive ... read more

Too many good grades at German universities

COLOGNE, Nov. 9 (Focus) -- The grades at German universties have improved significantly in the last years. The German Council of Science and Humanities is alarmed. The university watchdog sees fairness and the reliability of grades in jeopardy ... read more

European Regional Focus: On the Horizon

EUROPE, Nov. 9 (Science) -- Across Europe, budgets are tight. But investing in research and development drives economic growth, says Anne Glover, Europe’s first chief scientific adviser. Our knowledge is a resource, she says, and countries with high research spending—Germany and Scandinavian countries such as Sweden—have high GDP growth. The proposed Horizon 2020 budget of nearly €90 billion is still uncertain but scientists are “reasonably optimistic” ... read more

Slovenian students campaign for new law on scholarships

LJUBLJANA, Nov. 6 (Dnevik) -- The Slovenian Student Union (SOS) campaigns for a new law on university scholarships. Until Christmas they have to collect 5,000 signatures. The draft law, says SOS president Mitja Urbančič, provides for new types of grants, more money, the possibility of several scholarships at the same time and at all levels of study ... read more

France is reducing its expenditure per student

PARIS, Nov. 2 (figaro) -- In 2011, spending per student has decreased to $ 11,630 euros on average. All sectors are affected, except universities. Expenditure per university student is increasing since 2006, but the number of students has grown, too ... read more

Flemish education minister wants shorter Master's degrees

BRUSSELS, Nov. 6 (HLN) -- Education minister Pascal Smet still denies plans to abolish the two-year Master's degree in Flanders. In a recent discussion paper, however, the minister argues that long Master's degrees are expensive and not labour-market oriented. Ludo Melis, vice-rector at the Catholic University of Leuven, fears loss of study quality ... read more

Landlords in London lure students with iPads

LONDON, Nov. 5 (Reuters) -- Driving lessons and iPads are among the gifts developers are showering on students in London to lure them to fill empty rooms after fee hikes and visa curbs threaten to undermine university housing's reputation as a safe property investment ... read more

US elections: Science plays an integral role in policymaking

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (GulfNews) -- Answering a questionnaire with questions on science policy matters, Obama and Romney show marked ideological and agenda differences. The questions were put together after ScienceDebate.org invited thousands of scientists and engineers to make proposals for a double written interview ... read more

EU awards first Marie Curie research prizes

NICOSIA, Nov. 5 (EU) -- The first winners of the European Commission's new Marie Curie Prize for outstanding achievement in research were announced today. The three winners are Gkikas Magiorkinis from Greece, Claire Belcher from the United Kingdom, and Sarit Sivan from Israel ... read more

Italian government seeks massive research merger

ROME, Oct. 30 (div) -- A new plan to radically overhaul and streamline Italy's research system has been heavily criticised by many of the heads of the country's research institutes. The plan, put forward by research minister Francesco Profumo, would see all 12 institutes merged into a single new entity, the National Research Centre (CNR) ... read more | commentary in Nature

More students at Armenian universities than needed

YEREVAN, Nov. 3 (PanArmenian) -- The number of the students graduating from Armenia’s higher education institutions exceeds the demand for specialists, Mher Melik-Bakhshyan, vice-rector of the Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) said ... read more

Bulgarian diaspora wants new colleges

VARNA, Nov. 4 (Standart) -- The Bulgarian communities abroad want to have colleges in Greece, Albania, Kosovo, Spain and USA. During a recent meeting, the delegates of the World Parliament of the Bulgarians in Varna also called on the their government to provide 1000 scholarships for Bulgarian youths from Macedonia, the Westernmost Frontiers, Moldavia and Ukraine, so that they could enroll in Bulgaria’s high schools and universities ... read more

Scientists petition Serbian government to tackle plagiarism

BELGRADE, Nov. 5 (CW) -- More than 800 scientists have signed a petition campaigning for an overhaul of research ethics and the assessment process for researchers in Serbia, amid systematic and widely-tolerated academic misconduct. An open letter has also been sent to the science and education ministry ... read more

English proficiency highest in Scandinavia

End of faculties at the University of Florence

FLORENCE, Oct. 30 (Repubblica) -- It's a historical opening of the academic year at the University of Florence — for the last time, the deans are part of the ceremony. Their role disappears with the abolition of faculties as part of the university reforms introduced by former science minister Mariastella Gelmini. Instead of faculties, 24 departments will now form the university, divided in five scientific areas. A governing board of eight internal and three external members will lead the institution ... read more

Spanish government prepares radical university reform

Cambridge University issues its first £350m bond

CAMBRIDGE, Oct. 11 (TCS) -- The University of Cambridge announced yesterday the issue of £350 million worth of bonds, at a rate of 3.75% and due in 2052. The news comes as the university was assigned a triple A rating by Moody's. Cambridge is the latest higher education institution to venture into the markets. Harvard and Princeton, as well as other Ivy League universities in the US, have issued bonds for several years. De Montford is the only other UK university to enter the capital markets ... read more

Controversial succession of Descoing at Sciences Po

PARIS, Oct. 31 (Les Echos) -- The decision for Richard Descoing's successor as director of Sciences Po is still pending. Higher education minister Geneviève Fioraso made her green light for Descoing's former right hand Hervé Crès dependent on the report of the Court of Auditors, after irregularities in the public higher education institute's balance sheet came to light ... read more

A tsunami of students hits German universities

STUTTGART, Oct. 31 (Sacramento Bee) -- More and more students enroll at German universities, one record year followed by another record year. This was foreseen for eight years and there was certainly some preparations made, but were these sufficient? More than 500,000 students have enrolled as freshman at German universities and about 2.3 million ... read more

Tuition fees: Manchester universities lose millions of pounds

MANCHESTER, Oct. 31 (BBC) -- Greater Manchester universities have lost hundreds of students and subsequently millions of pounds since tuition fees were increased. Martin Hall, Vice Chancellor at the University of Salford, said higher education faced its "biggest challenge in 50 years" ... read more

Geneviève Fioraso supports higher ed in smaller cities

PARIS, Oct. 29 (Educpros) -- “Excellence is not a matter of size” is the motto of the FVM (Federation of medium-sized cities) who has launched an internet platform to increase the visibility of higher education in towns, promote innovation, facilitate the research of family orientation and thus raise the level of qualification for all. French Higher Education Minister Geneviève Fioraso supports the initiative ... read more

Wallonian catholics disapprove of government's higher education reform plans

BRUSSELS, Oct. 25 (Le Soir) -- Jean-Claude Marcourt, science minister in Belgiums French speaking community Wallonia, has proposed a reform of the region's higher education landscape that would merge the institutions in five territorial units. André Coudyzer, speaking for the catholic higher education institutions and as president of the Council of the professional high schools, said: "This project reflects the regionalist vision of the minister, favours Liège and Brussels, and penalises the professional education in general" ... read more

Greek lecturers on permanent strike

ATHENS, Oct. 29 (dradio) -- Greek universities are seriously affected by budget cuts, even the ordinary student life is in danger. Lecturers see no other solution than strike. The strike is the only way to get public attention, says trade union representative Evgenia Bournova ... read more

Belgian students protest against honorary doctorate for Christine Lagarde

LEUVEN, Oct. 30 (nieuwsblad) -- That Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), yesterday received an honorary doctorate from the University of Leuven has given rise to protest by students. Lagarde was honoured "for her outstanding and internationally recognised leadership in times of financial crisis," ... read more

US companies approach Russian universities

MOSCOW, Oct. 30 (rusbiznews) -- American entrepreneurs offered the largest Russian universities to take out promising projects from their filing cabinets and implement them on the Western market ... read more

Ukraine’s medical education losing credibility abroad

Kiev, Oct. 25 (Kyiv Post) -- Ukrainian medical education was considered one of world's best in communist times. But now several Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, no longer recognise Ukrainian medical diplomas ... read more

Europe trying to catch up in teaching e-Business

PARIS, Oct. 24 (NYT) -- When Google announced this year that it would sponsor a chair at H.E.C. Paris, one of the most prestigious business schools in France, the news was welcomed as a sign that Europe is finally trying to catch up with the United States in teaching digital entrepreneurship ... read more

EU opens academic programmes to Kosovo and Syria

PRISTINA/BRUSSELS, Oct. 24 (div) -- Kosovo will start negotiations with the EU to participate in the Union's community programmes ... read more | The European Commission announced that applications for the Erasmus Mundus scholarships for Syrian students are now open. More than 150 scholarships will be available this year ... read more

Poland needs more innovation

WARSAW, Oct. 27 (Reuters) -- To compete in the future, Poland will need to replace its low costs with innovation. "The time has come to invest more heavily in policies that support development ... the state will stimulate these policies very heavily," said Science and Higher Education Minister Barbara Kudrycka ... read more

Italian rectors demand 550 million Euro

ROME, Oct. 26 (ASCA) -- The rectors' conference CRUI warned yesterday that Italian universities are about to fall "into an irreversible crisis that could undermine the country's international image and its development prospects". Universities need at least 550 million Euro more to be able to finance their basic costs ... read more

500 bogus colleges closed in UK in 18 months

LONDON, Oct. 25 (IBN) -- British immigration authorities have closed down an estimated 500 bogus colleges operating in the country over the last 18 months, affecting a number of students from abroad, including from India. Only last month, the UK Border Agency had revoked the London Metropolitan University's licence to sponsor non-EU students ... read more

More appreciation for non-academic professions in Switzerland

BERN, Oct. 26 (NZZ) -- The designated Swiss education minister, Johann Schneider-Ammann, warns to overstate the importance of higher education. In his opinion, more quality in the education of non-academic professions as well as less university applicants with a better preparation are desirable ... read more

UK elite universities want to charge more than £9000

LONDON, Oct. 25 (Scotsman) -- The Russell Group, which represents 24 elite universities, said British institutions are already falling behind those in countries spending “astounding” amounts on higher education. In a report published today, entitled Jewels in the Crown, the organisation calls for research funding to be concentrated in the hands of its members, and suggests scrapping the cap which currently limits tuition fees at £9,000 a year ... read more

Helsinki’s University of the Arts elects its first rector

HELSINKI, Oct. 25 (YLE) -- Tiina Rosenberg has been elected to be the first rector of the new arts University, which starts operation in January 2013. The new arts university is a merger of the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, the Sibelius Academy of music, and Theatre Academy Helsinki ... read more

Oslo academics question foreign study schemes

Italian scientists sentenced to jail in quake trial

L'AQUILA, Oct. 23 (APF) -- Six Italian scientists and a government official were sentenced to six years in jail on Monday for multiple manslaughter in a watershed ruling that found them guilty of underestimating the risks of a killer earthquake in 2009. Seismologists in Italy and beyond were horrified by the unprecedented sentence and argued that all science was being put on trial ... read more

Number of university instructors far below Turkey’s needs

ISTANBUL, Oct. 23 (Hurriyet) -- 85 new universities have been opened across Turkey in the last six years. But the small number of instructors is ringing alarm bells. At least 30,000 people are immediately needed ... read more

Students prevent council elections at Greek universities

ATHENS, Oct. 22 (kathimerini) -- The senate at Ioannina University shut down the institution for a day in a bid to convince the government to provide more funding as students at other universities prevented votes to elect independent councils to oversee the running of schools from taking place ... read more

Italy: Funds to repatriate young top scientists run out

CATANIA, Oct. 23 (La Sicilia) -- The 23 young Italian 'brains' who returned to Italian universities in 2010, funded by 'Levi Montalcini' grants financed through the science ministry, may leave again soon. Three of them have sounded the alarm explaining to the press that with the programme funds running out next year the universities, who will have to take over the costs, will not be able ... read more

Nobel, Fields Medal winners launch campaign against EU research austerity

EUROPE, Oct. 23 (nature) -- European Nobel and Fields Medal prize winners have launched a continent-wide campaign to protect European Union research funding from austerity. The authors of the letter argue that without substantial research funding at the EU level, the continent will be less able to attract young researchers from around the world, further ... read more

Referendum against tuition fees in Bavaria

Swiss universities demand cash for foreign students

BERN, Oct. 21 (swissinfo) -- Foreign governments, most notably Germany, should help shoulder the cost of their citizens studying at Swiss universities, according to a report from higher education leaders. Some 35,000 foreign students studied in Switzerland last year – with around 10,000 coming from Germany. “There is little realistic prospect of such a solution working for the whole of Europe,” Antonio Loprieno, president of the rectors' conference CRUS, told the NZZ am Sonntag. “A bilateral agreement with Germany, as the largest home country of foreign students, would be the best solution.” ... read more

Spanish government takes 15 universities to court

MADRID, Oct. 22 (El País) -- Tensions between the Government and universities are increasing. The Ministry of the Finance and Public Administrations has now ordered to take legal action against 15 universities for having exceeded the number of new appointments for teaching staff, limited to 10 new contracts each 100 vacancies ... read more

Kosovo students rally against political influence

PRISTINA, Oct. 19 (SETimes) -- Students at Pristina University have been expressing their discontent with political parties' influence in the appointment of senior university officials. "The party appointments in the university and the violence against the students is a threat to the entire society," the Student Movement for Equality, Study, Critic and Action said ... read more

Global mobility: Science mapped out

INTERNATIONAL, Oct. 18 (nature) -- In a special issue, Nature examines the changing global landscape of research. — A fundamental shift is taking place in where, and by whom, science is being done. Once, a succession of science superpowers were dominant: France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Today ... read more

Romania and France agree on mutual diploma recognition

BUKAREST, Oct. 19 (actmedia) -- Romanian education minister Ecaterina Andronescu and French ambassador to Romania Philippe Gustin signed an agreement by which the higher education diplomas will be mutually recognised by the two countries ... read more

University students continue to pirate data

INTERNATIONAL, Oct. 16 (v3) -- A recently released report reveals that despite continued efforts to curb illegally downloading content at universities students still figure out how to pirate data. Many students are illegally downloading movies and music, but software like MS Office for Mac is also high up on the list of pirated content. While most of the damage was coming from developing countries, almost 34 per cent of pirated software was coming from first world economies like those in Western Europe ... read more

Global outrage over suspension of professor in Manchester

LONDON, Oct. 18 (THE) -- Noam Chomsky, emeritus professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is one of 72 academics to sign a letter in support of Ian Parker, professor of psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University, whose removal from campus has caused outrage. The university has refused to reveal why Professor Parker has been suspended but his supporters say he has been "silenced" for raising issues over "secrecy" in his department ... read more

No new contracts for Spanish top scientists

MADRID, Oct. 18 (El País) -- This year there will be no new contract "Ramón y Cajal", the flagship program for top scientists launched more than a decade ago to attract brains to Spanish centers of research and technological development ... read more

European mobility plans in the UK ‘not radical enough’

LONDON, Oct. 18 (THE) -- Proposals to increase the number of British students heading to continental Europe to study are too modest, a House of Lords debate has heard. The Lords EU subcommittee recommended the introduction of modern language teaching in all primary and secondary schools, and the allocation of more cash to research, innovation and education in the European Union’s Horizon 2020 budget ... read more

Education faces biggest cuts in Portugal's austerity budget

Austrian high court contests autonomous tuition fees

Eastern Europe's high-tech boomtowns you don’t know

KATOWICE, Oct. 13 (IBTimes) -- Eastern Europe’s capital cities have secured prominent positions in the world of business. Now, the region’s smaller cities are trying to do the same and become destinations for investment and innovation. They are betting that investors and skilled workers who may not have heard of Katowice or Brno before will choose them anyway, attracted by good universities, low costs and their proximity to ... read more

One in three British students suffer insomnia due to finance worries, survey finds

LONDON, Oct. 15 (Telegraph) -- The survey also found that money worries had triggered depression in 20 per cent of students. The findings will increase fears that the hike in tuition fees for British and EU students to a maximum £9000 per year – which came into effect this autumn – is putting teenagers off university due to fears of accruing large debts ... read more

5000 Romanian students leave to study abroad every year

Uneven benefits of R&D funds among EU member states

BRUSSELS, Oct. 11 (scienceguide) -- It has been bothering MEP Lambert van Nistelrooij (EPP, Netherlands) for a long time already: "Really, I cannot accept that the European Union remains divided into countries that profit from R&D-funding and those that don't", he says. "I cannot agree that the EU core areas swallow up 90% of the Research funding available and that all other regions can split the remaining 10% amongst each other." ... read more

