Austrian schizophrenia

French universities’ anger over funding

PARIS (l’étudiant) -- France’s academic community has reacted with consternation to this year’s insufficient education budget. At a meeting of the National Council for Higher Education and Research, the advisory body to the education ministry, 49 out of 51 academics voted against the new allocation of grants … read more 29.04.2015

Bulgaria to reform “obsolete” education system

SOFIA (capital) -- Bulgarian education minister Todor Tanev is aiming to reform the system. He has stated that the current two-stage system of school followed by university is obsolete, and plans to introduce integrated vocational colleges as a link between the two … read more 29.04.2015

Pedigree for responsible German universities

BERLIN (welt) -- Left and right, social and Christian democrats, are currently seeking to outdo each other with proposals on how to create better career chances at universities. The unpredictable employment prospects of aspiring professors up to the age of 40 must now come to an end, politicians promise. One party proposes to introduce a pedigree for universities offering serious career chances, the other to stage a competition worth half a million Euro for the best tenure-track model in Germany … read more 22.04.2015

Greece raids research funds to pay public salaries

ATHENS (science) -- Greek scientists are angry and incredulous at what they see as a double-pronged government attack on the country’s research system: the confiscation of research funding to plug a hole in Greece’s ever worsening finances, and a new reform of higher education that they say will make universities more politicised and less meritocratic … read more 28.4.15

Irish universities fight plagiarism problem

DUBLIN (irish times) -- A number of Irish higher education institutions are reviewing their anti-plagiarism policies. This comes in the wake of an increase in the number of students using paid online services to write assignments for up to €50 per hour … read more 28.04.2015

Europe’s universities need language accreditation

LONDON (pie news) -- The demand from European universities for accreditation of their courses offered in foreign languages is growing. Eaquals, a British quality monitoring organisation for languages, report a shift in their clients from the traditionally dominant private language schools to universities, who now make up a quarter of their enquiries … read more 28.04.2015

Disappointing demonstration turnout in Budapest

BUDAPEST (budapest beacon) -- A mere 300 teachers and students turned up to a protest in central Budapest yesterday. The protest, organised by a Facebook group called “Free Education”, had more than 3,000 confirmed attendees prior to the event. Protesters, representing the higher and secondary education sectors, were showing their dissatisfaction with policy and demanding an open dialogue. This follows a government overhaul of higher education and the closure of schools … read more 28.04.2015

Norwegian students heed the market

OSLO (newsinenglish) -- The number of Norwegian students applying for courses in healthcare and teaching has risen by an astounding 10 and 8 percent respectively. Jobs in these sectors are plentiful. With cutbacks in the oil industry, traditionally important to the Norwegian economy, applications to engineering and technical courses have fallen … read more 27.04.2015

European higher education targets in sight

PRAGUE (prague post) -- The EU is moving further towards reaching its education targets. Eurostat figures have shown that the share of people attending tertiary education has risen more than 13 percent between 2002 and 2014 for the 30-34 age bracket, a progression towards the Europe 2020 target of 40 percent. The rise was higher among women … read more 27.04.2015

Portuguese socialists propose alumni-funded universities

LISBON (sabado) -- Experts from the Portuguese Socialist Party have proposed a plan to help fund universities. Students of public higher education institutions, once they enter the job market, would commit a proportion of their income tax to their alma mater. The plan would not involve a rise in taxes, or a fall in state funding for universities … read more | and here 27.4.15

Universities fear Confucius ‘propaganda’

EDINBURGH (herald scotland) -- An international drive has been launched against China’s growing network of Confucius Institutes. A campaign to “Protect Academic Freedom” comes after universities in the US, Canada and Sweden ditched the institutes amid concerns they were being turned in to propaganda tools … read more 24.4.15

Ukraine science slashed to fund defence

KIEV (chemistry world) -- Ukraine’s president, Petr Poroshenko, last week announced that science funding will face devastating cuts of as high as 25-35 percent in order to fuel defence investment. In September last year, Poroshenko said: “We no longer plan to spend billions of people’s and taxpayers’ money on useless research programmes, which in recent years have been only the subject of theft” … read more 22.04.2015

Europe’s universities fall silent to remember Garissa victims

BRUSSELS (corriere univ) -- At noon today, Monday 27 April, 800 universities from across Europe will observe a minute of silence to pay homage to the 147 students killed in this month’s terror attacks in Garissa, Kenya. The European University Association reiterated its belief “that any attack on education is at odds with the values ​​of tolerance and freedom of thought” … read more 27.4.

