Finnish universities forced to merge

TAMPERE (uwn) -- The Finnish education ministry is re-allocating 50 million euros to universities to incentivise them to merge. The largest planned merger is between three universities of Tampere. Critics like Jussi Välimaa of the Finnish Institute of Educational Research, however, ask if universities around the world are “uncritically adopting and legislating ‘transnational academic capitalism’, grounded in new public management supported by the OECD modernisation agenda”. Research Europe earlier this year reported that “restructuring Finnish universities to specialise in particular subjects risks increasing inequalities between institutions and across society” ... read more 16.09.2016

Switzerland seeks to rejoin Horizon 2020

ZURICH (nzz) -- Swiss researchers are hoping that the Bundesrat ratifies the Croatia Protocol, permitting the country to fully rejoin the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme. Since being ejected, Swiss investment in Horizon 2020 projects and EU investment into Swiss research have both halved … read more 18.9.16

Cost of studying in Hungary rises

BUDAPEST (24) -- Due to rising tuition fees and apartment prices, Hungarian first year students will spend on average 38 percent more this year than those who began their studies five years ago. Students’ families bare a large share of this burden … read more 15.09.2016

Lost decade for Spanish higher education

MADRID (hoy) -- Cuts to education in Spain have resulted in a massive fall in student numbers and recruitment of researchers since 2009. Public universities have seen revenue fall by 18 percent, in other words receiving 1.9 billion euros a year less than since before the austerity measures … read more 13.09.2016

Portuguese professors burning out

PORTO (activa) -- Worryingly, almost two thirds of Portuguese academics suffer symptoms of a burnout due to physical fatigue, a study shows. Smaller numbers showed signs cognitive fatigue and emotional exhaustion. The academics said that the combination of research with mentoring students and bureaucratic responsibilites were the main factors … read more 18.09.2016

Learning revolution at Ukrainian universities

KIEV (novoye vremya) -- The Kiev Polytechnic Institute, the Ukrainian Catholic University, the Lviv Polytechnic National University and Lviv University are launching a pilot on the Prometheus platform to begin incorporating online courses alongside traditional lectures. Some of these include Harvard’s CS50 programming course and Stanford’s ‘How to organise a start up’. Previous experiments in blended learning have shown a 35 percent increase in student performance and according to some experts, by 2030, 80 percent of information taught to students will not require physical presence … read more 14.09.2016

Researchers freed from copyright shackles

BRUSSELS (nature) -- In its State of the Union address, the European Commission revealed plans to broaden the copyright exception for researchers. Under the plans, researchers will be able to use computer programmes to sift through and harvest data from millions of online sources, which was previously illegal. “This proposed copyright exception will give researchers the freedom to pursue their work without fear of legal repercussions,” said Carlos Moedas, head of research at the European Commission … read more 15.09.2016

European Commission pledges more money for knowledge

French universities increasingly privately funded

PARIS (france info) -- Between 2008 and 2013 the share of private money invested in French higher education grew by 25 percent, an OECD report has found. The large majority of investment into education still comes from the public purse, however … read more 15.09.2016

Czech students’ anger at 2017 budget

PRAGUE (denika) -- The Czech Student Chamber of the Council of Universities (SK RVŠ) has deplored the lack of funding going into higher education in the 2017 state budget. They have also not ruled out the possibility of public protests. “It is the only public sector that financially has stagnated” said SK RVŠ chairman, Michal Zima … read more 12.09.2016

FEFU students complain to prosecutor

VLADIVOSTOK (deita) -- Students of the Far Eastern Federal University in Russia will write a statement for the prosecutor’s office in Vladivostok bemoaning the unsanitary and generally unsatisfactory conditions of their dormitories … read more 12.09.2016

Czech Republic to pioneer medical cannabis research?

MECLOV (denik) -- The Czech Agricultural University and a Meclov agricultural company have inaugurated a new facility specialised in research of therapeutic cannabis cultivation. “Only a few countries have such development deals, so we have a chance to be at the forefront of this research,” remarked Martin Pýcha of the Czech Agricultural Union … read more 12.09.2016

Poland creates two-class university system

WARSAW (polskie radio) -- Polish science minister Jarosław Gowin has announced a new strategy for science and higher education based on three pillars: the emergence of non-teaching research institutions, partnership of business and science and the social responsibility of science … read more 9.9.2016

Luxurious new accommodation at Moscow State

MOSCOW (poisknews) -- Students at Moscow State University will soon be able to move into a luxurious new ‘House of Students’, with training and meeting rooms, a movie theatre, recreation rooms, medical units and a lobby at their disposal. All the more welcome against the backdrop of recent scandals surrounding unsanitary MSU dorms … read more 09.09.2016

Austrian universities hit back at yellow press

VIENNA (uwn) -- After the tabloid Kronen Zeitung used Universities Austria (uniko) statisitics to back up a claim that welfare costs could not be substantially reduced by integrating refugees into the labour market, uniko responded critically, labelling it an attempt to “discredit efforts to integrate refugees.” Austrian universities introduced special programmes to support refugee students and academics last year … read more 2.9.16

Netherlands as a ‘testing ground’ for digital society?