Triumph of plagiarism hunters over Germany's science minister Annette Schavan

Europe urged to revamp education

BERLIN, Oct. 15 (New York Times) -- It is rare to find any Asian government cutting back on education, financial crisis or no financial crisis. Education is considered sacrosanct and the key to the region’s competitiveness. Governments in Europe, in contrast, are chiseling away at education budgets instead of using the financial crisis to reallocate funds to education as part of an overhaul of the system ... read more

Highest number of students at Flemish universities ever

LEUVEN, Oct. 13 (veto) -- The number of students at Flemish universities rose only one percent since the last year, the really impressive increase has happened since 2007 - by more than 25 percent ... read more

Attempts to reform Croatian science stall

ZAGREB, Oct. 12 (RSC) -- The long-awaited reform of Croatia’s science and higher education policy suffered a sudden setback last week when the prime minister, Zoran Milanović, backtracked on the left-wing government’s changes to the existing science laws, leading a key science ministry official to offer his resignation. The law proposed a series of changes, including contract-based funding of research activities. Two of the most controversial changes were limiting the number of professors who can work after 65, to give younger researchers a chance, and changing the promotion system for researchers ... read more

French education minister wants to further alternating learning paths

CERGY PONTOISE, Oct. 12 (localtis) -- Higher Education Minister Geneviève Fioraso said she wants to "further develop alternative pathways to university" and raise the number of students in work placements with companies. Currently 7 percent ... read more

Welsh university fights against univesity merger

CARDIFF, Oct. 12 (BBC) -- Cardiff Metropolitan University is considering referring the education minister's plans to force it to merge with two other universities to spending watchdogs. Cardiff Met's chair of governors Barbara Wilding claims the government is asking it to merge with Newport and Glamorgan without a proper business case ... read more

EU signs new partnership with UNESCO on education, culture, science and human rights

BRUSSELS, Oct. 9 (investineu) -- A new deal that will boost cooperation, dialogue and help to share information and best practice between the EU and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was signed between the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Catherine Ashton, and the Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs. The Memorandum of Understanding sets out clear, strategic priorities and encourages increased policy dialogue on areas of mutual interest between the two organisations ... read more

Spanish students rally against cuts and rising fees

MADRID, Oct. 11 (telecinco) -- University students from all over Spain took the streets to protest against cuts, higher tuition fees and in favour of quality public education. The protest took place in 11 regions including Madrid, Barcelona, Pamplona and Santiago de Compostela ... read more

More Scottish graduates in permanent employment

GLASGOW, Oct. 10 (The Journal) -- More than half of the students who graduated in Scotland last year are now in permanent employment. Scotland’s universities also showed the highest number of graduates in employment in the UK ... read more

Bosnia and Pakistan seek cooperation in higher education

Turkish ambassador offends Bulgarian rectors

SOFIA, Oct. 10 (novinite) -- Bulgarian college heads are expected to demand Wednesday the recall of Turkish ambassador to Bulgaria, Ismail Aramaz, over an accusatory letter signed by him in connection with the suspended recognition of Bulgarian-issued college diplomas due to forgery suspicions ... read more

250 million Euro extra funding for education in Norway

ETH Zurich again ranked top on continent

ZURICH, Oct. 4 (The Local) -- For the second time in less than a month, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) has been judged the top university in continental Europe. Moreover, the Times Higher Education magazine on Thursday identified ETH Zurich as the 12th best in the world, up from 15th the previous year ... read more

European teachers' salaries reduced or frozen

BRUSSELS, Oct. 5 (EC) -- Sixteen European countries have reduced or frozen teachers' salaries in response to the economic downturn. Teachers in Ireland, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Slovenia are the worst affected ... read more

"A professor in Greece earns as much as a cleaning lady"

ATHENS, Oct. 9 (Standard) -- "Financial cuts in Greek higher education hit, first and foremost, the teaching staff. We already have five cuts behind us, another 25 percent now and certainly another next year," says Winfried Lechner, professor at the University of Athens. "My salary ... read more

European Commission teams up with businesses, environment groups and universities to promote climate solutions

BRUSSELS, Oct. 8 (focus) -- Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, today launched a pan-European communication campaign under the slogan "A world you like. With a climate you like". Partnerships with like-minded organisations are a central part of the campaign. More than 70 organisations are already confirmed campaign partners, including business associations, universities, non-governmental organisations and government institutions ... read more

Ukrainian students gets three years for frying eggs

KIEV, Oct. 6 (Kiyv Post) -- A Ukrainian court has handed down a suspended three-year prison sentence to a student who fried eggs over the eternal flame at a WWII memorial to protest against government policies ... read more

Startup Sauna in Helsinki

HELSINKI, Oct. 8 (arctic startup) -- Today's big news in Finland is the launch of a new Startup Foundation, by renowned Finnish serial entrepreneurs and investors, Startup Sauna and Aalto ES. The foundation looks to advance the state of startups in Finland and create Helsinki the centre of startups and technological innovation in Northern Europe ... read more

Leisure sciences come to Europe

BREDA, Oct. 8 (scienceguide) -- The World Leisure Organisation has two Centers of Excellence: in Vancouver and in Arizona. The NHTV University of Applied Sciences in Breda, southern Netherlands, is now designated as the third in the world and first in Europe. From September 2013 ... read now

More funding for higher edcation in France, priority for students in austerity budget

PARIS, Oct. 4 (UWN) -- Higher education and research have been relatively spared in France’s austerity budget. While most other ministries have experienced cuts, the sector’s allocation for 2013 rose by 2.2% over the previous year, totalling nearly €23 billion, with priority going to student support and including funding for 1,000 new university posts ... read more

UK university applications down by 50, 000

LONDON, Oct. 5 (BBC) -- University applications from UK students for courses starting in the autumn are down by 50,000, compared with the previous year. This year has seen changes to the admissions process ... read more

Van Vught outlines Irish higher education strategy

Italian students voice discontent at budget cuts

ROME, Oct. 4 (AGI) -- Italian university students union UDU organised symbolic gatherings at several major Italian universities today, in protest at what they describe as "the government's total lack of interest in state universities" ... read more

Hackers post data from universities around the world

INTERNATIONAL, Oct. 3 (c|net) -- A group of hackers claims to have stolen thousands of personal records by breaching the servers of more than 50 universities around the world, including Harvard, Stanford and Princeton. "We wanted to bring to your attention different examples from Europe, how the laws change so often that even teachers ... read more

EU has no cash for Erasmus student fund

BRUSSELS, Oct. 2 (EUbusiness) -- The EU's Erasmus student exchange programme along with various social welfare schemes are nearly broke after cuts made to the 2012 budget by austerity-driven member states. Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski estimated that the losses could amount to 400 million euros for France, 600 million euros for Greece, 900 million euros for Spain and up to 200 million euros for Britain ... read more

International higher education unions reject tuition fees

BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 2 (ESNA) -- A conference of international trade unions representing higher education an research staff concluded with a statement that categorically opposes tuition fees ... read more

Maltese Labour Party promises more student support

MALTA, Oct. 3 (Times of Malta) -- A Maltese Labour government (in case of electoral success in July 2012) will not only keep the stipend system but improve it for those who still struggle to continue studying ... read more

International students queue all night in London to register with police

LONDON, Oct. 2 (Guardian) -- International students are queuing throughout the night in a bid to register with the police before the legal time limit passes. They need to register with the police within seven days of their arrival. But increased demand – especially in London, where around 30,000 students are waiting to collect a police registration certificate – has left officials unable to cope ... read more

ENQA questions the quality of Sweden's quality assurance

STOCKHOLM, Sept. 30 (UWN) -- The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, or ENQA, has given Sweden two years to sort out anomalies in the country’s quality assurance system. ENQA found that the current system of quality assurance in Sweden was only fully compliant with three out of 14 criteria for full ENQA membership ... read more

United Colours of unemployment

INTERNATIONAL, Sept. 30 (upcoming) -- “Unemployee of the Year”, which was launched on 18th September, is the brand’s way of showing its support to unemployed youths in the UK. Wanting to draw attention to the issue of the jobless and how it is going to affect the future of our planet, United Colours of Benetton are aiming to change the perceptions of the increasingly unemployed population. Working alongside the UNHATE Foundation, printed posters illustrate photographs of youths who have qualifications and no jobs. If you are aged between 18 and 30 – and of course, without a job – United Colors of Benetton are inviting you to submit ideas and outlines for projects that you may have. They must be ideas that lead to a type of social impact ... read more

New rural education power takes to the European stage

SCOTLAND, Oct. 1 (Scotsman) -- Today, some 8,000 students and 1,500 staff from Barony, Elmwood and Oatridge colleges and the Scottish Agricultural College will become Scotland’s Rural College or, when its ambitions are fulfilled, Scotland’s Rural University College (SRUC). The merger of the four-land based colleges will be the largest land-based establishment in Europe ... read more

Boom of university students in Bulgaria in the next 8 years

SOFIA, Sept. 30 (Standart) -- Bulgaria plans that by 2020 the Bulgarians with university degree between 30 and 34 years of age should account for 36% of the population. For this purpose the universities will increase the number of their students and they will admit older people ... read more

Utrecht University to test students before admission

UTRECHT, Oct. 1 (NOS) -- Utrecht University is testing prospective students. It assesses whether they are suitable for the study they want to do. The test is compulsory from next academic year. The university association VSNU says that the plan of Utrecht fits into the new performance agreements that universities will sign in November ... read more

European eLearning market to reach $8.1 billion by 2016

EUROPE, Sept. 25 (Sacramento Bee) -- There are now major digitization efforts going on in the school systems in France, Poland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Spain. While the aggregate growth rate in Western Europe is 5.8%, the eLearning market in one country is growing at a breathtaking 37.6% ... read more

Swedish government plans major science investment

STOCKHOLM, Sept. 25 (science insider) -- In a long-term effort to secure a place among the world's most competitive nations, the Swedish government has proposed to raise its spending on research and innovation significantly. A new plan calls for adding SEK 4 billion (€475 million) to the annual budget by 2016, a 13.2% increase ... read more

Protests in Italy against tuition hikes and numerus clausus

ROME, Sept. 28 (ASCA) -- Students from all over Italy held a rally in front of the education ministry in Rome in protest against the liberalisation of tuition fees and limited access (numerus clausus). "Tuition in Italy is already among the highest in Europe", says Michele Orezzi ... read more

Worldwide growth of the education industry

INTERNATIONAL, Sept. 27 (ESNA) -- According to the 'Global Education Industry Forecast to 2016', published in September, the global education industry is witnessing strong growth momentum with fast emerging and developing nations. In terms of industry ranking, education stood on second place after healthcare industry ... read more

Amendment for federal university funding in Germany fails

French student on trial in Turkey on extremism charges

BURSA, Sept. 26 (Daily Star) -- A French-Turkish university student went on trial on Wednesday accused of links to an outlawed far-left extremist group in a case that has sparked criticism from human rights groups. Sevil Sevimli, who was arrested in May and spent three months in jail ... read more

Students depict Italian Prime Minister Monti as a vampire

ROME, Sept. 26 (Corriere dell'Università) -- Members of the fascist Italian student association 'Blocco Studentesco' have occupied on Tuesday the roof of the rector's building at the University Tor Vergata in Rome. They unfolded a giant poster saying "No Government of Barons" (barons stands for powerful and corrupt leaders) depicting Prime Minister Mario Monti as a vampire. The same day, fascist protest rallies took place in cities all over the country ... read more | photos

Spain considers student loans to cover tuition increase

Functioning of the Portuguese universities is at risk

New accreditation rules in Latvia to improve quality

RIGA, Sept. 25 (Baltic Course) -- The new accreditation regulations for higher education establishments will prevent funding poor quality study programs from the state budget, Education and Science Minister Roberts Kilis said. All study programs will be reassessed by the end of the year, weeding out those that will not receive state funding ... read more

Czechs start constructing high-tech institute

BRNO, Sept. 24 (ČTK) -- Masaryk University and Brno University of Technology Monday officially started the construction of the main buildings of the Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC) with the total costs of 5.246 billion crowns ... read more

No success without experimenting

MAASTRICHT, Sept. 24 (scienceguide) -- In the past Maastricht University led the way with its Problem Based Learning. Now the UM wants to bring e-learning into this proven educational practice. The new EdL@b is where the experimenting will take place ... read more

Colombian and Spanish rectors plan closer cooperation

Scottish lecturers to vote on strike over 1% pay offer

EDINGURGH, Sept. 24 (BBC) -- Scotland's biggest teaching union is to ballot for industrial action over a pay offer of 1%. The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said the increase put to members in higher education institutions was unacceptable ... read more

Disappointing higher education attainment, says OECD

BERLIN, Sept. 23 (UWN) -- Only every fifth young German at gains a higher education level than his or her parents, according to the OECD’s annual Education at a Glance report. Education Minister Annette Schavan called the OECD results “deceptive”, and referred to the German dual training and education system as ... read more

Europeans learn foreign languages at an early age

BRUSSELS, Sept. 23 (gozonews) -- Children are starting to learn foreign languages at an increasingly early age in Europe, with most pupils beginning when they are 6-9 years old, according to a report published by the European Commission. English is the most taught foreign language in nearly all of the 32 countries covered in the survey – a trend that has significantly increased since 2004 ... read more | the report

UK universities 'using foreign students as cash cows'

LONDON, Sept. 20 (Telegraph) -- Foreign students with poor qualifications are being used by British universities as “cash cows” to fill holes in the higher education budget, a leading academic has admitted ... read more

Rector of Coimbra University pleas for a political turn

COIMBRA, Sept. 19 (Cnoticias) -- At the university's inaugural speech, rector João Gabriel Silva proposed to "better define the limits of the Govertnment Mandate" in the Constitution and the introduction of beacons to public debt. He also said Portugal offers ideal conditions to introduce a tax on financial transactions ... read more

Fixed-term leadership hinders European university internationalisation

Spanish students are well prepared ... to leave their country behind

MADRID, Sept. 18 (20minutos) -- 50,000 Spaniards have emigrated since 2009. Main destinations in Europe are France, the UK and Germany, if not to Argentina and Cuba. The majority are graduates and professionals and between 25 and 35 years young ... read more

The importance of (higher) education for European Muslims

ROTTERDAM, Sept. 20 (Globalia) -- The main topic at the European Muslim Union's annual meeting in Rotterdam was education and knowledge: its acquisition, development and dissemination for and by the Muslims of Europe. The speakers pointed to the need of higher education institutions as well as to the necessary clarifications of the intellectual terminology used for the debate on Islam ... read more

£60 million European funding boost for Swansea University

WALES, Sept. 20 (Financial) -- Swansea University announced it has secured £60 million funding from the European Investment Bank towards its ambitious development programme for the Welsh campus. The expansion, which will include the construction of a new Science and Innovation Campus ... read more

Latvia’s future challenges in R&D

RIGA, Sept. 19 (4-traders) -- Innovation development in the Baltics was a central theme at the Life Sciences Baltics 2012 Forum, held last week in Vilnius. Analyzing the country in terms of innovation, the study Union Innovation Scoreboard 2010 Latvia ranks last among the 27 surveyed countries ... read more

Russian tech colleges outpace universities

MOSCOW, Sept. 18 (RBTH) -- Professional technical colleges, long sneered at by universities, are beginning to squeeze their more prestigious rivals out of the marketplace. Gradually, the disdain for technical colleges permeated not only the upper social strata, but practically the entire country ... read more

EU report highlights geographic disparities in education

Finland: Hereditary character of academic education rises again

HELSINKI, Sept. 18 (HSIE) -- Today, children of families with academic backgrounds are more than six times more likely than others to attend university. Of all of the academic disciplines, medicine seems to be the most elitist ... read more

Crisis pushes Greek students to Bulgaria, Romania

SOFIA, Sept. 17 (novinite) -- Eight of 10 Greek students having already enrolled in Czech and Slovakian universities are now trying to be allowed to study in Romanian and Bulgarian universities instead due to the low cost of living. Apart from students of Greek descent, several other Europeans choose the same countries to study to save money. The numbers are expected to jump sharply ... read more

Proposed European research policy weakens ethical guides, bishops' group notes

EUROPE, Sept. 13 (CWN) -- The new proposed European policy on scientific research,“Horizon 2020”, lacks necessary ethical safeguards, the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) has warned ... read more

Tuition looms for foreign students in Norway

Copenhagen – a leader in human capital

COPENHAGEN, Sept. 14 (copcap) -- Universities of high quality are among the reasons why the Economist Intelligence Unit has ranked Copenhagen as the third best city in the world in terms of human capital. Thanks to a dense network of universities, hospitals and companies working together, the Danish life science industry is an international example ... read more