Lower quality standards for Italian online universities

ROME (repubblica) -- There has been disagreement in the Italian parliament following education minister Stefania Giannini’s decision to lower the requirements for entry into private online universities. Senator Francesca Puglisi believes this will further compromise the quality of higher education and deteriorate employment standards … read more 24.04.2015

Student dropout highest in med countries

MADRID (tpn) -- Malta, Portugal, Spain and Italy have the highest number of student drop out rates, a recent EU study shows. Despite initiatives to combat abandonment, 21.9 percent of Spain’s students leave studies early, 10 percent higher than the EU average. At the other end of the spectrum come Croatia, Slovenia and Poland, with rates as low as 2.7 percent … read more 23.4.15

Europe endorses British accreditation

LONDON (pie news) -- The British Accreditation Council (BAC) has announced its full membership of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. The BAC accredits higher and further education institutions both in the UK and overseas, and this new endorsement is supposed to be a major advantage in the international market … read more 24.04.2015

Free drinks for student striptease

MADRID (el mundo) -- Student entertainment has reached an all time low — to the benefit of party businesses who advertise female student striptease for 15 euro entry price. Raúl Ramos is the organiser of UniversiParty in Madrid, a disco party hosting more than 3000 revellers. Ramos has no problem with the exploitation of young women who undress and dance on stage in exchange for free drinks. “We have male contests, too,” he says, “and nudity is a natural thing at our events on the Canary Islands or other Spanish cities” … read more 22.4.15

Lithuanian leads in higher education population

VILNIUS (baltic course) -- In 2014, 53.3 percent of Lithuanians ages between 30 and 34 had completed tertiary education. This was the highest figure in the EU, and compares to an EU-wide average of 37.9 percent. Only four countries could boast a figure of over 50 percent … read more 24.04.2015

University democratisation in pictures

LONDON (guardian) -- Recent months have seen students, staff and academics from across the globe protesting against precarious working conditions and commercialisation. The Guardian recently published reader-submitted images of the protests and student occupations, taking place in Canadian, British, Dutch and Danish universities … read more 20.4.15

Juncker Plan affects humanities and social sciences

BRUSSELS (euractiv) -- Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, has visited Brussels to lobby against plans to divert €2.7 billion away from research. These cuts are part of the so-called Juncker Plan. Borysiewicz claims they would hit pure research in UK universities, which would be unable to borrow to replace the funds. The proposal, backed by the Commission and member states, is opposed by MEPs and academics, who claim that it would severely damage research, disproportionately affecting social sciences and humanities … read more 22.04.2015

A Facebook for science

TÜBINGEN (plos) -- Brett Buttliere, of the University of Tübingen’s Knowledge Media Research Centre, has published a paper proposing a ‘Facebook for Science’. He argues the case for an open and centralised online platform where individuals could upload their work and subject it to peer review. This would address the costs and difficulties involved in publishing … read more

Germany’s researchers welcome €5-billion funding boost

BERLIN (nature) -- As a strong indication of continuing political support for research, Germany’s ruling political parties agreed to increase funding for science by €5 billion between 2018 and 2028. Most of the proposed cash would go towards extending the country’s Excellence Initiative, that had been due to expire in 2017 ... read more 17.4.15

Slovak brain drain worsens

BRATISLAVA (slovak spectator) -- More and more Slovak students study abroad. The figure, which increased more than tenfold between 1998 and 2012, is made up mainly of students from middle class backgrounds. Critically, 40 percent of those students opt to stay on in the country of their study after graduating … read more | and here 22.04.2015

Poland banks on research excellence

WARSAW (esna) -- Starting this Autumn, the Polish government will offer funding to international scientists who choose Poland as their research headquarters. Under the ‘Polonez’ scheme, scientists can get a monthly 4050 euro salary plus research grants and mobility and family allowances. Science minister, Lena Kolarska-Bobińska said Poland wants to “attract scientists that conduct research at the world’s highest level” … read more 20.04.2015

Portugal pays tribute to ‘Mr. Science’

LISBON (sapo) -- Portugal came to a respectful halt this Monday, as the academic community remembered Mariano Gago, ex-science minister, who passed away before the weekend. Prime Minister, Pedro Coelho said Gago played “a pioneering role in the development of science policy in Portugal” … read more 17.4.15

Reverse discrimination at the University of Copenhagen?