Fallout from Macchiarini scandal spreads

STOCKHOLM (science) -- A new round of resignations and firings has begun in the fallout from the scandal surrounding Paolo Macchiarini and the Karolinska Institute. The chancellor of all public universities, Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson has been dismissed, and all remaining KI board members who were active during Macchiarini’s tenure will be replaced … read more 06.09.2016

The Swiss long to return to the bosom of Erasmus+

BERN (srf) -- The transitional solution for the Erasmus+ mobility program that Switzerland has had in place since being kicked out of Horizon 2020 has been extended by a year. From 2018, however, the Federal Council wants to again become an associated full member … read more 07.09.2016

Germany: €3.5 billion needed for refugees’ education

KÖLN (pie news) -- 3.5 billion euros will be needed to properly educate Germany’s refugees and integrate them into the labour market, the institute for economic research IW Köln estimates. Axel Plünnecke, IW Köln director, added: “The additional expenses for education can be saved within a few years of social welfare when the worker is integrated in the labour market” … read more 09.09.2016

Dutch tech unis unable to take more students

EINDHOVEN (dutchnews) -- The Netherland’s four universities of technology can not take any more students without extra funding, states chairman of the technical university federation Victor van der Chijs. Education minister Jet Bussemaker said the government had no more money available and did not object to limiting student numbers … read more 05.09.2016

UK unis consider European campuses

CARDIFF (wales online) -- Following June’s Brexit vote, British universities are considering opening campuses in the EU. Sir Steve Smith, vice-chancellor of the University of Exeter said, “We would be damaging ourselves if we weren’t making it as easy as possible to work with those we collaborate with most” … read more 11.09.2016

Danish higher education minister takes the wheel

COPENHAGEN (forskerforum) -- Ulla Tørnæs, Danish science and higher education ministery, may tighten the chain of command between universities and the state. A recent report commissioned by her ministry proposes that university boards should act more like senior officials of an “agency” whose “owner” is the minister … read more2.9.16

Norwegian students afraid of research

OSLO (forskerforum) -- Grad students’ desire to enter academia as a career has declined, as the Norwegian Association of Researchers has discovered. Contrastingly, interest in the public sector has risen sharply over the past two years … read more 06.09.2016

Four Parisian unis to merge

PARIS (le monde) -- Come New Year’s Day 2019, the universities Sorbonne-Nouvelle, Paris-Descartes, Paris-Diderot and Paris-XIII will have merged into one, with a student body of 100,000 people. The president of the Sorbonne Paris Cité, Jean-Yves Mérindol, said the project is “difficult, but promising” … read more 08.09.2016

Lessons learned for Karolinska Institute

STOCKHOLM (nature) -- After the embarrassing Macchiarini scandal earlier this year, the Karolinska Institute has done well in repairing some of the damage done to its reputation. The KI and its university hospital have subsequently improved their procedures for recruitment and the handling of whistle-blowers, but there are concerns that avant-garde research will be abandoned ... read more 08.09.2016

Germany: Tuition fees are the wrong policy

MAGDEBURG (mz) -- Tuition fees are not exactly absent at German universities: students who exceed the regular length of study of four semesters must pay 500 euros per semester. In Sachsen-Anhalt, universities’ income from these fees has grown by 40 percent in eight years. “This is a clear sign,” says Hendrik Lange, spokesperson of the party Die Linke, “that fees are an inefficient instrument to motivate students” ... read more 6.9.16

USA: Ban on unionisation of grad students lifted

NEW YORK (columbia spectator) -- In a landmark case, the National Labour Relations Board has ruled in favour of graduate students and teaching assistants at the University of Columbia. Overturning a previous ruling, graduate students at private universities across the US will now be able to form unions ... read more 23.0
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Facts and figures about graduate student unionising ... here

BYOD: Bring Your Own Devices

Better grades ≠ better students

BAYREUTH (n24) -- Both German employers and professors are disappointed. Although students’ grades improve yearly, their intelligence and talent does not. Students lack basic reading skills, historical knowledge and analytical abilities, says Gerhard Wolf, language professor in Bayreuth. The Bologna reforms have helped to transform universities into degree mills, and Wikipedia is no substitute for reading and writing, he argues ... read more 05.09.2016