Opposition thwarts plans of federal university funding in Germany

Ukraine wants to revive cooperation with Russia in science and education

Sarkozy's world-class university Saclay fades

PARIS, Sept. 13 (Figaro) -- Since Nicolas Sarkozy has left the Élysée Palace, the latent conflicts between Grandes Écoles and universities and lacking business cooperations have emerged as obstacles for his plan to make Saclay in Southern Paris the "Silicon Valley" of France ... read more

Most European students prefer paper to digital textbooks

INTERNATIONAL, Sept. 14 (PCMAG) -- According to a recent survey, 58 percent of American pupils would rather do their required reading via a tablet or e-reader. In countries like Germany, the U.K., and the Netherlands, between 30 and 40 percent of students prefer digital textbooks, but most are still stuck on old-fashioned paper ... read more

Scotland moves to close EU tuition fees loophole

EDINBURGH, Sept. 14 (BBC) -- Some students have avoided paying fees by receiving Irish passports while living in Northern Ireland. The Scottish government has taken steps to close this loophole - from next year, students will need to prove they have lived in an EU state ... read more

FIAT promotion at universities

ROME, Sept. 13 (Repubblica) -- The Italian car manufacturer FIAT starts a promotional campaign at eight universities offering car sharing, graduation scholarships, internships, design lessons and jobs. For three months always in another city, there will be eight winners of a competition who ... read more | “Fiat likes U”

Slovenian rectors warn of politically motivated amendment

LJUBLJANA, Sept. 13 (Dnevnik) -- The rectors of Slovenia's two biggest universities Ljubljana and Maribor, Stane Pejovnik and Danijel Rebolj, together with student and staff representatives urged the Prime Minister and the National Assembly in an open letter to stop "uncontrolled" and "politically motivated" interference in university affairs. The signatories claim that a pending amendment to the Higher Education Law would, among other changes, allow more political influence over the national quality assurance agency NAKVIS ... read more

Italian university to introduce “customized” tuition fees

TURIN, Sept. 13 (Corriere della Sera) -- The University of Turin is the first in Italy to make its tuition fee system more equitable and to introduces income-contingent fees. This “revolution” has been developed by Turin’s students themselves ... read more

Proposal to cancel tuition fees for Belarusians in Poland

WARSAW/MINSK, Sept. 13 (charter97) -- In a letter to Poland’s university rectors, Marek Migalski, a Polish member of the European Parliament, proposes to create a special educational programme for Belarusian students and reduce or cancel tuition fees for them ... read more

Turkey’s private tutoring sector to be eliminated

ISTANBUL, Sept. 11 (Hürriyet) -- Turkey’s controversial private tutoring sector, a giant industry of more than 4,000 companies that prepare students for university entrance, may see an end as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan promises to remove them by the 2013-2014 season.
The private tutoring system - or dershane - has become unsustainable, and has almost replaced the regular school system, Industry Minister Nihat Ergün said yesterday. “Especially during the last year of high school ... read more

Europe is failing its youth

PARIS, Sept. 13 (AP) -- As Europe slides back into recession, young graduates from the Class of 2012 across Europe are finding that even their hard-won university diplomas are no protection against rising unemployment. Nearly a quarter of young people in the eurozone are jobless — and for those from minority backgrounds, the hurdles are even higher ... read more

Cameras in UK schools raise concern

EU battles over research billions

Greek academics demonstrate in protest over pay cuts

William Hague condemns Israeli gesture on West Bank university

JERUSALEM, Sept. 10 (JTA) -- Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned a symbolic decision by the Israeli Cabinet to change the status of the Ariel University Center in the West Bank into a full-fledged university. Hague's statement the decision could affect academic cooperation between British and Israeli universities ... read more

EU will fund 536 early-career top researchers

BRUSSELS, Sept. 10 (euroalert) -- The European Commission announced the 536 early-career top researchers for funding totalling almost €800 million in order to develop their ideas at the frontiers of knowledge. The grants will allow them to build their own research teams with more than 3,000 postdocs and PhD students, thereby supporting a new generation of top scientists in Europe. There is still time to apply for the 'ERC Starting Grants' 2013 ... read more

Czech private schools successful, but not universities

PRAGUE, Sept. 10 (ČTK) -- While the private secondary schools are attractive for students thanks to their high quality, private Czech colleges and universities seem to be waiting for those who were rejected by public universities. Moreover, most professors who teach at the private universities have other jobs ... read more

Tuition fees particularly high in UK

BRUSSELS, Sept. 10 (EC) -- The cost of higher education varies dramatically across Europe, according to a new report published by the European Commission. The study was carried out by the Eurydice network ... read more

Gathering in Strasbourg for a Franco-Turkish student in jail

STRASBOURG, July 23 (le Parisien) -- Members of the comitee in support of Sevil Sevimli, a French-Turkish student impisoned in Turkey since May for alleged links with an illegal far-left organisation, symbolically gathered on Monday at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg for her release ... read more

First German-speaking university in Slovakia

BRATISLAVA, July 20 (Focus) -- The Slovak government has granted approval for the establishment of the private Goethe-University in Bratislava. “Another milestone in the German-Slovak cultural relations,” said the German ambassador Axel Hartmann ... read more

Run on German universities will cost additional 7 billion

BERLIN, July 23 (Handelsblatt) -- The number of students at German universities has grown far more than expected, 300.000 places will be missing by 2015, Horst Hippler, president of the rectors' conference, said. Until 2017/2018 five to seven billion Euros more will be necessary ... read more

German science minister insists on binding EU research expenditure

BERLIN, July 22 (studium.at) -- Following the adoption of the European fiscal pact, German science minister Annette Schavan insists on a more binding cooperation in other policy areas the EU. She not only announces more support for dual training systems in Spain and Greece, but also calls for obligatory research funding ... read more

Low earning despite high education in Greece

THESSALONIKI/ERFURT, July 20 (idw) -- According to a new study, the ongoing economic crisis in Greece influences expectations of young people regarding their own long-term opportunities. While German students expect a long-run income advantage of about 25% compared to persons with average education, the expected income differential of Greek students is practically nil ... read more

Plans to dissolve two Welsh universities

CARDIFF, July 17 (Wales Online) -- Education Minister Leighton Andrews announced plans to dissolve one of Wales’ universities if it fails to engage in merger talks. The Welsh Government will launch a consultation on the dissolution of Cardiff Metropolitan University – which strongly opposes joining a planned three-way collaboration ... read more

Sweden at risk of losing global battle for talent

STOCKHOLM, July 17 (thelocal) -- More than 3/4 of Swedish university graduates are ready to seek jobs abroad, according to a new study, raising concerns as to whether Sweden does enough to keep talented graduates in the country ... read more

End of empire for Western universities?

INTERNATIONAL, July 10 (BBC) -- By the end of this decade, four out of every 10 of the world's young graduates are going to come from just two countries - China and India. But a team at the University of Oxford's Internet Institute has produced a set of maps showing the "geography of the world's knowledge". And in contrast to the rise of the Asian economies, this tells a story of continuing Western cultural dominance ... read more

University of Maribor ready to tighten the belt

MARIBOR, July 17 (RTV) -- The University of Maribor supports government efforts to balance public finances. Among the austerity measures of the university, the principal secretary Mojca Tancer said, are the reduction of teaching obligation, restrictions on royalties, retirement, and termination of all promotions ... read more

Catastrophic situation at Hungarian universities

BUDAPEST, July 12 (eduline) -- “Universities have left only one reserve: dismissals,” said Mezey Barna, chairman of the Hungarian rectors’ conference (MRK). Since the government plans to cut the budget for higher education by 23 billion Forint (82 million Euros) in 2013, Barna fears that some institutions face bankrupcy ... read more

Slovak rector resigns due to accusations of corruption

BRATISLAVA, July 12 (SME) -- After one and a half year Vaclav Krajník’s time as rector of the Police Academy is over. The police accuses the professor of criminology of bribery and forging of documents ... read more

30 French universities charge “illegal” tuition

PARIS, July 17 (Le Monde) -- Thirty universities charge too high tuition fees, the French national student union UNEF has found out. It looks like an improvement compared to 40 institutions exceeding the legal cap last year, says UNEF president Emmanuel Zemmour, but universities are increasingly using tricks to elude restrictions ... read more

Spanish students call meeting with minister “a farce”

MADRID, July 16 (Público) -- Representatives of the Spanish student union (SE) left, like rectors one month ago, a meeting with education minister Ingancio Wert calling it “a farce.” The union is organising student protests for the beginning of the next semester, in autumn ... read more

Italian government wants to charge untimely students higher tuition fees

PALERMO, July 15 (Corriere della Sera) -- Italy's science minister, Francesco Profumo, said those who do not graduate in a timely manner - currently 600.000 or 33 per cent of enrolled students - "have a social cost" and universities should be allowed to charge them higher tuition fees ... read more

OUT NOW! - IAU dossier on the contribution of higher education to sustainable development

PARIS, July 16 (IAU) -- It has been a struggle to see the role of higher education in achieving sustainable development brought onto the agenda of the Rio+20 summit. Innovative initiatives, declarations, mobilization and institutional projects are not lacking, as the latest issue of IAU Horizons attests by the number and variety of articles ... download

UK government to open up publicly funded research

LONDON, July 16 (4traders) -- Academics, businesses and the public will get easier access to publicly funded research, Universities Minister David Willetts will announce today. The Government will widely accept the recommendations in a report on open access by Dame Janet Finch ... read more | comment

Strong Swiss franc deters foreign students

BERN, July 16 (NZZ) -- Several universities have reported a drop in the numbers of students applying from abroad, especially from countries within the eurozone ... read more | in English

Only few Swiss students have children

NEUCHÂTEL, July 12 (tio) -- 4.8 per cent of the Swiss students have children, they are few compared with other European states, according to the federal statistics office (UST). As parents they need 72 hours a week, 20 hours more than childless students, to perform their study, work, family and housework duties ... read more

Foreign students are often the best

COLOGNE, July 12 (Handelsblatt) -- Students from abroad are usually the best in their field. Therefore, economists are demanding alleviate visa restrictions. According to a new study from the United States ... read more

University of Siena partners with Canadian energy firm

SIENA, July 12 (Libero) -- Research, training, technology transfer and employment opportunities are the core of an agreement between the University of Siena and Magma Energy Italia, a Canadian geothermal power company ... read more

Barroso hails EU-Israel research cooperation

HAIFA, July 12 (ENPI) -- European Commission President José Manuel Barroso is committed to strengthening the EU-Israel partnership cooperation in education, research and innovation. In his speech at Haifa University, where he received an honorary doctorate, he also said Israel was one of the most successful non-EU member states to be associated to the 7th European Framework Programme for Research, with Haifa University alone claiming over 25 projects ... read more

Student homes in BiH in the fight for survival

MOSTAR, July 12 (RFE) -- At some student homes in Bosnia and Herzegovina students live under terrible conditions. As public subsidies are overdue since February, several campuses are indebted and ... read more

EU Parliament challenges Horizon 2020 funding rates

BRUSSELS, July 12 (Science|Business) -- MEPs say the European Commission’s proposed flat rate funding scheme is an over-simplification that will favour industry over academics. “We see the Commission’s proposal as a very political move, to just show one cost model,” Christian Ehler MEP told Science|Business ... read more

MEPs propose moving the EIT to Strasbourg

STRASBOURG, July 12 (Science|Business) -- Strasbourg should become the EU’s innovation capital, say MEPs. The proposal is an attempt to break the deadlock with France about the seat of the European Parliament ... read more

EU academics call for end to EU research subsidies for Israeli arms companies

BRUSSELS, July 11 (alternative news) -- More than 250 academics from 14 different EU countries have written to the EC urging it to take action to prevent Israeli arms companies and other companies involved in abuse of Palestinian human rights from participating in EU funded research consortia ... read more

US universities partner with Eurasia Region

INTERNATIONAL, July 11 (NCN) -- Two US universities are establishing mission and study partnerships with the Eurasia Region in order to expand inter-national learning and service opportunities for their students ... read more

Students trump bankers for luxury London homes

LONDON, July 10 (Times) -- As the potency of the financial sector wanes, they are increasingly let to children of the international super-rich studying at the city's universities. Unlike the stereotypical British students who squeeze into cramped flats and shop in budget stores, the offspring of the super-rich exhibit a taste for luxury ... read more

Research confirms Austrian universities' underfunding

VIENNA, July 10 (Standard) -- Heinrich Schmidinger, president of the Austrian rectors' conference, feels vindicated by a recent study that confirms the insufficient funding - public as well as private - of universities. "The government has to face the fact that one billion more is not enough," he said ... read more

EC invests €1.5bn in IT research

BRUSSELS, July 9 (Computer Weekly) -- The cash is part of a larger €8.1bn pot the EC plans to invest in various research projects proposed by businesses and organisations. There will also be opportunities for research institutions, including universities, to apply to become one of five European Research Area Chairs in less developed areas of the EU ... read more

Commission issues call for research funding

BRUSSELS, July 9 (European Voice) -- The European Commission today called for proposals under the 7th Framework Programme, with €8.1 billion available in support. One of the main areas that the Commission is seeking to address is bridging the gap between research and commercialisation. Activities such as pilot schemes, demonstrations, standardisation and technology-transfer will be given special attention. The Commission is also launching an initiative called "European Research Area Chairs", with €12 million in funding available. Five chairpersons will be selected, to be hosted by universities or research institutions in five different EU countries ... read more

Britain introduces screening for student visas

LONDON, July 9 (Business Line) -- Britain is toughening up its process for granting student visas, and will begin interviewing students it deems as high-risk applicants from across the world – India included ... read more

University certification helps Kosovo thaw

BRUSSELS, July 10 (The Australian) -- An international university peak group has helped thaw relations in one of Europe's most intractable conflict zones, by arranging for diplomas from Kosovo to be recognised across the border in Serbia ... read more

One in four French universities at risk of bankrupcy

PARIS, July 5 (Le Monde) -- Nearly a quarter of French universities are heading towards a grave deficit in 2012. The Court of Auditors estimate that higher education budgets run short of 120 million Euros. University presidents are alarmed: “It is unthinkable that a left government puts the universities on a diet,” ... read more

EU to bundle all education and training programmes

Spanish scientists ask for EU intervention on R&D policy

MADRID, July 6 (nature) -- Spanish scientific societies, the rectors’ conference and other organisations in Spain have asked the European Parliament to take action to stop the drastic cuts to science budgets in Spain and to create “a common research policy in Europe” ... read more

Turkish universities reaching out to international students

ISTANBUL, July 5 (Universities News) -- Turkey has become a hotspot for international students. More so for foreign Muslim students who are seeking higher education at one of its 167 universities. This is an attempt by Prime Minister Erdogan to make Turkey a role model in the Islamic world ... read more

Social scientists boycott German CHE university ranking

ESSEN, July 6 (VDI) -- The German Sociological Association (DGS) has called on sociological institutes to boycott the national university ranking by CHE. While the DGS denounced serious technical flaws, the CHE - a Bertelsmann think tank - has rejected the criticism ... read more

UK foreign recruitment agents ‘paid £60m by universities’

LONDON, July 5 (Telegraph) -- Institutions made the payments as part of a controversial move to recruit more than 51,000 students, many of whom are charged far higher tuition fees than British counterparts ... read more

Italian university budget to be cut by 200 million Euros?