COPENHAGEN (up) -- Recent initiatives by University of Copenhagen to increase the number of female professors have been branded illegal in a damning article by a fellow professor. The article says the ‘Gender Equality Plan’ gives women unfair employment advantages … read more 19.4.15

Spanish unions denounce education reforms

MADRID (el mundo) -- Spain’s workers unions have released a joint statement outrightly denouncing the education minister, José Ignacio Wert’s controversial reforms. According to CC.OO and UGT, the Law for the Better Quality of Education (LOMCE) would only limit student access to higher education. The reform, also known as the 'Ley Wert' have been famously unpopular across Spain, sparking massive student protests earlier this year … read more 16.4.20

Free bicycles for Warsaw students

WARSAW (radio poland) -- A Polish company has started an initiative offering students free rental of bicycles in Warsaw. Students must sign up online with their passport number and university name. The scheme will be funded by sponsors and free at the point of service, with the condition that the user must cover 120 km a month, a figure monitored by a smartphone app … read more 22.04.2015

Turkey to educate Syrian refugees

ANKARA (kpbs) -- Turkish education magnate Enver Yücel has pledged $10 million to create a university for Syrian refugees. He is also looking for donors to support the project in the border region. More than 40,000 Syrian refugees with the credentials to study are unable to do so, as they lack the Turkish language skills. Yücel, who owns hundreds of educational institutions across all levels, envisions university campuses with courses in a combination of Arabic, English and Turkish as a solution to invest in the refugees’ education … read more 20.4.15

Public science backlash in Finland

Azerbaijan catching up with the West

BAKU (abc) -- Azerbaijan is to be included in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education, showing that trust in the quality of its higher education is strong ahead of the 24th EURASHE conference next month. The vote was made unanimously and involved representatives from the European Commission and participating countries in the Bologna Process. The inclusion of the country, which will host the European Games this summer, indicates the fast development and increasing influence of smaller countries in the West-dominated European organisations … read more 20.04.2015

Police clear Greek university occupation

ATHENS (wsws) -- Police in Athens were given the go ahead to forcefully clear out and arrest protesters in the University of Athens, 19 days after the occupation began. In 2011 in law banning police from entering university campuses was overturned, a move denounced by now leading party Syriza. This use of police forces, however, has Syriza supporters feeling betrayed … read more | and here 18.4.15

Fioraso’s empty chair

PARIS (digischool) -- Two months after resigning for health reasons, no replacement has been found for Geneviève Fioraso, former State Secretary for Higher Education. The stand-still left rectors worried about 2016 budget negotiations. Head of the teacher’s trade union SNESup, Hervé Christofol said it was symbolic of the French government’s lack of interest in education and research … read more 15.4.15

Universities in Northern Ireland in ‘peril’

BELFAST (bt) -- Northern Irish employment minister, Stephen Farry, has told the Assembly he is “deeply worried” about the effects an 8.4 percent budget cut could have on universities. Universities are left in a “perilous state” and fears over a subsequent brain drain bubble … read more 13.04.2015

Why Belarus needs the Bologna Process

MINSK (belarus digest) -- The EHEA ministerial meeting set to take place on 14-15 May in Yerevan will consider Belarus’s application to the Bologna group. Belarusian education mnister Mikhail Zhuraukou said, “Belarus observes almost every principle of the Bologna Declaration, there remain only some formalities”. However, one formality, the student quota of 25 percent in university councils, is hardly respected ... read more 15.04.2015

Democratisation protests at Copenhagen University

University degrees for Bulgarian prison inmates?

SOFIA (topnivini) -- Prisoners serving sentences in Bulgaria want a real second chance. The inmates at the Stara Zagora facility, who recently opened an exhibition at Trakia University, announced that they want to study for degrees there. The two institutions are working together to win support for this plan from the ministry of education … read more 17.4.15

Croatian ministry recommends university nationalisation

ZAGREB (evarazdin) -- Following a large-scale public debate that took place in February and March of this year, the decision has been made to nationalise University North in the Northwestern Croatian city of Koprivnica. The science ministry has drafted a law transferring ownership of the institution to the Republic of Croatia overruling claims of autonomy in favour of national education goals … read more 17.04.2015

Russia expels British research ‘spy’