Dutch scientists are overworked

AMSTERDAM (ans) -- The majority of scientists at Dutch universities experience an excessive workload, a survey of the Dutch Socialist party found out. Furthermore, 75 percent of the researchers spoke out against the commercialisation of universities and only 43 percent are satisfied with the quality of science education … read more 06.09.2016

Latvians judge their university education

RIGA (baltic course) -- Latvians still consider universities the best place to receive a high quality education, a survey shows. However, a third of respondents think that higher education is not obligatory to find a successful job, whereas 44 percent believe that a successful career ... read more 30.8.16

Putin appoints new education minister

MOSCOW (pravmir) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed renowned religious expert Olga Vasilyeva to the position of Minister for Education and Science. Vasilyeva is a professor of history and has written both a PhD thesis and doctoral dissertation on the relationship between the Soviet state and the Russian Orthodox Church. Some are claiming that some are saying that you hear that her appointment is a sign of ‘Stalinisation’ in Putin’s Russia … read more | and here 23.08.2016

Erdoğan purges universities

ISTANBUL (nzz) -- Following July’s failed military coup, Turkish President Recep Erdoğan is purging the country’s higher education institutions. 27,000 people have already been dismissed, 4225 academics have been suspended and fifteen universities have been closed altogether … read more 05.09.2016

Higher investment, higher ranking

LONDON (swiss info) -- Richer universities fare better in rankings. This was made clear in the publication of this year’s QS World University Rankings, whose head of research Ben Sowter said that “levels of investment are determining who progresses and who regresses. Institutions in countries that provide high levels of targeted funding are rising. On the other hand, some Western European nations making or proposing cuts to public research spending are losing ground to their US and Asian counterparts” … read more

Basel: Strict rules for university-industry cooperation

BASEL (tageswoche) -- The University of Basel has set out clear new rules about the transparency of sponsorship contracts with industry partners in a bid to maintain academic independence. The origin of the external funds must be scrutinised, contracts must be open to the public and the sponsors may not take part in the appointment of researchers … read more30.08

Swiss student exchange gains ground

ZURICH (nzz) -- After the 2014 referendum on immigration, Switzlerand was removed from the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme and has since had its own student mobility initiative in place. After a budget increase of 1.2 million Swiss francs, there are now signs of growing interest, with around 5,000 Swiss students heading abroad this year … read more 29.08.16

S.O.S. for Bulgarian university sport

SOFIA (actualno) -- After a three-day round table discussion students and professors came up with some specific proposals for the Bulgarian government in order to improve the state of university sport in the country. This included proposals for the annual sports subsidy and a desire to follow European directives on sport … read more 01.09.16

Bribery at Kiev university

KIEV (wprost) -- Officers of the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine arrested Volodymyr Kharchenko, rector of the National Aviation University in Kiev, who accepted a bribe equivalent to 100,000 euros to allow a dismissed employee to return to work. Kharchenko will carry a sentence of eight to twelve years, forfeiture of illegally acquired property and a ban on holding public office for two to three years … read more 28.08.2016

Young researchers want their say in EU policy

BRATISLAVA (sciencemag) -- Young scientists of multiple nationalities and institutions came together last month to create a wish list called the Bratislava Declaration. They invited European policy makers “to sustain a dialogue with young researchers” and to give them more employment stability … read more

Profitable lingua franca at Dutch universities

AMSTERDAM (nos) -- One reason for the international popularity of Dutch universities is the high number of classes in the English language. Two thirds of all courses were conducted in English this year and tuition fees from overseas students provide institutions with an attractive extra income. However, both student unions, ISO and LSVb, voiced concerns about deteriorating quality of teaching due to the poor English of lecturers … read more 26.8.16

€30 million for security at French universities

PARIS (le monde) -- Due to the recent spate of terrorist attacks in France, and coming a week after new safety measures at primary and secondary schools, education minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem has announced that 30 million euros will be provided for university security. The money is available due to some budgetary acrobatics involving universities’ contributions to the Fund for the Integration of Disabled People in Public Services … read more 01.09.16

European universities receive Facebook servers

PRAGUE/BRNO (vb) -- The Czech Technical University (ČVUT) in Prague and other universities in the Czech Republic, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, and the UK are entering into cooperation with Facebook. The California based tech firm will provide the universities with servers, the designs of which were open-sourced last year (FAIR). These will “help to significantly accelerate research in the areas of computer vision and machine learning,” says Ondřej Chum from the ČVUT Faculty of Engineering … read more | and here 29.08.2016

German students want a career in public service

BERLIN (n-tv) -- According to a survey of 3,500 students at 27 university towns, 32 percent of students would like to become civil servants after completing their studies. The second most popular career choice would have students working at a cultural institution … read more 28.08.16