ROME, July 5 (infiltrato) -- Indiscretions about the spending review, currently negotiated at the Italian parliament, suggest that the budget for public universities and research could cut by further 200 million Euros. (The same) 200 million Euros would be spent additionaly on private institutions. At the same time the military expenses of Italy, €230bn in the next 12 years, remain unaffected ... read more

Students of Munich pay the highest rents

Funding cuts divide Europe’s universities

EUROPE, July 5 (europeanvoice) -- Public funding for universities is on the rise in some EU member states, but budgets are shrinking in many others. While nine European countries have seen public funding for universities increase, 11 countries have seen cuts greater than 10% ... read more

Ayrault: Reforms of the university law and student support

PARIS, July 3 (Libération) -- The French Prime Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, announced that the government will “reform the law on universities”, support certain students, raise the number of student flats ... read more

Research universities key to growth

EUROPE, July 4 (scienceguide) -- Pascal ten Have, head of a major Dutch student union, urges policymakers to invest more in innovation and research universities. A report by the U.S. National Research Council shows how ... read more

Estonian unis to introduce plagiarism detection system

TARTU, July 3 (ERR) -- The IT Foundation and Estonia’s larger institutions of higher education are teaming up to introduce a system designed to detect whether material in students’ thesis work has been lifted from other sources. The software is designed not only to scan archives ... read more

Human sciences in Flanders to receive more funding

BRUSSELS, July 2 (expatica) -- The government of Flanders announced a 150-million euro allocation for Special Research Funds, with a considerable chunk for the field of social and human sciences. Innovation minister Ingrid Lieten said ... read more

Sound R&D policies help France, Switzerland and Germany to weather economic woes

EUROPE, July 2 (cpaglobal) -- As WIPO revealed, filings through its Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) system climbed last year to a best-ever total of 181,900. In Europe, for example, PCT filings from Germany rose by 5.7%, France by 5.8% and Switzerland by 7.3%. Meanwhile, filings from the UK dropped by 1%, Spain and Finland by 2.7% each and the Netherlands by a significant 14% ... read more

EU supports education in Southern Mediterranean states

BRUSSELS, July 2 (neurope) -- As a part of a progress in the region following the Arab Spring, the European Commission has launched a new dialogue with Southern Mediterranean countries on higher education policies and programmes, by increasing funding for ... read more

Romanian Prime Minister did plagiarize his doctorate

BUCHAREST, June 29 (Washington Post) -- Defying an order to disband, an academic panel ruled Friday that Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta plagiarized large sections of his doctoral thesis and called for him to be stripped of his Ph.D. The announcement adds to the political tensions in this Eastern European nation, where the president and prime minister are jockeying for power ... read more

3-year bachelor’s degrees becoming fashionable in the US

WASHINGTON, June 29 (ACA) -- According to the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, some 20 American colleges have started three-year programmes, “which are the norm in Europe and some other countries” ... read more

Brazil will send 10.000 students to the UK

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 2 (Surgiu) -- By 2014, as part of the government programme Science Without Borders, Brazil will send 10,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students to Britain ... read more

Largest-ever world university rankings by subject

LONDON, June 29 (PRNewswire) -- Several new challengers to the established global hierarchy are revealed in 2012 QS World University Rankings by Subject. Universities from 17 different countries make the top 20 in at least one discipline, spanning five continents: the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan and Brazil ... read more

United Russia plans opening party schools

MOSCOW, June 29 (RT) -- In a throwback to Soviet times, the majority United Russia party is considering opening party schools to train new personnel and activists. Experts thus far agree that there is no need for the creation of a new college or university ... read more

Microsoft releases Office 365 for Education

WASHINGTON, June 27 (Computerworld) -- Microsoft launched a version of its Office 365 cloud collaboration suite specifically aimed at schools and universities. Office 365 for Education replaces Live@edu, whose customers are about 10,000 educational institutions with 22 million students in 130 countries ... read more

Unpleasant memories of Mussolini’s honorary degree

LAUSANNE, June 29 (Kipa) -- Italy’s dictator Benito Mussolini was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Lausanne in 1937, one year before he issued the anti-Semitic laws. Even then, the decoration was controversial ... read more

Ukraine wants more cooperation in education with Latvia

KIEV, June 27 (NRCU) -- Ukraine is interested in establishing stable relations between the higher educational institutions of both countries, developing joint programs in higher educational institutions, and intensifying the exchanges of students and teachers ... read more

First ranking of Serbian universities

BELGRADE, June 26 (Politika) -- For the first ranking of colleges in Serbian 146 state and private higher education institutions have been compared to discover the 65 best.The first place went to the Belgrade Faculty of Organizational Sciences (FON) ... read more

New rules for foreign graduates in France

PARIS, June 27 (ESNA) -- For the complete removal of the circulars of May and January 2012 regarding requests of foreign graduates to access the French labour market, the government restores friendly procedures which are consistent with Republican values. Science minister Geneviève Fioraso said ... read more

A conversation with Bill Gates about the future of higher ed

WASHINGTON, June 25 (chronicle) -- The Chronicle sat down with Mr. Gates in an exclusive interview ... read more

Belgrade recognises the first 73 diplomas from Kosovo

BRUSSELS, June 27 (Nouvel Observateur) -- The European University Association has recognised the first 73 diplomas of Kosovo universities which Belgrade is committed to recognise as well. Since Serbia does not accept the independence of Kosovo ... read more

ESF identifies the hot research topics in Central and Eastern Europe

STRASBOURG, June 26 (ESNA) -- A new forward looking report by the European Science Foundation aims to identify new themes and outlines eight structural recommendations for social science research in and on CEE. These underline the need to ensure a stronger presence of CEE scholars and CEE social research issues in international level research projects ... read more

Bulgarian organizations to launch employer rating system

SOFIA, June 26 (novinite) -- Employers and trade unions have joined efforts to create a rating system for employers in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Industrial Association is also developing an information system for evaluating employee competency by sectors and regions. "The creation of these professional standards will also provide clear-cut information to universities regarding what specialists they need to train," BIA chair Bozhidar Danev clarified ... read more

Secularist academic jailed in Turkey

ISTANBUL, June 26 (nature) -- One of Turkey's most prominent academic reformers, Kemal Gürüz, was arrested and jailed yesterday. The move was condemned by Turkish scientists, who say that it is part of a systematic intimidation of academics ... read more

Paris ranked top city for student property investment

PARIS, June 25 (digitaljournal) -- Paris has narrowly beaten London to be ranked as the top spot for investors in student property, according to the report done by Knight Frank, looking at the investment potential of European cities popular with students ... read more

UK plans new national universities-business centre

LONDON, June 25 (egovmonitor) -- The Council for Industry and Higher Education announced plans to launch a new National Centre for Universities and Business. The centre will focus on strengthening strategic partnerships ... read more

Telecom Italia and the University of Catania announce a “Joint Open Lab”

ROME, June 25 (4traders) -- Telecom Italia and the University of Catania have launched a project of cooperation to realise a new research laboratory by the end the year. The initiative is part of Telecom Italia's plans to set up six new research labs around the country ... read more

German university to stream subtitled lectures

KARLSRUHE, June 25 (Deutsche Welle) -- International students at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in western Germany may soon only need to turn on their laptops to understand their professors - a new program is will automatically transcribe lecture and translate them into English ... read more

York researcher urges Government to ‘test, learn and adapt’

LONDON, June 24 (The Yorker) -- A University of York researcher is urging Government ministers to adopt a ‘test, learn and adapt’ method to policy-making to gauge the effectiveness of new policies, encouraging the use of trials to test public policy ... read more

EU campaign: “Science is a ‘girl thing’”

BRUSSELS, June 24 (Times of Malta) -- Women represent more than half the students across the 27-nation EU and 45% of all doctorates but account for only one third of career researchers. That is why the EU launched a campaign to convince girls ... read more

New peer learning tool for national higher education policies

MAASTRICHT, June 23 (ESNA) -- The final meeting of renowned higher education experts working on an assessment tool to improve European university policies concluded after heated scientific debates. The project called Empower European Universities, initiated by former Dutch education minister Jo Ritzen, plans to launch in early October this year ... read more

Less than half of Europe's youth is multilingual

BRUSSELS, June 21 (Libération) -- While young Swedish and Maltese citizens have the best language skills, less than 9% of English adolescents master a second language. A study by the European Commission ... read more | the study

Research does not equal product development

INTERNATIONAL, June (Le Monde Diplomatique) -- The trustworthiness of science - its "exchange value" in society - is endangered by research commissioned and institutions financed by private investors. Wolfgang Wodarg argues that only severe transparency rules for science (for instance the planned "Sunshine Act" in the US) can saveguard ... read more

Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and Indra cooperate

BARCELONA, June 22 (4traders) -- The rector of the UPC, Antoni Giró, and managers of Indra, the leading technology multinational in Spain and a leader in Europe and Latin America, have agreed on further cooperation. Both institutions will promote joint projects and training seminars in fields such as smart cities, medical technologies and energy ... read more

Shake-up for Russian universities and research

MOSCOW, June 20 (rsc) -- Just few days after taking up the post of the new education minister, Dmitry Livanov announced his intentions to shake-up graduate training, conduct a comprehensive audit of the country’s research and slash financial support for students. But his plans have already been strongly criticised by the academic community ...  read more

Imam training is good for Germany, Muslims say

COLOGNE, June 22 (onislam) -- Over the past few months, Islamic theology departments in German public universities started offering studies for Muslim imams. The new programs, funded by the government to the tune of €20 million for the next five years, are ... read more

University pumps £650 million into local economy

READING, June 20 (getreading) -- The University of Reading contributes a staggering £650 million a year to the regional economy,revealed in a study by the university entitled Global Reach, Local Impact which assessed the contribution made by the facility, it staff and students in the Thames Valley … read more

The University Joseph Fourier engages at Rio+20

GRENOBLE, June 21 (enviscope) -- The University Joseph Fourier in Grenoble has signed, together with some 15 French universities, an appeal for the Rio+20 conference in favour of a more sustainable development. The text wants to encourage research in this field ... read more

Venetian universities charge too high fees

VENICE, June 19 (Corriere) -- All universities of the Venetian region charge 'unlawful' tuition fees. According to a "black list" compiled by the national student association UDU, 36 of 61 Italian universities do exceed the legally allowed level of fees. Ca’ Foscari in Venice is on top ... read more

Reding calls for more women in boardrooms

BRUSSELS, June 19 (neurope) -- Around 60% of all university graduates are female, yet women represent only 14% of board members in Europe's biggest listed companies and only 3% of board presidents. EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding met with European business schools, industry associations and ... read more

Long-term industry-university partnerships work best to drive innovation

BRUSSELS, June 18 (ScienceBusiness) -- Long-term strategic partnerships between universities and industry that run for 5 to 10 years are the most productive at driving innovation, according to a study published today ... read more

Foreign instructors fighting for equality in Italy

MILAN, June 17 (New York Times) -- There is one group of university teachers in Italy who have reason to regard their counterparts teaching at U.S. study-abroad programs with envy. These are the “lettori”, language teachers who ... read more

One in ten Austrian students will pay tuition fees

VIENNA, June 18 (oe24) -- In autumn, eight of 21 universities will charge tuition fees again. They are the big ones, so one in ten students will have to pay. Science Minister Karlheinz Töchterle ... read more

Elsevier and Skolkovo Foundation sign agreement

MOSCOW, June 18 (MarketWatch) -- The science publisher Elsevier announced today it has reached an agreement with Russia's Skolkovo Foundation. This will add to Russia's focus on R&D and its involvement in the international ecosystem of excellence in science and innovation ... read more

Report calls on government to back open access science

LONDON, June 18 (BBC) -- A group of experts has urged funders of UK research to encourage scientists to publish their results in journals that offer free public access to findings. A report argues that there is a powerful "moral" case for publicly funded ... read more

Germany names new top universities

BERLIN, June 15 (Science) -- They're celebrating today in Dresden, Berlin, Bremen, Cologne, and Tübingen. The universities in those cities have been awarded an extra share of the €2.4 billion in Germany's Excellence Initiative—and have earned the title "elite university" in the German press. The initiative, administered by the DFG German funding agency and the German Science Council (Wissenschaftsrat), awards funding in three categories: graduate schools, research clusters, and a university's overall "institutional strategies to promote top-level research." ... read more

Ireland India Institute opens in Dublin

DUBLIN, June 18 (siliconrepublic) -- A new centre called the Ireland India Institute has been officially opened at Dublin City University (DCU) this morning. Its aim will be to spawn bilateral research, enterprise and academic collaborations ... read more

Greeks seek education (and work) abroad

ATHENS, June 17 (AFP/IHE) -- Many Greeks are furious with Germany over its stance on the economic crisis in Greece, but Greek students are studying at German programs in Greece or traveling to German-speaking countries to learn the language, hoping to stay and find a good job ... read more | read more

Taliban fighters studying in Turkey?

ISTANBUL, June 17 (presstv) -- Afghan sources in Turkey say that around one hundred members of the Taliban terrorist group are studying at Turkish universities, mainly in the western city of Izmir, with privileges provided by the Turkish government ... read more

Netherlands tightens up on Iranian students

AMSTERDAM, June 16 (payvand) -- The Dutch Foreign Minister announced that in view of sanctions against Iran, Netherlands will no longer renew or issue visa or residency applications for Iranian researchers and specialist immigrants ... read more

Excessive debt has turned U.S. students into serfs

USA, June 15 (Investors) -- Student-loan debts now average about $25,000 per graduating senior. But the percentage of youths 16 to 24 who are working (about 49%) is the lowest since records have been kept ... read more

The world’s science academies call for urgent action

TRIESTE, June 14 (ESNA) -- The world’s science academies, through the IAP, have published their yearly joint statements calling upon governments and international bodies to take decisive action on population, consumption and sustainable development. "To encourage development strategies that help to reduce population growth," they say, "programmes that promote education, in particular of women and girls, should be central to these strategies .., read more

Volunteering Irish to get Skills Passports

LONDON, June 14 (theepochtimes) -- The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of a bundle of measures on Tuesday aimed at fighting unemployment in Europe. One of the new instruments included in the package is the European Skills Passport ... read more

Switzerland leading study destination for Asian students

ZURICH, June 14 (Asian Correspondent) -- Switzerland has become an increasingly attractive place for study among foreigners. As of 2010, between 18-20 percent of master’s students and nearly 50 percent of doctoral students came from ... read more

European business bosses push for dual education model

EUROPE, June 14 (IBT) -- Key decision makers in prominent business companies throughout Europe have criticised failing education systems for rising youth employment and have been clamouring for the implementation of dual education schemes to help reverse this worrying trend ... read more

Croatian students demand government promises to be kept

ZAGREB, June 12 (index) -- In an open letter to the Croatian government, philosophy students from Zagreb demand that the second year of graduate studies remains tuition-free as promised and threaten with protest. They also complain of the government's unfair method to delay this kind of decisions until the end of the academic year ... read more

Russian universities eye bank loans

MOSCOW, June 10 (UWN) -- Leading Russian universities, facing a lack of capital investment and plans to reduce state funding, are considering bank loans. According to Standard & Poor's, at present the potential volume of the Russian universities’ lending market is estimated at about 18 billion Rubles (440 million Euros) per year ... read more

Poland scores late goals in education

WARSAW, June 12 (BBC) -- Among eastern European countries, Poland has been the biggest education success story - following modernising reforms launched at the end of the 1990s. Basic education has been improved radically, and now with student intake soaring, universities have been asked to re-design their courses ... read more

Graduate overproduction in Spain?

MADRID, June 12 (La Opinión) -- The output of graduates in Spain has grown by over 12%, nearly one million persons, last year. Experts speak of an 'overproduction' in regard of the labour market situation ... read more

58 universities sign World Sustainability Declaration

FREIBERG, June 12 (Marketwire) -- Representatives from 58 resource management universities from 39 countries signed a declaration to secure a sustainable use of the world's natural resources. Developing a new awareness for natural resources and ways in which the universities could intensify their co-operation ... read more

Belarus may become Europe’s “Silicon Valley” by 2015

MINSK, June 11 (openPR) -- While being one of the most controversial countries in Europe, oftentimes referred to as a “dictatorship”, over the past few years Belarus has managed to become one of the most powerful hotspots for the outsourced Research and Development (R&D) and IT ... read more

Eight of ten Italian students in economic trouble

ROME, June 11 (AGI) -- They suffer from lacking stability, expensive books, and the majority of Italian students don't manage to pay the rent and tuition fees. A survey among 1200 students shows that 8 out of 10 ... read more

State 'gains 10 times what it pays for students'

LONDON, June 9 (BBC) -- UK graduates contribute to the economy almost 10 times what it costs the state to educate them to degree level, research suggests ... read more

German science funding body sets up centre in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD, June 10 (businessline) -- The German Research Foundation (DFG) has expanded its India presence with the formal launch of a centre in Hyderabad. DFG, along with the Indian National Science Academy, has also been running a exchange programme in which 450 Indian scientists have been hosted in Germany ... read more

Kuwaiti diplomat signs accords with Italian universities

ROME, June 9 (KUNA) -- The head of the Kuwaiti cultural office in Paris, Abdulrahman Al-radwan, has signed scientific cooperation and cultural accords with two Italian universities, Tor Vergata in Rome and Federico II in Naples ... read more

Minister scraps Czech university reform bill

PRAGUE, June 7 (Prague Monitor) -- Education Minister Petr Fiala has withdrawn the plan to introduce tuition fees at universities. But he said he is considering introducing entrance fees ... read more

Weak Euro lures Chinese students

BEIJING, June 11 (China Daily) -- The sharp drop in the value of the Euro is a great encouragement to Chinese students to persue higher education in the Eurozone, since the depreciation of the European currency has reduced tuition fees and living costs ... read more

Slovenian public university funds go to private institution

LJUBLJANA, June 7 (RTV) -- In a public tender for universities, mainly financed by the EU, the private institution FUDŠ (369 students) won one third of all funds or 400.000 Euros, while the University of Ljubljana (51.000 students) received only 90.000 Euros. The founder of FUDŠ, Borut Rončević, is at the same time State Secretary for Higher Education at the Slovenian education ministry ... read more

Greek immigration crisis spreads to universities

Taiwan consents to qualifications recognition by Vatican

VATICAN, June 8 (taipeitimes) -- Lawmakers yesterday preliminarily approved the mutual recognition of tertiary-level qualifications with the Holy See, the first official agreement in the field of higher education and on the recognition of studies, qualifications, diplomas and degrees between the Vatican and the Republic of China. With the agreement in place, Taiwan recognizes 156 Catholic universities ... read more

Increased graduates in Europe but more efforts needed

BRUSSELS, June 7 (ESNA) -- Member States must work harder if they are to meet the '' Europe 2020'' education targets to reduce early school leaving rates to less than 10% and increase the share of young people with degree-level qualifications to at least 40%, according to figures for 2011 released by Eurostat ... read more

One million support not having tuition!