NIZHNY NOVGOROD (life news) -- A British PhD student researching 20th century sociology in Russia was deported and fined earlier this month, following minor visa irregularities. Russian ‘Life News’ reported that a “foreign spy” had be caught and “expelled from the territory” … read more  01.04.2015

Ireland needs more integrated approach to innovation

DUBLIN (irish times) -- An integrated policy approach would deal better with the complexity of the innovation cycle and differences in enterprise scale, argues Frances Ruane, director at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) in Dublin. “It would also help avoid duplication, reduce overheads and potentially enhance co-operation with higher education institutions” ... read more 06.04.2015

Kosovo to accept Serbian-language diplomas

PRISTINA (bi) -- Kosovo’s science minister, Arsim Bajrami has proposed that diplomas from the Serbian-language university in the municipality of North Mitrovica be officially recognised. This will make it easier for Kosovar Serbs and other minority groups to apply for jobs in public institutions … read more

Albanian students march against reforms

TIRANA (bi) -- Students and professors from the University of Tirana have staged a march in the centre of the Albanian capital. Their ‘For University’ movement is protesting against the government’s controversial proposed higher education reforms, which would raise public tuition fees in order to increase the funds available to both public and private universities. The protestors claim that these reforms will make public universities poorer and turn higher education into a reserve of the privileged … read more 17.04.2015

EU Universities: Stronger together

BRUSSELS (esna) -- “Collaboration of universities is crucial to drive research and continue the continent’s tradition as a knowledge economy,” says Nicola Dandridge. The chief executive of the British universities association Universities UK emphasises the importance of the UK’s EU membership and the need to protect Horizon 2020 research funding. Similarly, the presidents of UUK and the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) published an open letter, joining the fight for the protection of Horizon 2020 from diversion threats … read more | letter 13.4.15

Gothenburg University leads anti-racism research

GOTHENBURG (gp) -- In Sweden’s fight against racism, Gothenburg University has received a considerable investment to become the country’s leader in anti-racism initiatives. Education minister, Helene Hellmark Knutsson said, “knowledge is racism’s worst enemy. Through research, we can protest society against values which divide people” … read more 12.04.2015

Disappointment for needy German students

BERLIN (spiegel) -- After a 6-year long funding freeze, German students hoping for more money from the state have a bitter pill to swallow. Education and research minister, Johanna Wanka, has rejected an automatic increase to the BAföG (student support), prioritising instead top level research … read more | and here 14.04.2015

Putin urges more patriotism in education

MOSCOW (moscow times) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed the Education Ministry to increase patriotism among Russia’s youth. He claimed that national pride had been missing from the education system and needs to be restored. Earlier this month, Russia’s national agency for youth affairs proposed a $34 million project entitled “Patriotic Education of Russian Citizens in 2016-2020” … read more 13.04.2015

‘Illegal’ universities target international students

NICOSIA (uwn) -- The Cypriot embassy in Nairobi has warned young Kenyans against enrolling at universities in the internationally unrecognised state of Northern Cyprus, which have been aggressively advertising to prospective students across East Africa. These institutions are unaccredited by the Republic of Cyprus, a member state of both the EU and UN, leaving students unsure about their job prospects ... read more 15.04.2015

Optimism for home-hunting French students

PARIS (esna) -- An interim report has shown that France’s desperate student-housing deficit is indeed being addressed. Progress of the ‘Plan 40,000’, launched in 2013, has been hailed by ministers for exceeding targets. Good news for the reported 7 in 10 French students struggling to find somewhere to live … read more 09.04.2015

Bizzare recruitment methods at Czech universities

PRAGUE (e15) -- Czech Universities are increasingly having to resort to marketing tricks in order to combat the falling number of students. Competition for new recruits has led to the use of sometimes controversial promotional videos, in order to stand out. One particular film for the Silesian University in Opava was denounced as sexist soft porn … read more | video 15.04.2015

Ukrainian students inundate Poland

WARSAW (the news) -- Poland’s foreign student population has registered an increase of one third in the past year. Of the 10,000 extra incoming students, young Ukrainians accounted for 55 percent, as war in their home country continues to force many across the border … read more 08.04.2015

Scientists share inspiration on Twitter

BILLINGS (nature) -- The Twitter streams of many researchers recently turned positive. Scientists of all types rallied around the hashtag #IAmAScientistBecause to share their inspirations. The hashtag was created last summer by the Nature Careers team and took off suddenly in early April ... read more 08.04.2015

