Hackers target universities
LONDON (filehippo) -- In the US, cyberattacks on colleges and universities have seen a noticeable increase in the past year, not least because of the abundance of data they store on their students. A new report from the Times found that hackers are attacking UK universities, too, but with a much bigger goal in mind: proprietary research information. Some UK universities were being hit by as many as 1,000 cyberattacks per month ... read more 18.9.17
Spanish universities not delivering what companies want
MADRID (ecomista) -- Nearly half of the Spanish universities don’t consider their training plans in digital competitions to be aligned with the demand of the private sector. This indicates a broader disconnect between the current training in the technological fields, such as the Internet of Things and the needs of companies, according to a survey conducted by Cotec on 29 educational institutions ... read more 10.10.2017
‘European Campus’ to overcome national localism
BADEN (badische zeitung) -- Five universities from Germany, France and Switzerland, part of the Eucor project, have plans to transcend their borders and become a model European project for cooperation in science. They want to be one of 20 in one ‘European Campus’ as mentioned by president Emanuel Macron in his speech at the Sorbonne in 2014 — but national regulations and funding schemes are still a big hindrance ... read more 12.10.2017
British universities pushed to do even more business
LONDON (times) -- “University income from business engagement is growing more slowly than the economy as a whole” according to Jo Johnson, UK universities minister. Hence he announced a ‘Knowledge Exchange Framework’ to analyse and improve universities competence at putting their research to commercial use ... read more 12.10.2017
US research faces biggest budget cut in 40 years
AUSTIN (trend) -- The federal budget proposal of US President Donald Trump and the Republican Party calls for eliminating hundreds of millions of dollars for scientific research programs. If approved by the Congress, the budget at the National Institutes of Health—one of the world’s most renowned medical research centers—will be slashed from 31 to 25.9 billion dollars. Since the start of this presidency, more than 21 percent of the funding for biomedical research have been cut, around 1,600 more projects are on the hit list with the result of dragging success rates to the lowest point since 1970 ... read more | and here 09.10.2017
Applicant bottleneck in German medical schools
BERLIN (standard) -- The Numerus Clausus for medical studies is now the concern, not only of German students, but of the highest court in Germany, where it’s been examined since 4th October. The judges are considering the entire award procedure against the backdrop of a ‘bottleneck’ caused by a huge increase in applicant numbers, from just 3,000 in 1972, to 62,000 now ... read more 09.10.2017
Estonia keen to sign research agreement with Japan
TALLINN (baltic course) -- During a meeting with Japan’s science and technology minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, a proposal was made by his Estonian counterpart, Mailis Reps to sign an agreement on cooperation in research and technology between the two countries. One form of this cooperation, says Reps, could be to hold joint classes between Estonian and Japanese students using ‘e-solutions’ ... read more 02.10.2017
Austrian parties unite around research
VIENNA (standard) -- In the run-up to the legislative election this weekend, Austrian political parties have put forward their stances on research policy. The Social Democrats (SPÖ) promise 3.75 percent of the country’s GDP, until 2020, to research technology and innovation, while the Liberal Party (FPÖ) opt for a long-term finance commitment. All parties, however, have agreed that the research budget must grow ... read more 06.10.2017
Azerbaijan simplifies university access
BAKU (sputnik) -- Azerbaijan is looking to the example of Russia and Turkey in its introduction of final school exams and the simplification of universal higher education entrance exams. This is part of a larger, ongoing reform in the country’s education system, which is in the process of being streamlined ... read more 06.10.2017
English-taught degrees multiply across Europe
AMSTERDAM (uwn) -- According to a joint study taken across 19 countries, English-taught bachelor degrees have become a common and growing feature of European higher education. The countries with the highest count of such courses were Turkey, the Netherlands and Spain ... read more 07.10.2017
Romanian private universities to be abolished
BUCHAREST (digi24) -- The Ministry of Education and Scientific Research in Romania wants to close three private universities in Bucharest, Timisoara and Brasov. Two of them were rated “untrustworthy” by the quality agency ARACIS, one has a lack of teaching staff ... read more 06.10.2017
Galician students left hanging
SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA (voz de galicia) -- With the introduction of the Bologna process in Spain, the academic year has been changed making September a month of study in universities. But with secondary education being still the same, the two systems now walk out of phase. Nearly a thousand school-leavers in the northwestern region of Galicia are finding out only now what course they have been admitted to ... read more 06.10.2017
More urgent issues than Macron’s “real autonomy”
PARIS (le monde) -- As a presidential candidate, Emmanuel Macron promised to “free the energy” and grant a “real autonomy” to universities. But university presidents submitted some more urgent worries. Notably, they request a budget allowing for a yearly increase in student numbers of 40,000, due to the baby-boom of the 2000s ... read more 5.10.17
Turkish exiled scientists set up an online academy
BERLIN (futurezone) -- Turkish academics exiled from their home country by President Erdogan’s government are setting up an online academy, based out of Berlin, under the name “Off-University”. The common goal is ambitious: the university should go online in mid-October in time for the start of the winter semester ... read more 05.10.2017
Latvia guarantees 35.9 million Euros of student loans
RIGA (baltic course) -- According to a report drawn up by the Finance Ministry, the government in Latvia will issue guarantees worth nearly 36 million euros in 2018 for study and student loans. The loans will be issued by SEB Banka for the 8th year running. In 2016, they granted 1,817 loans worth 9.11 million euros to students ... read more 17.09.2017
Final warning for Hungary
BUDAPEST (aargauer zeitung) -- The EU Commission has issued a last warning to Hungary’s president Viktor Orban in the dispute over foreign-funded NGOs (widely understood as an attack on the Central European University). The authority now launched the second stage of its infringement proceedings ... read more 4.10.17