INTERNATIONAL, June 7 (Huffington Post) -- University of the People (UoPeople) is a nonprofit, online, tuition-free academic institution. Recently, the University crossed the million fans mark on Facebook - making it second, in the number of supporters out of all universities on Facebook, only to Harvard University ... read more

Revolution in education is vital to reduce youth unemployment

BRUSSELS, June 6 (financial) -- The key message delivered by Eurochambres, during a high-level conference in the European Parliament, is that Vocational Education and Training should be placed at the centre of the EU’s jobs and growth agenda. A revolution in national education systems, with a greater integration of workplace experience in academic curricula is necessary to beat rising unemployment ... read more

Spanish universities are the most expensive in Europe

MADRID, June 6 (Público) -- According to a new study, Spanish students are bearing between 19 and 20 percent of the cost of their studies. This is one of the highest prices in Europe and is similar to Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy, Ireland and the UK ... read more

Philippines-European Union Partnership

MANILA, June 7 (tempo) -- The new agreement between The Philippines and the 27 EU states, called the Philippines-European Union Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), should further strengthen the cooperation and action in their partnership, specifically in the issues of migration, education and training  … read more

German workers lead EU ‘green jobs’ revolution

BRUSSELS, May 6 (euractiv) -- The OECD too has lauded Germany as a leader in environmental policy, saying it has become “a laboratory for green growth.” However, the skills gap remains a major obstacle to green growth. There is a “huge” need for education and training for the next generation of green jobs, OECD’s Deputy Secretary-General, Yves Leterme, warned. “But there is no need to reinvent the wheel,” Leterme added. “Most of the green skills that new market entrants will require can be met through incremental enrichment of educational and training programmes.” ... read more | OECD report

Turkey to found universities in Africa

ANKARA, May 5 (bne) -- Turkey is seeking more opportunities in Africa amidst the euro zone debt crisis. Turkey’s trade with Africa has gone up considerably, jumping from $4bn in 2000 to $17bn in 2011. There are over 100 Turkish schools in 34 African countries and plans to set up universities ... read more

Student protests in Germany against university merger

Italian university reforms focus on merit

ROME, June 5 (universita) -- Tomorrow Education Minister Francesco Profumo will present the new school and university reform. Under this so called ‘merit package’ the best students and teachers of high schools and universities will be rewarded. €30 million are earmarked for the universities. The minister also announced the imminent recruitment of 300.000 new lecturers ... read more

e-IDs to work across EU borders

EUROPE, June 5 (ZDnet) -- Electronic identities are to be harmonised and mutually recognised across the EU, under proposals unveiled by the European Commission. Students could also benefit by using their national e-IDs to enrol at universities in other countries ... read more

War on English talent is on

AMSTERDAM, June 4 (scienceguide) -- “Right now, the Netherlands is still market leader, but for how long?” Germany joins the competition for English students that flee from tuition fee hikes ... read more

Fioraso commits herself to university autonomy

PARIS, June 4 (vousnousils) -- The new French science minister Geneviève Fioraso said on Saturday she doesn’t question university autonomy. But the LRU law, she said, “has huge flaws.” She wants “a new framework law on higher education and research” to replace the LRU. This law shall be presented to Parliament in early 2013 after a consultation of the entire university community ... read more

Thousands of EU students owe UK unpaid loans

LONDON, June 3 (Telegraph) -- Nearly half of all students from European Union countries, who can take advantage of subsidised student loans like British students, are failing to meet their repayments ... read more

U-Multirank on track?

PARIS, May 31 (Educpros) -- The first version of U-Multirank, a new university ranking system commissioned by the EU, is expected for 2013. Despite criticism from the UK, adaptable national initiatives are multiplying. CERES, a multifaceted cartography of French universities ... read more

Ministers back Horizon 2020 research programme

BRUSSELS, May 31 (europeanvoice) -- European ministers for research and innovation today reached agreement on the structure of the Horizon 2020 research programme. Negotiations will now begin on the budget allocation for the specific programmes ... read more

Controversial directive on graduate work visas abolished

PARIS, May 31 (Le Monde) -- The controversial circular of former Minister of the Interior, Claude Guéant, that restricted employment for non-European students has been cancelled and substituted for a new text by the government ... read more

European students by the numbers – interactive

EUROPE, May 31 (Guardian) -- European graduates are finding it costlier to study and harder to get a job at the end of it all. So how many universities – and students – are there in Europe’s biggest countries? The Guardian looks at the statistics for the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland ... see the map

International students break guinness world records title for largest mortar board toss

LONDON, May 30 (L&P) -- Today, 295 international students have become world record holders in London as they broke the Guinness World Records title for the Largest Mortar Board Toss. The attempt today recognised the growth of international students studying in London, which this year reached over 108,000 – more than any other city in the world. International students account for over 25% of the total London student population, and the capital is home to nearly 25% of all international students studying in the UK. Over £2.5 billion is generated by international students in London every year ... read more

Europe’s largest contract research organization to set up UK headquarters

GÉANT announces terabit network for Europe

CAMBRIDGE, May 29 (cordiswire) -- 40 million researchers and millions of students across Europe are set to benefit from the fastest available data transfers, thanks to a major investment in the pan-European GÉANT research and education network ... read more

Anarchists attack science

GENOA, May 28 (nature) -- A loose coalition of eco-anarchist groups is increasingly launching violent attacks on scientists. A group calling itself the Olga Cell of the Informal Anarchist Federation International Revolutionary Front has claimed responsibility for the non-fatal shooting of a ... read more

Serbia has the most expensive fees in the region

BELGRADE, May 29 (vestionline) -- Although the average salary is the lowest in the region, Serbian students are paying almost twice as much tuition as students in Croatia, Montenegro or Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to a recent survey ... read more

Hedge fund opens Swiss office to lure scientific talent

ZURICH, May 29 (marketwatch) -- Winton Capital Management with its $29 billion in assets opens a new office in Zurich which will be run by a German particle physicist and will serve purely research purposes. Four other Europeans, boasting PhDs in computer science, data mining and mathematics, will join ... read more

Who is cheating in the Ukraine?

KIEV, May 28 (ForUm) -- A summary, term paper, graduation paper or even thesis work can easily be bought in the Ukraine. According to an investigation by the journal ForUm ... read more

Universities in Europe take a turn for the corporate

PHILADELPHIA, May 28 (metro) -- Ireland’s state-sponsored higher education system was overhauled to move away from public control and toward a more market-focused system. The author Mary Gallagher cites the American model as the impetus for these changes ... read more

The myth of the entrepreneurial university (in Germany)

BIELEFELD, May 27 (FAZ) -- For many years, universities have been told to follow the model of successful companies. Statistics show a different reality, argues Stefan Kühl ... read more

Only 20 % children of workers at Italian universities

ROME, May 28 (Repubblica) -- Among students of the generation born in the 1980s, 61.9 percent are children of the wealthy parents, compared to 20.3 percent of working class children ... read more

210 foreign universities’ diplomas recognised in Russia

MOSCOW, May 27 (Moscow Times) -- Diplomas from 210 foreign universities will now be acknowledged in Russia without additional state evaluation. The government-approved list includes world-renowned top-tier schools as well as obscure mid level ones ... read more

Gap of Swiss tuition fees grows

BERN, May 27 (Aargauer Zeitung) -- An overview of the tuition fees at the universities in Switzerland shows: In the last decade, 10 of 12 universities have increased the fees. The differences have become even bigger ... read more

EIB lends £1 billion to UK universities

LONDON, May 24 (THE) -- The European Investment Bank plans to invest up to £1 billion in UK universities over the next five years. The EIB will provide long-term loans with small interest rates to help Universities to build infrastructure including teaching, research and campus facilities, particularly in institutions with a “strong research base” ... read more

New Russian education and science minister appointed

MOSCOW, May 23 (science) -- Dmitry Livanov has been appointed as the new Russian Minister of Education and Science. He was was rector of the National University of Science and Technology (MISiS) and deputy of Andrei Fursenko from 2005 to 2007 ... read more

Global research council aims to coordinate science

INTERNATIONAL, May 21 (nature) -- The leaders from 50 national research-funding agencies met at the headquarters of the US National Science Foundation (NSF) in Virginia and agreed to formulate shared principles to aid collaborations. The Global Research Council (GRC), which was formed in order to share best practice and encourage common principles, discussed on issues such as peer review, data sharing, research integrity, open access, career development and ethical conduct in research on humans ... read more

Spanish teachers and students strike over cuts

MADRID, May 22 (AP) -- Teachers and students from every level of Spain’s education system went on strike Tuesday to protest wide-ranging government spending cuts, erecting makeshift tombs at university campuses to symbolise what they claim will be the death of the country's schooling system ... read more

Youth unemployment to remain high until 2016

Fear of powerful Swiss university rectors

BASEL, May 21 (NZZ) -- With a new statute the power of the rectorate at the university of Basel is growing. Students voiced their concerns about less democratic influence within the institution ... read more

Dutch students go to court over long study fine

HAGUE, May 21 (nu) -- Three Dutch student organisations went to court on Monday in an effort to have government plans to charge slow students higher fees overturned. Part-time students, whose degrees take a minimum of six years ... read more

Multi-billion rand partnership to benefit SA students

CAPE TOWN, May 22 (the skills portal) -- In light of the shortage of skilled graduates, the joint declaration between South Africa and the European Commission will open much needed graduate and post-graduate study opportunities for South African students ... read more

Switzerland pays the highest wages to professors

ZURICH, May 20 (NZZ) -- The best paid professors in the world are to be found in Switzerland. A survey by the newspaper NZZ found an average salary of 17,000 Francs (€14,000) is about twice as much as in Germany ... read more

Minister reduces number of EU-subsidised projects

PRAGUE, May 21 (Prague Monitor) -- The new Czech education minister, Petr Fiala, has reduced the number of EU-subsidised projects planned by his predecessor from more than twenty to five ... read more

New French minister of higher education and research

PARIS, May 17 (universityworldnews) -- Geneviève Fioraso, a specialist in the economics of research and innovation, has been appointed as the new French minister for higher education and research ... read more

Transatlantic initiative to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran

NEW YORK, May 17 (ESNA) -- A major joint non-governmental initiative has been launched dedicated to combating the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran with a view to preventing international conflict. The initiative will collaborate on research, education, policy and action initiatives in Europe and beyond ... read more

Spanish parliament approves cuts in education and health

MADRID, May 17 (telam) -- Public expenditure for health and education will be reduced by €10 billion. In the education sector the class seize and the lecturing hours of professors will be increased ... read more

Fight against fake diplomas in Bulgaria

SOFIA, May 17 (b news) -- Two 23 year old female students were arrested for having forged high school and university diplomas and selling them on the internet ... read more

Open Access push from Brussels

BRUSSELS, May 17 (insidehighered) -- An official at the European Commission said that for researchers receiving funding from the Horizon 2020 program between 2014 and 2020, open-access publishing “will be the norm” ... read more

New Romanian education minister appointed

BUCHAREST, May 16 (Huffington Post) -- Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta named Liviu Pop, a trade union leader, as interim education minister after two previous appointments were forced to quit over allegations of plagiarism and incompetence ... read more

German universities spend more money

BERLIN, May 15 (n24) -- In 2010, the expenses of German universities rose by 6 percent or 41.2 billion. More study places and new founded institutions were the cause for the increase. Also the income of universities grew ... read more

Hollande confirms 60,000 new jobs in education

PARIS, May 15 (20minutes) -- François Hollande, in his first speech as President of the Republic France, confirmed to education personnel that his campaign pledges to create 60,000 jobs in education and restore teacher training ... read more

A former German teacher named as new prime minister

PARIS, May 15 (Guardian) -- Jean-Marc Ayrault, a former German teacher who has been working behind the scenes to smooth Paris's relations with Berlin, has been appointed prime minister by the new French president François Hollande ...

read more

A Serbian science and education ministry on the wish list

BELGRADE, May 14 (Danas) -- The Serbian Academy of Science and Art and the two big universities of Belgrade and Novi Sad have demanded the formation of a ministry that will gather education, science and technology innovations in the new government ... read more

Romanian education minister accused of plagiarism

University of Luxembourg jumps into Open Access

LUXEMBOURG, May 14 (ESNA) -- The University of Luxembourg has announced its intent to actively participate in the Open Access initiative, a worldwide movement aiming to make scholarly publications freely available ... read more

Science Minister talks up 'great R&D breakthrough' in Poland

WARSAW, May 14 (WBJ) -- For Science Minister Barbara Kudrycka Poland is undergoing a “great breakthrough” in science and R&D. Proof of this, she argued, is the fact that in 2010 Poland achieved the EU average for public spending on R&D ... read more

Andrews reaffirms commitment to university mergers

Time to promote the humanities

JERUSALEM, May 13 (Jersualem Post) -- “We require investment in libraries so that our best philosophers and historians do not leave Israel for universities in Western Europe and North America,” writes David Newman, dean of the faculty of humanities and social sciences at Ben-Gurion University ... read more

Insider training

EUROPE, May 14 (Financial Times) -- Most executives’ business education takes place on their employers’ premises, as many big companies operate extensive internal “corporate universities”, “learning centres” or “academies”. To demonstrate that corporate education need not play second fiddle to academic alternatives, 15 of Europe’s best-known multinationals have ... read more

‘Unique’ EU research project to help detect social problems

BRUSSELS, May 8 (euObserver) -- A new pan-European research project (CLARIN) is aiming to connect the archives of Europe’s many libraries, universities and other public institutions. Thanks to advanced language recognition technology ... read more

New ranking system rates ‘best’ countries not universities

LUND, May 11 (Telegraph) -- In a new study, Britain was beaten by nations such as Sweden, Finland, Norway, Australia and the Netherlands for overall effectiveness of higher education systems. The ranking by Universitas 21 ... read more

Spanish newspapers attack student leaders

MADRID, May 11 (ESU) -- The European Students’ Union deems the content of several articles in the Spanish media very inappropriate as it jeopardizes the future of the student movement in the country. La Razón published on 9 May a front page article which revealed many personal details of five national student leaders while criticizing their age and personal academic careers ... read more

Austrian research integrates into universities

VIENNA, May 7 (Standard) -- The Austrian Academy of Sciences is looking for ways to deal with stagnant budgets. They bet on mergers of smaller science institutes or their transfer into universities ... read more

Portuguese-Mexican university ties

PACHUCA DE SOTO, May 8 (newshidalgo) -- The Portuguese ambassador in Mexico, João Caetano da Silva, said during a visit of the Autonomous University of Hidalgo (UAEH), more cross-border cooperation, partnerships and student exchange would benefit both countries ... read more

Free tuition in Scotland by claiming Irish grandparents

EU supports higher education reform BiH with €1.5m

SARAJEVO, May 10 (emg) – The EU has provided €1.473.500 through the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) for the realization of the two-year project ‘Higher education financing reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina’ ... read more