Research grant delay “damages Romania”

BUCHAREST (gandul) -- Romanian researchers have launched a petition and an open letter demanding education minister, Sorin Cîmpeanu, provide reasons for the delay to payment of research grants. In a statement, scientists state that “the delay of over a year severely damaged the state, national economy and research system” … read more 10.04.2015

One in two Ukrainian graduates are unemployed

KIEV (gazeta) -- A degree in Ukraine is no guarantee of a job, as recent figures show that an alarming 46 percent of the country’s unemployed have a university degree - in some regions up to 70 percent. 1.8 million out of 45.5 million Ukrainians registered as unemployed this year … read more 13.4.15

Electoral corruption in Istanbul University

ISTANBUL (cihan) -- Students in Istanbul University vow they will not leave the university campus until the winner of the university’s rector elections is given his rightful position, declaring that they “will not let the [ruling party] AKP terrorise us”. Despite coming first in the elections, Raşit Tükel was denied the post, and university president instead chose Mahmut Ak, a figure known to be close with President Erdoğan. This comes as the latest in a stream of news about political corruption within Turkish higher education … read more 07.04.2015

Greek students are ministers’ “guinea pigs”

ATHENS (greek reporter) -- As power passes from education minister to education minister, the effects of constant policy shake-ups on students are often forgotten. Following a policy revisal on internal student mobility and admissions exams, the Greek Reporter comments that the Greek education system remains “a work in progress” … read more 08.04.2015

Maagdenhuis eviction “blunder”

AMSTERDAM (nu) -- Amsterdam University’s administrative board made a “blunder” in clearing out the occupied Maagdenhuis, claim a group of 100 professors and staff. They now demand the resignation of the Executive Board. The six week-long occupation of the university building, in an ongoing row about the commercialisation of the UvA, ended abruptly, as police stormed the building on Saturday morning … read more 13.4.15

Russia rebrands for U.S. audience

MOSCOW (rbth) -- Russia this week released a comprehensive ‘Ranking of Russian and Post-Soviet Studies in the United States’. The scheme comes as an attempt to revive waning interest in Russian studies, as American-Russian relations are less than amicable … read more 09.04.2015

Education goals far from reached, warns UNESCO

PARIS (euractiv) -- A UNESCO report has warned that international education goals are far from being reached. The study, released last week, reveals that only a third of the world’s governments have accomplished the Education for All (EFA) aims set in 2000 … read more | study 09.04.2015

Concern over choice for new Estonian Education Minister

TALLINN (delfi) -- Marju Lauristin, Estonian MEP and Professor at Tartu University, has criticised the selection of Jürgen Ligi as the country's new education minister. This comes in the light of Prime Minister Rõivas’ cabinet reshuffle, approved last Thursday. The appointment of Ligi, the confrontational former Defence Minister, could be suggestive of a changing national climate, given the current militarisation elsewhere in the Baltic region … read more 13.4.15

German universities pay dearly for security

DRESDEN (mopo 24) -- A parliamentary questioning in the German state of Saxony has revealed how expensive security services are for universities in Germany. Last year, the 18 public Saxonian higher education institutions spent over ten million euros on private security firms. The services are outsourced and would cost about a quarter more if the universities employed the guard staff themselves ... read more

Greece’s biggest university cut off by “anarchists”

ATHENS (greek reporter) -- Greece’s biggest university has come to a stand-still as an “anarchist occupation” enters its 10th day. Occupiers are demanding the abolition of maximum security prisons and the release of those imprisoned for terrorist acts. With all operations frozen and police legally unable to enter the building, a checkmate situation ensues … read more 9.4.15

Dutch students will pay for education

AMSTERDAM (nu) -- Despite having had their basic grants pulled from beneath them, applications for Dutch universities are steady and have even risen this academic year. From 1 September 2015, students will no longer receive basic tuition fees grant and must instead take out a loan to fund their studies. Members of the opposition criticise, that fear of debt will deter students from applying … read more | and here 08.04.2015

“Insufficient funds” at Portuguese universities

LISBON (jn) -- “Funds are not sufficient to pay for all students.” That’s what Portuguese students were told by the higher education directorate, some waiting months for overdue bursaries. However, February payments finally arrived this week … read more 08.04.2015

France: Art, culture and universities

PARIS (e-orientations) -- Universities all over France opened their doors to the public this week to celebrate Days of Art and Culture in Higher Education. The aim of the festival, which is a collaboration between the education and culture ministries, is to “shed light on the cultural and artistic achievements” taking place in France’s universities … read more 08.04.2015

Slovak students head elsewhere

BRATISLAVA (webnoviny) -- According to Eurostat, students in Slovakia are opting ever more to study abroad, as 14 percent of all students are internationally mobile. Students from Luxembourg and Cyprus topped the mobility-charts … read more 05.04.2015

German research-giant promotes fairer pay

MUNICH (science) -- The Max Planck Society (MPG), Germany’s flagship organisation for basic research, will improve its support for junior scientists and do away with an unfair foreign-worker stipend system. 54 percent of MPG employees are non-Germans and have been lobbying for years for equality … read more 27.03.2015

Survey results: Times Higher Education Student Experience 2015

LONDON (the) -- The annual results of the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2015 have been released, with campus universities topping the charts for Britain’s student body. The survey ranks universities on staff, facilities, sports, industry connections, affordability and community atmosphere … read more 09.04.2015

Flexible BA/MA transition in Denmark

COPENHAGEN (fyens) -- Proposals to introduce an optional study-break between Bachelor’s and Master’s study in Denmark has gone down well with students. Until now, graduate-study could only be assured and supported if students continue straight after BA graduation, however education minister, Sofie Carsten Nielsen says the an break of up to two years will “better equip students to choose their specialisation” … read more 08.04.2015

New Turkish universities – a family business?

ISTANBUL (today’s zaman) -- Turkish opposition parties have reacted in outrage after a bill allowing the establishment of three new universities passed through parliament. The root of their anger? Two out of the three universities would be owned by the Foundation of Youth and Education (TÜRGEV), of which the President Recep Erdoğan’s son is a board member and has recently been involved in several corruption allegations. It is claimed that the governing party, AKP, seeks to garner political benefits in return for money and property donations … read more 02.04.2015

Horizon 2020: Results for 2014 published

BRUSSELS (esna) -- The European Commission has released an open data set laying out all successful applicants for the 2014 calls for proposals of the Horizon 2020 research funding programme … read more 07.04.2015

Inequality for Croatian Romani

ZAGREB (dnevnik) -- Despite recent efforts, the Croatian government still is not doing enough to assure support for their Romani population. Speaking on International Romani Day on the 8th April, Politician Veljko Kajtazi said that quotas should be introduced to promote equality … read more 08.04.2015

Closure threat for Portuguese fake-degree university

LISBON (jdn) -- Portugal’s largest private university, Universidade Lusófona, has been threatened with closure this week if it fails to annul 152 unlawfully awarded degrees. An audit into forfeited diplomas and certificates was launched following the ‘Miguel Relvas scandal’, whereby it emerged that a leading minister had acquired a degree without attending classes or sitting exams … read more 01.04.2015

Dutch universities reject performance assessments

AMSTERDAM (nrc) -- Dutch universities have rejected the government’s performance based funding scheme, after 14 institutions took part in a pilot. The scheme would have regulated seven percent of funds based on study and training success. The institutions instead want the scheme’s 300 million Euros to flow straight back into the university financing pot … read more 2.4.15

Financial abuse suspicion at Bulgarian education ministry

SOFIA (mediapool) -- Todor Tanev, Bulgarian Minister for education, has ordered the National Security Agency to investigate allegations of financial abuse within his own ministry. In a statement he said that he independent external audits would be run and that “no-one is special” … read more 06.04.2015

Record investment for Polish innovation

WARSAW (tvn24) -- The largest innovation investment in Polish history was announced last week by science and education minister, Lena Kolarska-Bobińska. A record 1.6 billion Euro has been made available for entrepreneurs under the “Fast Path” initiative … read more 03.04.2015

UK university heads earn like top managers

LONDON (the) -- While British universities try desperately to save money wherever they can, what presidents and vice-chancellors are pocketing is surely an interesting topic. A survey shows top salaries of 570,000 pounds. Several university heads – particularly those in their final year of office – were granted a range of generous bonuses and one-off payments. Nicola Dandridge, head of Universities UK, says that this “is close to the average pay increase received by higher education staff during the same period” … read more 02.04.2015

Hungarian student numbers reduced by 1/5

BUDAPEST (hungary today) -- The number of students admitted to higher education institutions in Hungary has fallen by over twenty per cent over the past four years, according to a recent report … read more 30.03.2015