The education system must be better adapted to the labour market

BRUSSELS, May 10 (De Standaart) -- Jürgen Thumann, president of the roof organisation of European employers’ associations BusinessEurope, praised during a business summit the German dual school model that combines theoretical and practical training. Parts of the European Social Fund should be reserved ... read more

‘Croatia 2020’ Strategy for science, education and technology published

ZAGREB, May 9 (vecernji) -- Education Minister Željko Jovanović has presented new strategy ‘Croatia 2020’ aiming to improve traning for the labour market and aligning education standards to EU standards ... read more

New records in Erasmus program for 2010-2011

BRUSSELS, May 8 (ESNA) -- The European Commission has released figures on the number of students who participated in Erasmus exchange program of 2010-2011, with the new record of more then 230.000 students enrolling in Erasmus mobility and 15% of increase in Erasmus job placements ... read more

EU scientists 'suppliers for the economy'

BRUSSELS, May 8 (euObserver) -- The Belgian scientist Barbara van Dyck, who was fired for participating in protests against GMO, is on trial again. She is part of a movement within academia in Europe that looks with suspicion at the ever closer ties between science and business ... read more

The Soviet remnant of Belarusian higher education

MINSK, May 7 (Belarus Digest) -- A growing number of Belarusian families choose one of the two pragmatic options to avoid the communist-style mandatory placement: pay university fees by their own or leave the country ... read more

Educity Iskandar: a university partnership in Malaysia

NUSAJAYA, May 8 (Guardian) -- The 350-acre campus at Educity Iskandar will be shared by eight international universities, including three from the UK. In the 1990s Malaysia singled out higher education as one of its strategic investments... read more

“New law damages Spanish universities”

MADRID, May 8 (europapress) -- The Administrative Council of the University Complutense of Madrid has requested the new law 14/2012 from April 20 to be withdrawn. The law damages universities by cutting funds to below the European average, raising tuition fees and devaluating teaching in favour of research ... read more 

Scholarships for Russian students to be increased

MOSCOW, May 7 (RIAN) -- President Vladimir Putin has instructed the government to adopt a range of social measures. Among them state scholarships for first and second-year students should be increased to the level of minimum living wages, by the end of June. This concerns students from poor families and those doing well in studies ... read more

Bankruptcy warning to UK universities

Universities must adapt to financial realities

Germany accelerates implementation of e-mobility infrastructure

Universities have been taken over by administrators

ERLANGEN, May 6 (Troy Media) -- "Across the continent, administration has become a growth industry at a time when budget constraints are said to compel the reduction of full-time faculty positions," the Canadian professor Barry Cooper observed on a visit in Europe. "But who monitors them?" ... read more

Jews unwelcome on campus

INTERNATIONAL, May 5 (YNET News) -- While boasting large numbers of Muslim students and students from Arab countries, European universities count very few Jewish or pro-Israeli students among their population. Today, we are witnessing the worst wave of anti-Israel hatred since ... read more

£75m boost for Birmingham campus development

BIRMINGHAM, May 5 (Invest in EU) -- The European Investment Bank has formally agreed to provide £75 million to fund developments to teaching, research and campus facilities at the University of Birmingham. Support from the European Union’s long-term lending institution will support re-development of the main university library, provide new teaching, research and leisure facilities, and enhance campus energy efficiency ... read more

Federal education minister plagiarized her doctor thesis?

DÜSSELDORF, May 2 (dpa) -- A German university will examine claims that the education minister, Anette Schavan, plagiarized her doctorate thesis. A committee will examine next week the anonymous allegations against Schavan, after sections of her 1980 doctorate were appeared on the internet in a blog ... read more

German reservations about English

BERLIN, May 2 (Welt) -- German chief of rectors, Horst Hippler, strikes a blow for German as science language within lectures. According to him, it is a misunderstood internationalism if lectures on German universities are only in English ... read more

New Czech education minister

PRAGUE, May 2 (Radio Prague) -- The long-vacant post of Minister of Education, Youth and Sports has been taken up by Petr Fiala, political scientist and former chancellor of Masaryk University in Brno ... read more

The beginning of an Irish re-unification?

BELFAST, May 2 (Belfast News Letter) -- Northern Ireland has published a Higher Education Strategy, one of its key priorities in the coming years will be to further remove barriers to students from Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland studying in the neighbouring jurisdiction ... read more

Russia seeks niche for students in Far East territories

VLADIVOSTOK, May 1 (Telegraph) -- Authorities hope that the impressive new campus and generous grants from the state will help to attract the brightest minds from around the world and will be in competition to studying markets of China, Indonesia or Vietnam ... read more

South wants to be like the north

The Bologna process key to European universities' success

LONDON, April 30 (Guardian) -- Not much happened in Bucharest, any more than it did at earlier ministerial jamborees. But beneath the suffocating weight of E-acronyms, action lines and the usual Euro-babble, a quiet revolution has been under way in European higher education – stimulated by the spirit of Bologna ... read more

The anachronisctic policy of the Bologna Process

BRUSSELS, April 30 (New Europe) -- Both the European Commission and Parliament urged modernisation of educational systems and curricula, with the same nominal aim, but with no particular guidance on how. The key elements of policy proposals remained funding as the primary point, and mobility - as back in 2008. The Communiqué released by the education ministers following their Ministerial Conference in Bucharest was even more anachronistic ... read more

Concerned academics set up 'free' university

LINCOLN. April 29 (BBC) -- Academics concerned about high tuition fees are setting up a university where students can learn for free. The group, which includes lecturers from the University of Lincoln, argues higher education has become “highly commercialised and profit-oriented” ... read more

Serbian students in hunger strike

BELGRADE, April 27 (b92) -- Twenty students from the Faculty of Applied Arts have gone on hunger strike and will spend the night in front of the Ministry of Education. They protest because scholarships have still not been paid and they are unable to enroll in the new academic year, even though they had an agreement ... read more

Harvard Library will make 12 million records available to the public

CAMBRIDGE, April 25 (Harvard Crimson) -- The Harvard Library currently spends almost $3.75 million on journals a year. The Faculty Advisory Council encourages staff to make their work publicly available in open access journals ... read more

Europe privatises public debt through student loans

EUROPE, April 25 (scienceguide) -- In the UK and other EU countries it becomes clear now that replacing direct government funding in higher education with student loans is an effort to transform public debt into private debt. This falls under a more general policy by European governments ... read more

Unprecedented debt of English students

LONDON, April 23 (Bloomberg) -- Some students in England, after borrowing for housing and living expenses, will leave school with as much as 40,000 pounds ($64,200) in debt. That tops the $23,300 average debt of U.S. student borrowers ... read more

The success story of the University of the Greater Region continues

SAARBRÜCKEN, April 26 (ESNA) -- Three years after its inception, the cross-border project ‘University of the Greater Region’ (UniGR) will continue for one more year until April 2012. The UniGR, co-funded by the EU, coordinates research and student mobility of seven universities across the seams of Germany, Luxemburg, Belgium and France ... read more

Open for business? Why universities must collaborate on OpenCourseWare

CAMBRIDGE, April 25 (Guardian) -- International higher education specialists convened at Cambridge University for a conference on the future of online learning. Hosted by the OpenCourseWare Consortium, the largest open online education resource in the world ... read more

EU Commissioner urges more funding in higher education

BRUSSELS, April 25 (ESNA) -- European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Androulla Vassiliou has called for more funding in higher education among Member States and stressed out that action is essential to help drive jobs and growth in Europe ... read more

Austria’s SPÖ rejects education tax

VIENNA, April 25 (taxnews) -- Austria’s Social Democrats (SPÖ) have recently ruled out the idea of introducing a new ‘education tax’ in Austria, insisting that access to higher education must remain free ... read more

Education cuts heighten regional tensions in Spain

MADRID, April 24 (eitb) -- The central government is changing rules so that regions can hike university fees and charge more for medication, moves that could well spark street protests ... read more

CERN supports new business incubation centre in the UK

Geneva, April 23 (ESNA) -- CERN and the UK’s Science and Technology and Facilities Council announce the launch of a new Business Incubation Centre, which will provide a new technology transfer opportunity to bridge the gap between basic science and industry ... read more

Ukrainian students must make way for football

KIEV, April 23 (Spiegel) -- Ukrainian students are being forced out of their dormitories ahead of the European Football Championship but will have to continue paying rent nonetheless. The German travel company TUI has booked the rooms for the influx of football fans ... read more

Muslims in Europe face discrimination

LONDON, April 24 (brecorder) -- European countries are discriminating Muslims for demonstrating their faith, especially in the fields of education and employment, said Amnesty International. In a report focusing on Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland ... read more

Collaboration for creating Icelandic Supercomputer

REYKJAVIK, April 23 (hpcwire) -- National High Performance Computing organisations of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland have pooled resources and powered up an innovative joint supercomputer in Iceland. It is innovative not so much for its technology, but for its concept, placement and operations ... read more

University group warns of internationalization’s ‘potential adverse Impacts’

PARIS, April 20 (chronicle) -- As universities worldwide increase their efforts to internationalise, they run the risk of potential adverse effects, including harming developing nations, says the International Association of Universities. In a statement, the association outlined several areas of concern ... read more

Repercussions of a Dutch study tax

AMSTERDAM, April 23 (scienceguide) -- The Dutch government plans to replace the current study grant system by loan facilities. This represents a major policy turnaround shifting the burden of higher education financing from the public sector to the individual student ... read more

Three Scottish colleges plan merger

EDINBURGH, April 21 (scotsman) -- The creation of Scotland’s latest “super college” has moved a step closer after three institutions published plans for their merger. Last year, education secretary Mike Russell said the Scottish Government needed to “force the pace” on college mergers to help cut costs across the sector ... read more

China und the EU launch people-to-people dialogue

BRUSSELS, April 19 (China Daily) -- China and the European Union launched the first-ever high-level people-to-people dialogue here on Wednesday to strengthen cooperation in fields of education, youth, research and multilingualism amid increasingly close ties between the two sides ... read more

Accor signs major partnership with French education ministry

PARIS, April 19 (hospitalitynet) -- -- The French education minister, Luc Chatel, and Denis Hennequin, Chairman and CEO of the international hotel operator ACCOR will sign a major five-year partnership in order to ... read more

Website will 'maximise' impact of academic work

LONDON, April 19 (THE) -- The editor of a new multidisciplinary blog run by London School of Economics academics has argued that the medium is "fundamental" for modern-day academics and their research output. The European Politics and Policy (EUROPP) blog ... read more

European groups go global

Commission launches campaign to boost work placements

BRUSSELS, April 17 (ESNA) -- The EC today launches the ‘We Mean Business’ campaign to boost young people’s skills and employability. Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, said: “We want to raise awareness of the value of international placements, which can improve an individual’s language skills as well as helping them to be more self-confident and adaptable. Our studies show that employers increasingly value these kinds of skills.” ... read more

Ministers are loosing grip of EHEA

BRUSSELS, April 18 (ESNA) -- The European Students’ Union (ESU) is very concerned about the Bologna Process, perceiving it as sliding backwards in some key action lines such as the social dimension, financing of mobility and sustaining ... read more

Afghan schoolgirls poisoned in anti-education attack

TAKHAR, April 17 (Reuters) -- About 150 Afghan schoolgirls were poisoned on Tuesday after drinking contaminated water at a high school in the country's north, officials said, blaming it on conservative radicals opposed to female education ... read more | CNN video

Dutch part-time students at a disadvantage

THE HAGUE, April 16 (Telegraaf) -- Those who study part-time are at a disadvantage, as the Education Secretary Halbe Zijlstra has said that the government will no longer finance their studies. This results in education becoming more expensive and fewer students coming to universities to study ... read more

Europe is top educational destination for Georgian students

LONDON, April 17 (Financial) -- Europe is the top destination for Georgian students going abroad to study. University ratings, tuition fees and the possibility to combine studies with part-time work are the main criteria when choosing a foreign university ... read more

Bosnian professors don’t confront corruption

TUZLA, April 16 (slobodnaevropa) -- According to Prof. Nail Kurtic of Tuzla University, a large majority of lecturers and the vast majority of students in Bosnia and Herzegovina are not involved in corruption, but they are unable to directly confront those who are ... read more

Fired Austrian researcher says: It was no forgery

One in four study at Swedish unis via the net

Italian university switches to English

A student generation striving for security and safety

FRANKFURT, April 12 (FR) -- Sociologist Tino Bargel’s verdict on students of today? ‘Slightly perplexed, lacking opinions, fairly indifferent.’ He calls them the ‘Generation of Apathy and Disinterest’ ... read more

Slovenian Rectors react on cuts in education

Headscarves to be allowed in elective classes in Turkey

ISTANBUL, April 12 (Hürriyet) -- Female secondary and high school students will be permitted to wear headscarves in elective religion classes that will be introduced as part of a controversial new education reform bill, Education Minister Ömer Dinçer has said ... read more

Open Science for the 21st Century: Declaration of All European Academies

PARIS, April 12 (Unesco) -- The presidents of European academies of science urge science funders to implement open science principles for publications, research data, software educational resources and research infrastructures. They ask scientists, educators and students to embrace a culture of open science ... read more

Donations to Welsh universities more than double

CARDIFF, April 12 (Wales Online) -- The number of people donating to Welsh universities is at its highest ever level, with experts hailing a “culture shift” towards higher education philanthropy. In 2010-11, universities received £7.2m, up from £3.2m in 2009-10 ... read more

French companies lack of relations with universities

PARIS, April 10 (mcetv) -- A quarter of companies in France have never worked with universities, despite the fact that they are hiring 60% of graduates, mainly because they co-operate with other institutions ... read more

42% of Spanish I&D budget not used

MADRID, April 11 (diario vasco) -- The Confederation of Spanish Scientific Societies (COSCE), which includes more than 70 societies and 32,000 researchers, regards this fact to be as bad as the budget cuts: more 40 percent of national funds for Innovation and Development of 2011 have not been used ... read more

German employers prefer master’s graduates

COLOGNE, April 10 (artikel-presse) -- A national survey of 500 German human resource managers has shown that job prospects for masters graduates are optimistic. In terms of development in the coming years ... read more

Protester disrupts traditional Oxford-Cambridge boat race

LONDON, April 8 (New York Times) -- The annual boat race between Oxford and Cambridge is no stranger to protests, but no one had ever seen anything like this before. A bit more than halfway down the four-mile course, a bearded Australian in a wetsuit jumped into the river and ... read more

Norwegian companies benefit from increase in foreign students

OSLO, April 10 (newsinenglish) -- Until recently, immigration authorities required foreign students to leave the country after completing their education. Now they can stay to work, also while searching for a job ... read more

Greek unis eyeing foreign collaborations

ATHENS, April 9 (kathimerini) -- Greek state universities are looking all the way to the Far East in a bid to attract students from overseas and hopefully bring some revenues into their crisis-hit coffers. Most rectors are eyeing China, while ... read more

Clinton backs Brazil’s 100k exchange expansion

WASHINGTON, April 9 (scienceguide) -- In a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Obama’s Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, pledged her support for Brazil’s efforts to send 100.000 talented students abroad. European countries meanwhile struggle to partner with the booming economy on this initiative ... read more | H. Clinton’s speech

Lack of graduates hampers Portugal’s recovery

LISBON, April 9 (mprnews) -- In Western Europe’s poorest and least educated nation only 28 percent of the population over the age of 30 have graduated from high school, according to government figures ... read more

Wellcome Trust joins ‘academic spring’ to open up science

LONDON, 9 April (Guardian) -- The Wellcome Trust, the second largest non-governmental funder of medical research, is in support of the campaign to allow scientific research to be freely accessible online. The Trust is also developing a free-to-view scientific journal ... read more

Spain announces further cuts in health and education

NY police investigate French academic’s death

NEW YORK, April 4 (France 24) -- The director of the Sciences Po university in Paris, Richard Descoings, was found dead on Tuesday in a Manhattan Hotel, in what New York police are calling "suspicious" circumstances ... read more

Dobes returns to Ministry of Education in advisory role

PRAGUE, April 5 (deník) -- Former Education Minister Josef Dobeš, who had resigned in protest of recent budget cuts, is back as an advisor in the ministry of the current head office ... read more

Trebling of tuition fees gives cash boost for universities

WALES, April 5 (Wales Online) -- Students themselves will offset reductions to core university budgets by paying up to £9,000 for their courses from September. Money is allocated by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales ... read more