Germany eases work transition for refugees

BERLIN (bmbf) -- New legalisation in Germany will offer a helping hand to asylum seekers. According to education minister, Johanna Wanka, ‘Prototyping Transfer’ will offer support to political refugees by recognising qualifications from their home country, even when documents can’t be provided … read more 04.01.2015

Russia reaches out to Indian talent

MOSCOW (nie) -- In light of increasing competition from higher education institutions in the West, Russian universities have come forward to make themselves an appealing destination for Indian students, offering 100 per cent scholarships … read more 02.04.2015

Bologna Coneference in Yerevan coming soon

BRUSSELS (esu) -- The Ministerial Conference of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) will take place in Yerevan, Armenia, on 14 and 15 May this year. Preparations for the conference are already well underway, as well as the corresponding Bologna Policy Forum ... read more 09.03.2015

EIT shows unsatisfactory balance sheets

BRUSSELS (euparl) -- The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) failed the first round of the “discharge” test because MEPs were not satisfied with its verification of payments before and after it contracted projects. Other four projects set up as EU partnerships with private companies (known as “joint undertakings”) failed to convince budgetary control MEPs that they had managed EU funds appropriately ... read more 24.3.15

EU research commissioner defends ‘Juncker-plan’

LONDON (the) -- Europe’s new commissioner for research, science and innovation, Carlos Moedas has used his first trip to the UK to reassure researchers that trimming the budget of the EU’s flagship research and innovation programme will be good for science ... read more 02.04.2015

Training terror? UK Universities’ Islamic extremism dilemma

LONDON (economist) -- Why do Britain’s universities produce so many radical Islamists? How can this worrying trend be addressed? Talks of ‘anti-terror bills’ and vetting of university speakers for possible extremist views repeatedly meet accusations of smothering free speech. And this week it further emerged that 800 foreign students have been barred from studying in the UK amid fears they might use the knowledge they gain to build weapons of mass destruction … read more | and here 28.03.2015

Nearly 150 people die in terror attack on Kenyan university

NAIROBI (yahoo) -- The massacre in Garissa, Kenya’s deadliest attack since the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi, claimed the lives of 142 students, three police officers and three soldiers ... read more 6.4.15

Horizon 2020 strikes back

BRUSSELS (euraxess) -- The countdown for the approval of the draft regulation on the European Strategic Investment Fund (EFSI), also known as the Juncker-Plan, will start after the Easter holiday period. With massive opposition by many stakeholder organisations, numerous amendments by the European Parliament and the devastating opinion of the European Court of Auditors, by now it should be crystal clear to President Juncker that a major revision of the draft EFSI regulation is unavoidable … read more 23.03.2015

Fossil-fuel free universities demanded

LONDON (guardian) -- Following public concern about climate change, campaigning against investment in fossil fuels is on the rise, receiving publicity along the way. The Guardian notably reported after King’s College London rejected a 1,400 signature-strong petition demanding the sale of its fossil fuel investments. Now international pressure on universities to sever ties with fossil fuels companies continues to grow … read more | and here 31.03.2015

Latvia’s US technology boost

RIGA (baltic course) -- Latvia is set to receive a tech startup boost, as apartnership between Riga High Tech University and the Silicon Valley-based accelerator GSVlabs was this announced this week … read more 27.03.2015

UK election: Parties set out science plans

LONDON (nature) -- In a poll of Nature readers, 74 percent said that candidates’ attitudes to science would affect their vote. With the general election 7 May coming ever closer, nor Labour neither Cons will have a majority, so the small parties count. And their view on science policy could make the difference ... read more 31.03.2015

Poland: Parenting no obstacle to knowledge and research

WARSAW (prawo) -- Poland is pushing hard to set up networks of crèches within universities. A call for proposals saw over 60 of educational institutions, including University of Warsaw and Jagiellonian University, competing to receive funding for the initiative. Science minister, Lena Kolarska-Bobińska pledged her support, saying “parenting should not be an obstacle to the acquisition of knowledge and the development of research” … read more 31.03.2015

Romanian higher education in downward spiral

BUCHAREST (romania tv) -- As concerns over Romania's research-funding system simmer, a lack of university funding has left  universities and students struggling to stay afloat. Despite promises of state support, a deficit has “plunged universities into a struggle for financial survival”, many of whom are forced to generate their own income through increasingly high fees and marketisation … read more 30.03.2015

Swizerland: Researchers in politics?

BERN (natural sciences) -- Governments are ever more dependent on scientific expertise, but many researchers hesitate to become politically active themselves. The latest issue of Horizons, the magazine of the As one of the six platforms of the Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences, offers three perspectives on this complex relationship … read more 09.03.2015

Russian students “cheat and are cheated”

MOSCOW (the) -- One in seven Russian students readily admits to cheating in university exams, a national poll of undergraduates has revealed, and tolerance for academic dishonesty is very high … read more 26.03.2015

Greek and Spanish scholars in national politics

ATHENS/MADRID (the) -- Greece and Spain share several similar attributes aside from mediterranean coastlines and economic troubles. Both have recently undergone a surge in left-wing political success and therein lies another similarity; both parties, Greek Syriza and Spanish Podemos, draw heavily on the academic scene for their leaders. The Times Higher Education investigates this scholarly trend … read more 26.03.2015

U-Multirank: Results of second round

BRUSSELS (ihe) -- The results of U-Multirank’s second round were released this week, a year after its inception. With 31 indicators across five dimensions - teaching and learning, research, knowledge transfer, international orientation and rgional development - the web-based programme seeks to break the mould of rigid traditional university rankings. This year’s leaders are, refreshingly, neither Harvard, Yale nor Oxbridge but many of the world’s best-known universities decline to actively participate … read more 30.3.15

Croatian universities unite for common goal

ZAGREB (nacional) -- The University of Zagreb last week launched an ‘Innovative University Network’, uniting universities from across Croatia with the joint goal of boosting Croatian knowledge and technology, helping global competitiveness and stimulating regional development … read more 31.3.15

EU concerned about plagiarism in Serbia

BRUSSELS (n1) -- The European Parliament has expressed concern that Serbia does not investigate allegations of plagiarism in universities. The PhD plagiarism affair broke out after three Britain-based Serbian scientists last summer publicly challenged the credibility of leading Serbian politician’s qualifications, among them the dissertation of Nebojša Stefanović, currently Minister of Internal Affairs … read more 13.3.15

German science alliance denounces Horizon 2020 cuts

BERLIN (koop int) -- An alliance of German research organisations has become the latest in a long line of organisations to call for an end to cuts of Horizon 2020, European research funding programme. As billions are siphoned away to finance other plans, the Alliance of Scientific Organisations demanded Horizon 2020 funding be left untouched … read more 31.03.2015

Berlin: Rare science & theatre co-operation

BERLIN (esna) -- The last performance of “Isaac’s Eye” last Saturday in Berlin concluded with great applause. A rare example of science and art co-operation in Germany, the project was led by English Theatre Berlin and Regine Hengge, a professor of microbiology at Humboldt-Universität. The director, dramaturg and actors, for whom scientific issues are fresh territory, worked with scientists and advanced science students, who stepped out of the lab to explore both potential social and ethical aspects of their work and the stage as an equally new medium for science communication ... read more 30.03.2015

Ukraine’s science receives American support

PENNSYLVANIA (psu) -- The week after Ukraine’s entry into European investment programme, Horizon 2020 was announced, it emerges that the USA is also investing in consolidating the future of Ukrainian science. A new Research and Education Centre funded by a Penn State agricultural college will advance research and education in Ukraine … read more 26.03.2015

Science editor resigns over pay-for-review

LONDON (science) -- An editor of Scientific Reports, a leading open-access journal, has resigned in a very public protest of a recent decision by Nature Publishing Group to allow authors to pay money to expedite peer review of their submitted papers. Mark Maslin, editor and London-based scientist, said the system shifts balance away from the best science, to the best-funded … read more 27.03.2015

Barriers in English-taught programmes

AMSTERDAM (folia web) -- As higher education becomes increasingly internationalised, ever more universities are opting to run English-taught programmes. However during a meeting between an Amsterdam University and the British Council last week the issue was raised that the language-barrier can often hinder learning … read more 27.03.2015

Favouritism inquiry at Istanbul University

ISTANBUL (today’s zaman) -- Turkish Higher Education Board (YÖK) has launched an inquiry into allegations that about 450 students, most of whom are relatives of leading political figures, were enrolled at Istanbul University despite not meeting the enrolment criteria … read more 19.03.2015