Debt risk for Portuguese universities

LISBON, April 4 (Público) -- The President of the Council of Rectors of Portuguese Universities (CRUP), António Rendas, has called attention to the possibility of creating debts for institutions if they apply new law commitments ... read more

Universities to repair Austrian tuition law

VIENNA, April 4 (Standard) -- The Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) has asked Austrian Universities to show support for the repair of the tuition law. SPÖ science spokeswoman Andrea Kuntzl also warns the Senate President and university councils about to levy tuition fees themselves ... read more

Serbian students protest on Students’ Day

BELGRADE, 4 April (Mondo) -- Students submitted a petition signed by more than 50,000 academics to the Ministry of Education for the reform of higher education. 200 students commemorated 4th April as Student Day by protesting for free education … read more

21.9 % budget cut in education

MADRID, April 3 (Diario de Sevilla) -- The General Budget Law draft for 2012 will see more than €623  million taken away from education policies, 21.9 % less than last year. University teaching will suffer a 625 % reduction. Meanwhile, R&D will have more than 25 % less than in 2011 ... read more

Steep increase of plagiarism cases in Austria

No Bologna for Belarus

MINSK, April 4 (EV) -- Belarus has been barred from the Bologna process for at least another three years, reflecting doubts about its commitment to academic freedom. The country's bid to join the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) makes it the only European country to be excluded from  the club of 47 nations who joined the Bologna system ... read more

German labour market open to non-EU specialists

BERLIN, April 3 (ET) -- The new law on the recognition of educational qualifications acquired abroad came into effect on Sunday. It is part of an unprecedented opening up of the German labour market for non-EU citizens to cope with a shortage of engineers, IT and communication specialists and other professionals ... read more

New UK student immigration rules

LONDON, April 3 (Hindustan Times) -- The new student immigration rules come into effect from this month. One key change is the end of the post-study work option allowing international students to stay back and work after finishing their courses ... read more

Academies reject Horizon 2020 pledge on social sciences

AMSTERDAM, March 30 (UWN) -- The European Alliance for the Social Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA) has rejected the European Commission’s view that social sciences and humanities are adequately covered in the European Union’s proposed Horizon 2020 research programme ... read more

Hungarian president loses doctorate in plagiarism case

BUDAPEST, March 30 (euractiv) -- Semmelweis University has stripped Hungarian President Pál Schmitt of his doctoral degree after determining that he copied much of his thesis from other sources, prompting opposition politicians to call for his resignation ... read more

Tuition fees worldwide on the rise

INTERNATIONAL, March 28 (tagesspiegel) -- In many countries tuition is increasing while aud for students is falling. According to a new study, the worst affected are US students, while Germany, France and Sweden ... read more

Education used as weapon against young people in Belarus

MINSK, March 27 (euobserver) -- Anastasia Shuleika was expelled from Belarus State University on 14 February for speaking out against President Alexander Lukashenko. The rector of the university is Sergei Vladimirovich Ablameiko. His name is one of 208 officials banned from traveling into the EU. He allegedly gave her name to the KGB, who took care of the rest ... read more

Professors support student protest in Ghent

GHENT, March 30 (stampmedia) -- Wednesday afternoon in Ghent, 300 students, according to the organizers 400, took the streets to protest against the cuts in higher education and the excessive pressure to publish in the humanities ... read more

Scots intake of poor pupils for university lowest in UK

EDINBURGH, March 30 (heraldscotland) -- New figures show 27% of students at Scottish universities came from lower socio-economic classes in 2010/11, compared to 31% in England and Wales and 39% in Northern Ireland. The figures also show there has been a slight worsening of drop-out rates ... read more

Work with Google at the universities

NAPLES, March 30 (CS) -- The Google Student Ambassador Program is an opportunity for students to act as liaisons between Google and their universities. For instance Laura de Micco who offers a workshop at Naple's university Federico II ... read more | Google Student Ambassador Program

Talented UK students lose out on places at top universities

UK, March 29 (The Guardian) -- Government student number controls will penalise institutions that have worked hard to pull their weight on inclusion. Its plan to remove 20,000 places and open these up to bids ... read more

Serbian education strategy draft finally published

BELGRADE, March 28 (Smedia) -- After public hearings across Serbia, the Serbian Draft Education Strategy for 2020 is published on the website of the Ministry of Education and Science. It proposes that by 2020, secondary education will become compulsory for all, and 38.5 percent of people will be highly educated ... read more

Scientists deliver 42,000 signatures against cuts in R&D

MADRID, March 27 (20 minutos) -- Representatives of companies, scientific organizations and unions have given the Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and the House of Representatives a copy of the open letter on behalf of science in Spain. It contains nearly 43,000 signatures of support, with 26,000 of them coming from researchers from 80 different countries  ... read more

Swiss universities intensify international research

ZURICH, March 28 (swissinfo) -- Because complex research projects are done more and more on an international level, Swiss universities increasingly advance towards top sites for research abroad ... read more

Greek rectors sound the alarm

ATHENS, March 27 (greekreporter) -- Universities’ function is at stake as a result of the extensive cuts to University assets in the Bank of Greece at the beginning of March (PSI). Several Greek universities are on the brink of economic collapse as their bank accounts are almost empty ... read more

Serbian professors’ salary linked to graduate output?

BELGRADE, March 28 (B92) -- The Serbian Student Conference suggested that university professors’ earnings should be related to the number of graduates. The skills conveyed to the students should also be one of the criteria for their salary ... read more

Blue card to Deutschland

INTERNATIONAL, March 27 (hindustantimes) -- A 2011 British Council survey indicates that Germany tops the list of the most internationalised countries in the higher education arena, pipping Australia, the United Kingdom and China. The survey based its ranking ... read more

Turkish protesters denounce education reform bill

ANKARA, March 27 (Beaver County Times) -- Thousands of people have joined a Turkish opposition rally denouncing a government education reform bill they say is designed to boost the influence of Islamic schools. The protest was staged Tuesday hours before parliament began debate on the proposal. The bill would pave the way for middle school students to attend Islamic schools ... read more

Dutch students head for Belgium for its lower study fees

Austrian rectors against boni for tuition fees

VIENNA, March 25 (Die Presse) -- Heinrich Schmidinger, president of the Austrian rectors’ conference uniko, disagrees: For him tuition fees should not be considered equal to other private investments in higher eeducation. Science minister Töchterle wants to reward universities for successful fundraising ... read more

Norway wants to lure students from southern Europe

OSLO, March 25 (universityworldnews) -- Norway’s minister for higher education and research, Tora Aasland has called for more university collaboration with southern Europe, to help countries hit hardest by the economic crisis – and to lure talent ... read more

Women still shut out from top university posts

INTERNATIONAL, March 24 (care2) -- The Times Higher Education Supplement cites research by Louise Morley, who has found that female academics often “get stuck in bureaucratic middle management roles” rather than attaining the higher echelons of university posts ... read more

Illegal renting in Italy claims students amongst victims

ROME, March 23 (universita) -- Immigrants and university students who live out of town are most likely to be duped by illegal rental agreements. Just two percent of students appear to have legal rental agreements ... read more

Stressed-out Dutch students less likely to study again

AMSTERDAM, March 22 (Science Guide) -- Fewer students are likely to pursue a second degree thanks to the recently-introduced HE penalty, while 40 percent of students are experiencing stress symptoms despite having been shown to study less than expected ... read more

Budget: £100m university research pledge for UK

LONDON, March 21 (BBC) -- Chancellor George Osborne has announced a £100m fund to boost university research in the UK through private sector involvement. Few details have been released ... read more

Education budget cuts despite promises to the contrary

CROATIA, March 21 (Vjesnik) -- The coalition government promised more funds for education and science before the election, but in the coming three years, an absolute and relative reduction of these funds awaits ... read more

Czech Education Minister to resign over budget cuts

PRAGUE, March 21 (Prague Daily) -- Education Minister Josef Dobeš decided to resign after he voted at yesterday’s cabinet meeting against a proposal binding his ministry to save further 2.5 billion Crowns (€ 1bn) this year ... read more

Fight to feed hungry students in Portugal

COIMBRA, March 17 (theportugalnews) -- Last weekend students from Coimbra University occupied the campus’s canteen in way of demanding that it reopen over weekends. In southern Portugal, Lagos municipal representatives are fighting for needy students in that region to have access to ... read more

Scottish universities better off in united Britain, say Tories

EDINBURGH, March 21 (deadline) -- Universities in Scotland benefit massively from being part of the United Kingdom, according to the Conservative. Education Spokeswoman Liz Smith said the institutions enjoy considerable financial advantages which would not be the case were Scotland to separate from the rest of the UK ... read more

Moody's says Spain has to cut education budget

MADRID, March 19 (El País) -- Moody’s Investors Service estimates that $54.8 billion in public spending will have to be cut this year to meet current targets, a reduction that it said would probably require reducing the Spanish regions’ spending on health, education, and other services ... read more

One of two Portuguese students is in financial trouble

LISBON, March 21 (Público) -- Almost half of students in Portuguese higher education go through economic difficulties, many fear to drop out this year, and 58% do not feel prepared to enter the labour market, a new study reveals ... read more

Minister snubs Irish key education reform plan

DUBLIN, March 20 (Independent) -- Education Minister Ruairi Quinn has ignored top-level advice to cut the size of a key education group. He recently appointed seven new members to the Higher Education Authority (HEA), which contravenes a key recommendation from a report, which ... read more

World Bank suggests university mergers and higher tuition in Bulgaria

SOFIA, March 20 (Struma) -- Shortly before the start of the design of the new legislation on higher education in Bulgaria, the World Bank has issued a report recommending university mergers and changes in the financing systems and the students’ fees ... read more

Ukrainian government threatens academic freedom

CHICAGO, March 19 (Market Watch) -- The Board of Directors the Kyiv-Mohyla Foundation of America, based in Chicago, has passed a resolution calling upon President Viktor Yanukovych for policy reforms to support Ukraine’s choice for democracy, and intellectual and economic prosperity ... read more

Egg-throwing students face 5 years in jail in Turkey

ISTANBUL, March 19 (Hürriyet) -- A prosecutor has asked for up to five years of imprisonment for two students who are accused of throwing eggs at Turkey’s EU Minister Egemen Bağış during a speech at İzmir Ege University ... read more

Serbian students take action for higher education reform

BELGRADE, March 19 (mondo) -- More than 50,000 students at public and private universities in Serbia have signed a petition to amend the Law on Higher Education. They demand that not only students are to carry the burden of reforms ... read more

45,000 UK University students caught cheating

LONDON, March 14 (SFLuxe) -- More than 45,000 students at UK universities have been reprimanded over the past three years for ‘academic misconduct’. The incidents range from mild cases such as accidentally bringing a mobile phone into an exam room, to much more serious accusations of plagiarism and copied coursework ... read more

Shocking decline of Italian student numbers

ROME, March 12 (UDU) -- The number of first-year students in Italy in this acaedmic year has been less 60 percent of the number of graduates. According to official numbers this is the lowest rate since thirty years ... read more

New record number of German students

BERLIN, March 16 (tagesschau) -- The number of students in Germany jumped in the winter semester 2011/12 to a record high of around 2.38 million. The suspension of conscription and civilian service has led to a particularly high increase in male first-year students ... read more

Dutch universities cut or merge humanities

ROTTERDAM, March 15 (NRC) -- Thirty Dutch faculties of Arts and Humanities will disappear in the coming years. They will be closed or become part of larger units. Higher education Secretary Halbe Zijlstra wants to accelerate this development ... read more

Education minister is a long-term post, says Babiniotis

ATHENS, March 15 (kathimerini) -- Recently appointed Greek Education Minister Giorgos Babiniotis suggested that someone should be appointed to the post he holds with a view to remaining there for the long term. He also said the ministry’s priorities must be to overhaul senior high schools and university entrance exams ... read more | www.babiniotis.gr

Bologna Process can help Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 (Bernama) -- The Bologna Process with its aim to establish an European Higher Education Area can help Malaysia achieve its goals and strategies for transnational education, said Deputy Higher Education Minister Hou Kok Chung ... read more

Portuguese students against higher tuition fees

LISBON, March 14 (Público) -- University students oppose the increase of tuition fees as proposed by the national rectors’ conference CRUP. Academic associations also criticise the government for not providing social support to guarantee equal access ... read more

MEPs call for more money and support for higher education

BRUSSELS, March 14 (EPNews) -- The European Parliamant has adopted a report calling for more support to encourage student mobility and make European HE more attractive. This would involve reinforcing the Bologna Process ... read more

Asian universities challenge US-UK domination of rankings

LONDON, March 15 (Guardian) -- The UK has better universities than any other country apart from the US, but Asian nations are catching up fast, a major survey of the world's top thinkers shows ... read more

Dutch universities recruit in UK with cheaper fees

LONDON, March 15 (BBC) -- A group of Dutch universities is touring schools in England this week with the aim of recruiting students to study in Holland. They are inviting students to take degree courses taught in English with tuition fees of £1,500 per year ... read more

Rectors criticise financial shortcomings for Spanish International Excellency Campuses

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, March 13 (LaOpinion) -- Adelaida de la Calle Martín, head of the Spanish Rectors’ Conference CRUE, has criticised the regional government for suspending the budget of the two International Excellency Campuses of the Canarian Islands. Paraphrasing the former Harvard president Derek Bok, rector Eduardo Doménech added: “If you think excellency is expensive, try mediocracy.” ... read more

Putin promises science boost

MOSCOW, March 14 (Nature) -- Science had only a marginal role in the election campaign, but Putin outlined his ambitions for research, his government will aim to establish several “world-class” research universities by 2020. Putin also promised a substantial increase in public funding of basic and applied research … read more | commentary

Ireland's leaders try to woo diaspora back

DUBLIN, March 14 (TIME) -- Here is the new diaspora and the challenge facing the Irish government. Tens of thousands of Irish people are now following in the footsteps of the 70 million–strong émigrés ... read more

Budget increase looms for 'Bologna'

BRUSSELS, March 13 (ScienceGuide) -- Under rapporteur Luigi Berlinguer the European Parliament and the Commission have now teamed up. They want: quality assurance, professional PhDs and EU-‘joint degrees’ … read more

Czech education minister facing lawsuit over law faculty

PILSEN, March 13 (Radio Prague) -- Education Minister Josef Dobeš is facing a lawsuit after attempting to extend the accreditation of the Law Faculty of Pilsen, which was withdrawn after a recent diploma scandal... read more

Protests at Cambridge University against DSK's speech

CAMBRIDGE, March 10 (DNA) -- Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn had to be bundled through a side door as a crowd of 200 student protesters objected to his speech at the Cambridge University Union. Protesters assembled outside the Cambridge Union Society as ... read more

Slight increase of tuition in Switzerland

Slovenian rectors for legislative change

LJUBLJANA, March 13 (Dnevik) -- The new Slovenian Minister for Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Žiga Turk has met the chancellors of the universities to discuss changes to the legislation on higher education ...

read more | profile of the minister

Thousands of students to stage walkout protest

LONDON, March 12 (Independent) -- Wednesday's action will see tens of thousands of students at campuses across the UK boycott lectures to show what universities will look like if higher education becomes too expensive ... read more

EU students face tougher rules to claim Dutch study financing

ARNHEM, March 11 (Dutchnews) -- Students from other European countries will no longer qualify for a Dutch student grant unless they work 14 hours a week, junior education minister Halbe Zijlstra has told MPs ... read more

Open courseware is a shop window

LONDON, March 8 (THE) -- Universities should not be afraid to put their course material online because wider exposure will improve their global standing, the head of Europe's open courseware movement has argued. Only a handful of UK higher education institutions have set up freely available educational collections ... read more

Strategic cooperation of three Dutch universities

NETHERLANDS, March 8 (ESNA) -- Leiden University, Delft University of Technology, and Erasmus University Rotterdam are setting up the strategic alliance in order to further increase the quality of their teaching and researcand a stronger international positioning of their research ... read more

UNESCO launches World Atlas of Gender Equality in Education

PARIS, March 8 (ESNA) -- Released for International Women’s Day 2012, celebrated on 8 March, the World Atlas of Gender Equality in Education includes more than 120 maps, charts and tables featuring a wide range of sex-disaggregated indicators ... read more | chapter 5: teriary education

United Nations University in Valencia

VALENCIA, March 6 (Las Provincias) -- The rector of the Valencian International University (VIU), Juan Manuel Badenas, has announced that his institution will be the first worldwide to offer postgraduate degrees in association with the United Nations Organisation. Within two years ... read more

Publishers slow down scientists' text mining

Germany to amend ban on federal university funding

BERLIN, March 6 (FR) -- German Education Minister Annette Schavan announced an amendment that will allow direct financing of universities by the federal government. The regions (Länder) look forward to additional funding but fear the dominance ... read more

EU wants stronger university cooperation with Australia

CANBERRA, March 6 (EC) -- In her speech at the Universities Australia Higher Education Conference, European research commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn stressed the role of universities to strengthen EU-Australian cooperation in research and innovation ... read more

Unemployment of Italian graduates on the rise

ROME, March 7 (La Stampa) -- According to a new Almalaurea report, the unemployment rate of Italian graduates is rising, their working conditions are more precarious and wages are stagnating ... read more

Spanish education minister wants to reduce range of studies

MADRID, March 5 (rtve) -- José Ignacio Wert, the Minister for Education, Culture and Sport, wants to reduce the variety of offered degrees. “We must forget,” he said, “that every university has to offer everything” ... read more

Turkey to provide scholarships for Macedonians

SKOPJE, March 6 (worldbulletin) -- The Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) is set to provide scholarship for nearly 450 students in Macedonia as part of Turkey's efforts to support for education in the Balkan country ... read more

Coimbra against market orientation of universities

COIMBRA, March 5 (Público) -- The Academic Association of Coimbra, one of the world’s oldest university cities, is concerned: “We do not want a country without philosophers, historians or thinkers,” the AAC declared. “The university should not and can not be transformed into a mere machine to train professionals, but is has to be a pluralistic place to build citizenship and critical thinking which are fundamental for any democratic and evolved society.” ... read more

Hungarian students decry state sponsorship cuts

BUDAPEST, March 4 (New York Times) -- “Those who study on taxpayers’ money should accept to stay working at home for a while,” Prime Minister Viktor Orban said. Cuts in the number of state-financed places ... read more

Moncloa - the largest university transformation project of Spain

MADRID, Feb. 29 (Expansión) -- The rectors of the joint Excellence Campus Moncloa, formed by the Complutense and Polytecnic universities of Madrid, have met to agree on further steps of development. Joint degrees, common research equipment ... read more

EU universities to collaborate closely on energy

EUROPE, March 4 (University World News) -- European universities are going to work more closely together to beat the energy problems of the future, following the first meeting of the European Platform of Universities Engaged in Energy Research, Education and Training. An EUA survey showed that half of the relevant research at European universities is being financed by companies ... read more

Open German ivory towers, experts demand

BERLIN, March 1 (scienceguide) -- Angela Merkel’s HE expert panel urges that German universities needed to open their doors to students from nontraditional backgrounds: every qualified apprentice or citizen over 40 should get access to higher education ... read more | download report

Estonian president vetoes higher ed reform bill

TALLINN, Feb. 27 (ERR) -- Education Minister Jaak Aaviksoo has expressed surprise that the university education reform bill could be unconstitutional. In his decision, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said that ... read more

Turkish academics unite against oppression at universities

ISTANBUL, Feb. 17 (Hürriyet) -- Some 400 academics from 50 different universities in Turkey and abroad have formed a solidarity network to document and prevent oppression in Turkish universities.
“Academics are being intimidated, fired or suspended from their positions by rectors or the Higher Educational Council [YÖK] because of their research topics or political ideas. And there are hundreds of university students that are being prosecuted or suspended from the university on accusations of ‘aiding terrorist organizations.’” ... read more

Thousands of Czech students protest against university reform

PRAGUE, Feb. 29 (ČTK) -- Organisers estimate the number of demonstrators at up to 10,000. On Tuesday, about 6000 young people took part in a march in Brno. Moreover, demonstrations are planned in other university towns, such as České Budějovice, Hradec Králové, Ostrava, and Plzeň ... read more

Student killed in a dormitory

SOFIA, March 1 (SNA) -- A 19 year old student from the Economy University in Sofia was stabbed in the dormitory of Sofia College Town on Wednesday. A roommate has been charged with the murder. Immediately after the incident, education minister Sergey Ignatov called an emergency meeting of all college presidents in the capital ... read more

Romanian education minister resigns from other positions

BUCAREST, Feb. 29 (RL) -- The new Romanian education minister and former dean of the Faculty of Political Science at the Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Cătălin Baba, has resigned from his position in the Senate of the university ... read more

Fusion of the Classical and Technical University of Lisbon in one year

LISBON, Feb. 28 (Público) -- The fusion of the Lisbon Classical University (UL) and the Technical University of Lisbon (UTL) should be completed in January 2013 with the election and inauguration of the future president. This is at least the timetable set ... read more

Report calls for UK universities to be "at the heart of the economy to promote growth in the UK"

LONDON, Feb. 29 (eGov) -- A report for the British government published today, recommends to intensify universities’ business links to ensure graduate skills and employability meet the needs of business, and to maximise the sector’s capabilities in business-led research and innovation ... read more

Universities on strike

SPAIN, Feb. 29 (El País) -- Autonoma University of Barcelona students cut highways and interrupt a stretch of the railroad. University students and professors from Catalonia and Comunidad Valenciana are called to a general strike against cuts ... read more

Netherlands to privatize part-time studies

THE HAGUE, Feb. 28 (scienceguide) -- The Dutch Ministry of Education is considering plans to privatize part-time higher education studies in order to save €300 million per year. National stakeholders are shocked and warn of “devastating” consequences for Life Long Learning ... read more

Universities renew appeal to government on student visas

LONDON, Feb. 29 (THE) -- Nearly two thirds of people underestimate the value of international students to the UK economy, a new poll has found ... read more

Symposium on Israel: University Paris VIII closed

PARIS, Feb. 27 (Figaro) -- A controversial conference on Israel, which was to take place at Paris VIII University, was cancelled. The rector banned the event and ordered the closure of the university to avoid disturbances to public order. “Closed due to censorship,” the organizers complain ... read more

UK neglects postgraduate education

LONDON, Feb. 23 (BBC) -- A report by the 1994 Group, which represents 19 UK universities, warns of a postgraduate education crisis, saying it has been neglected by successive governments. The numbers of postgraduate students rose only marginally, meaning the UK is lagging behind ... read more

Nordic nations worry about Anglicisation

FINLAND, Feb. 23 (THE) -- Across the Nordic countries, academics are under pressure to publish in English to give their research greater international impact. In Finland in particular, the pressure to publish in English has given rise to a shadow market in translation and proofreading services ... read more

Greek rectors engage in delaying tactics

ATHENS, Feb. 26 (kathimerini) -- The majority of Greek university rectors is adopting delaying tactics to changes of their institutions’ management as required by the new higher education law ... read more

Tunisia School of Politics opens with Bulgarian support

TUNIS, Feb. 26 (novinite) -- Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov was present at the official launching of the Tunisian School of Politics. The School is modelled on the Bulgarian School of Politics that has been training young Bulgarian political leaders since 2001 ... read more

Swiss government invests in smart people

BERN, Feb. 22 (NZZ) -- The Swiss Federal Council has requested 26bn Francs (€21.5bn) for education, research and innovation from 2013 to 2016. Federal expenses in this sector would grow by 3.7% p.a. ... read more

Welsh Government report on failed university mergers

WALES, Feb. 24 (Wales Online) -- Documents leaked to the Western Mail and made public today for the first time, reveal the human and financial costs of failed merger talks between Uwic, Newport and Glamorgan universities ... read more

Santander renews international university cooperation

SALAMANCA, Feb. 21 (ESNA) -- The Santander banking group has renewed its engagement with the university network Tordesillas. The network of 47 universities in Brazil, Portugal and Spain ... read more

€80 billion Horizon 2020 for excellence in the science base

EUROPE, Feb. 22 (CORDIS) -- The Commission draft plan states that the €80 billion Horizon 2020 budget will focus on supporting excellence in the science base, tackling societal challenges and securing industrial leadership and competitive frameworks ... read more

Winners of the EIT Awards announced

BRUSSELS, Feb. 22 (Euroalert) -- The winners of the EIT Entrepreneurship Awards in three different categories have been announced. Naked Energy (UK) for the Climate-KIC category, Trifense (Germany) for the EIT ICT LABS category, and Noem (Spain) for the KIC InnoEnergy category … read more

UK: More money, less choice

LONDON, Feb. 23 (The Independent) -- A survey in the UK has shown that students are paying more money to attend university but have much less choice than their predecessors. Since 2006, a quarter of courses have been cut ... read more

Academy of Finland should invest in the future

HELSINKI, Feb. 23 (Vekkouutiset) -- Markku Mattila, president of the research academy of Finland, has urged the Finnish companies to strengthen cooperation in higher education ... read more

Spain joins forces with Brazil to promote science

MADRID, Feb. 20 (MECD) -- The Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Brazil to promote the "Science without Frontiers." The objective of the Memorandum ... read more

Austria: 'Horizon 2020' outlined

VIENNA, Feb. 21 (bmwf.de) -- Austrian minister for science and research Karlheinz Töchterle has stated the outline for the ‘Horizon 2020’ research and innovation project “Horizon 2020 is a building block for future innovation”... read more

India to adopt Swiss business school model

CHINNA, Feb. 21 (Hindu Businessline) -- The Indian National Skill Development Council, a not-for-profit company set up by the Ministry of Finance, is looking to adopt the Swiss model of vocational education and training. Business schools in particular … read more

Police clash with student protesters

VALENCIA, Feb. 21 (El Pais) -- After four days of protesting in Spain which involved police and the arrest of 43 people thousands took to the streets today, aiming to "protect" students.  It all began with traffic being stopped for 10 minutes … read more

Minister of Education mocked

KIEV, Feb. 20 (demotix.com) -- Students hung up a scarecrow of Minister of Education and Science, Youth and Sports, Dmytro Tabachnyk, during a picket of the Ukrainian Parliament where they demanded his resignation. The protest comes … read more

Students gain credit for stealing 30 laptops from university staff

TWENTE, Feb. 20 (geek.com) -- Students managed to steal 30 laptops from the University of Twente in the Netherlands but no arrests were made because the whole thing was an experiment. PhD students wanted to find out how much human behaviour factored into the security of an organization … read more

Tutor bans headscarves at her lectures

ISTANBUL, Feb. 20 (PanArmenian) -- A French language lecturer from the prestigious Boğaziçi University has sent an email to her students in which she asked women who wear headscarves to take them off during her lectures, claiming she cannot identify them when they wear one … read more

Excellence Campus stopped

SPAIN, Feb. 19 (El Pais) -- The Government freezes college credits of the more ambitious projects in 15 autonomous communities. The Education Ministry ensures that the stability law prevents this authorization … read more

University faces over recruitment fine

LONDON, Feb. 17 (BBC) -- London Metropolitan University is facing paying just under £6m over-recruitment fine for over recruiting UK undergraduates this academic year. London Metropolitan University says it recruited 1,500 more students than it should have done, partly because of the rush for places last summer … read more

Czech rectors warn of unsustainable budget cuts

PRAGUE, Feb. 20 (Prague Daily Monitor) -- At a meeting last week the Czech Rector’s Conference stated that the budget cuts being proposed by the state may cause a collapse in the university community. The state's annual spending on public Czech universities is to drop below 15 billion crowns by 2014 from the present 19 billion … read more

Dutch may replace grants for masters students with loans

AMSTERDAM, Feb. 19 (New York Times) -- The Dutch Ministry of Education has proposed that the government change the way it subsidizes master’s students, turning cash payments into long-term loans ... read more

Norway student data commercialized

NORWAY, Feb. 17 (Okezone) -- A company in Norway, the Rekruttering AS has been criticized for wanting to enroll college graduates in the country during the last 15-20 years for commercial purposes. The list is a data bank for the company's recruitment activities ... read more

Swiss want to build a satellite that removes space litter

LAUSANNE, Feb. 15 (ScienceInsider) -- The idea is to stem the tide of debris that is littering space around the Earth. Researchers at the Swiss Space Center at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne have been working on the necessary technology for 3 years, says Swiss Space Center Director ... read more

Hundreds of suspended research projects

LISBON, Feb. 14 (Publico) -- The Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) will be required to suspend hundreds of research projects, involving tens of thousands of euros, if the organization implementing rules for the current fiscal year... read more

Putin to double salary of lecturers

MOSCOW, Feb. 13 (RIA Novosti) -- Russian Prime Minister and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin has claimed that he will double the average salary of university lecturers, by 2018 if he is elected. The wage increase would also affect other public sector workers including teachers, doctors and ... read more

Cooperation in HE Belarus and Azerbijan

BAKU, Feb. 14 (abc.az) -- A meeting between the two ministers of education in Azerbijan and Belarus has resulted in the proposal for a joint project in the field of basic vocational education. It was also discovered that Belarusian universities have higher educational opportunities in a number of priority specialties ... read more

Spanish changes are scientific suicide

MADRID, Feb. 15 (nature.com) -- Science and research could face drastic cuts when the new Spanish budget is unveiled next month. As of the end of December 2011 there is currently no Spanish Science ministry  and experts warn that if research continues to be sidelined, Spain will be left ... read more

Malta below EU average in research and innovation

Paris best city for students

Britain defines circumstances in which foreign students can stay

“A milestone for the German science system”

BONN, Feb. 14 (ESNA) -- The decision by the Federal Constitutional Court is a “milestone”, said Bernhard Kempen, president of the German Association of Professors (DHV). “The salary for university professors must be attractive in order to compete for the best minds globally and also fair compared to other public employees”, he explained ... read more

Five Spanish universities form an “Excellency Campus” of Bioenergy

MADRID, Feb. 14 (ABC) -- The University Rey Juan Carlos (URJC) in Madrid and five other Spanish universities have been nominated International Excellency Campus of “Intelligent Energy—Bioenergy & Smart Cities”. Two companies, two research centers and public entities participate ... read more

In Albania, can a U.S. diploma deliver?

TIRANA, Feb. 12 (NYTimes) -- At the University of New York, Tirana (U.N.Y.T.) students pay more than $32,500 for what a sign in the lobby describes as “the only real European and American education” in the country. It is also profitable. For every four-credit Empire State course the private branch campus collects $1,200 ... read more

Education report warns of growing teacher shortages

BRUSSELS, Feb. 13 (eGov monitor) -- Several Member States, including Germany, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria, may face serious teacher shortages in the future, according to the new report ‘Key Data on Education in Europe 2012’ published by the European Commission ... read more

New debate on higher tuition fees in France

PARIS, Feb. 11 (Le Monde) -- Should French universities raise tuition for Master’s and PhD students? — Louis Vogel, chairman of the Conference of University Presidents (CPU), reopens the debate two months before the presidential election well aware that this hypothesis has been rejected repeatedly by Nicolas Sarkozy ... read more

Higher education in Hungary: less funding, less equality

BUDAPEST, Feb. 11 (Budapest Times) -- After months of protracted debates within the government and between the responsible ministry and various social stakeholders, Parliament finally passed the reform of the higher education system. The state cuts funding for students massively ... read more

Follow-Up Group debates future of Bologna Process

COPENHAGEN, Jan. 31 (ESU) -- The Bologna Follow-Up Group has discussed the draft Bucharest communiqué. Key message which emerged from the meeting was that more needs to be done to connect higher education with societal and economic development ... read more

Adobe software cheaper for university staff and students

KARLSRUHE, Jan. 31 (inside-it.ch) -- After partnering German-based company asknet AG, computer software specialist Adobe has allowed its software to be cheaper for university lecturers and students in Germany, Austria and Switzerland ... read more

Russian schools promoting extremism face closure

MOSCOW, Jan. 30 (RIA) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has threatened to shut down schools and universities where “the propaganda of extremism” is practiced. “Sometimes teachers are either not ready to transmit the right values, or they do things deliberately” commented Medvedev ... read more

Rise in application to Scottish universities

EDINBURGH, Jan. 30 (BBC) -- Official figures from the UK applications system UCAS, have shown that applications to Scottish universities from non-UK residents are up by more than 25 percent. The changes in tuition fees ... read more

Watermelons against reform plans

PRAGUE, Jan. 25 (Prague Daily Post) -- Student groups and university representatives say the government’s propsed university reform draft, which was rejected by 20 of the 26 university senates in early January, did not include adequate provisions for funding the changes or arguments for how they will improve tertiary education ... read more