New EU research commissioner

BRUSSELS (science) -- Carlos Moedas, secretary of state to Portugal’s centre-right prime minister, has been appointed European commissioner in charge of research, science, and innovation. If approved, he will take over from Máire Geoghegan-Quinn for a 5-year term. Moedas will oversee the use of funds from Horizon 2020, the European Union's €80 billion research program ... read more 10.09.2014

MOOCs change traditional structure of universities

Romanian higher education opens up

BUCHAREST (romania tv) -- The Romanian education ministry has announced changes to university admission requirements. Students without the typical college degree, a baccalaureate, will now be eligible. This means that students who choose alternative routes after school or fail this qualification will still have the opportunity ... read more 11.9.14

Ukranian higher education reforms: What will change?

KIEV (bbc) -- The recent educational reforms in Ukraine allow rectors to control their own quality assurance and manage the university funds independently ... read more 09.09.2014

Major reforms in Irish student immigration

DUBLIN (pienews) -- From January 2015, legislation will be imposed on Irish educational institutions to protect the international reputation of the region ... read more 11.09.2014

Housing shortage in Stockholm: Students in tents

STOCKHOLM (sveriges radio) -- As a new semester begins, students at Stockholm University are feeling the brunt of Stockholm’s notorious housing shortage, with many resorting to camping on university grounds. According to student representative Theo Strömdahl Ostberg, many students arrive for their first day and have not yet resolved their housing situation. “This is a problem for the vulnerable, for their classmates and for universities in general,” he said ... read more 03.09.2014

Norwegian students struggling mentally

OSLO (dn) -- According to a new nationwide survey, one in five Norwegian students suffers from serious psychological problems ... read more 03.09.2014

Misuse of higher education budgets in Lithuania uncovered

VILINUS (alfa) -- The national audit office of Lithuania has discovered that organisations such as Ministry of education and science have not returned their unused budget funds to the State, instead investing them into the next academic year. The money was used to cover fees and research or to purchase property ... read more 08.09.2014 

Cheating Dutch students are more likely to be caught

THE HAGUE (elsevier) -- New Dutch students are warned against the temptation of academic theft due to the high probability of detection with 95 percent of Dutch educational institutes using fraud prevention software ... read more 08.09.2014

Profits from natural gas for higher education

OECD: Social and educational mobility starts to slow down

PARIS (oecd) -- ‘Education at a Glance 2014’, released yesterday, says that educational mobility has started to slow down in the industrialised world. Of the adults surveyed with low-educated parents only 23 percent achieved a tertiary qualification. This is compared to 65 percent of adults with at least one tertiary-educated parent. The data suggests that the expansion in education has not translated into a more inclusive society ... read more 09.09.2014

Thirteen Sarajevo universities on strike

SARAJEVO (index) -- Thirteen universities in Sarajevo went on strike on Monday to force negotiations with the government. Lessons and exams were suspended. Berko Zečević, president of the university union of Sarajevo (UNSA), said that the government must address irregular payment of wages, hiring restrictions for academics and underfunding of scientific research in Bosnia and Herzegovina ... read more 08.09.2014

More temporary contracts at Dutch universities

THE HAGUE (dutch news) -- University staff in the Netherlands are increasingly being employed on temporary contracts, due to lack of university government funding. “Research is more competitive now,” Bastiaan Verweij, spokesman of the university association VSNU, told the Volkskrant. “There is uncertainty over jobs or whether a research group will stay together” ... read more 08.09.2014

Scientists urge government to fund basic research

PARIS (div) -- A survey of 12 countries shows that scientists are concerned about the drop in government support of basic science in favour of applied research that leads to short-term benefits. The report, from the French National Trade Union of Scientific Researchers (SNCS-FSU), showed that governments in Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S. are shifting their funding away from basic research and “research institutions are being reformed to strengthen governments’ grip on science” ... read more | and here 05.09.2014

Downwards trend in EU research and innovation spending

Starbucks targets French universities

PARIS (figaro) -- With a campaign to enlarge its market share among student consumers in France, the American coffee house chain Starbucks has approached 300 universities, offering to open coffee lounges on their campuses. To accelerate the process, Starbucks sends lorries equipped with a coffe bar ... read more 04.09.2014

University of Zurich is testing Bitcoin

Moscow and Beijing universities agree on a joint University

Hungary nationalises its textbook industry

Turkish ‘young explorers’ arrive in Belgrade

Spain: Against uncontrolled proliferation of online courses

1st International Student & Youth Sport Festival in Moscow

MOSCOW (studentsport) -- 1500 athletes from 80 universities of Russia, Europe and Africa gathered at the Luzhniki Sports Centre. They came for the Moscow Games 2014, the first international student and youth sport festival in Moscow of its kind, featuring football, volleyball, basketball, rugby, cheerleading, swimming, table tennis, court tennis, and beach volleyball ... read more 05.09.2014

Rectors report chaos in Greek universities

Exchange students avoid Switzerland

UK more hostile against EU students

Academic career increasingly elitist in Germany

Innovation funding needs to be put to the test

France’s new education minister prompts rightwing protests

PARIS (guardian) -- French rightwing groups who mobilised against same-sex marriage have threatened further social unrest to protest against the promotion of Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, an outspoken proponent of gender equality, to the post of education minister in the new government unveiled on Tuesday. Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, an outspoken proponent of gender equality, was promoted during French cabinet shakeup ... read more 27.08.2014

Warning over EU research budget cuts

Turkey struggles to benefit from study abroad

New Flemish accreditation scheme gets underway

European Centre for Power Electronics Consortium grows

Free online courses launched in Spain

Scottish government fees stance ‘incompatible with EU law’

Greek university administration jobs saved

Czech super computer launched

SPECIAL FEATURE: Free trade of higher education in Europe

The Euro-American free trade agreement TTIP from an education policy perspective


Societies have nothing to gain on either side of the ocean from the transatlantic free trade agreement TTIP. David Robinson, senior advisor to the education union umbrella organisation Education International, warned ... read more

Turkish universities condemn Israel

ANKARA (daily sabah) -- Turkish universities have released a joint declaration, which vehemently condemns Israel's aggression on Gaza and announcing that they will cut off all cultural, academic and social relations with Israeli universities that fail to condemn the Israeli government ... read more 22.07.2014

Bulgarian students head elsewhere

SOFIA (econ) -- Over 12,000 Bulgarian students have so far requested to have qualifications from outside the country authorised by the government. This number may double as more and more students head to other countries for their education, damaging Bulgarian universities ... read more 23.07.2014

Portuguese research review endangers employees

LISBON (the conversation) -- The Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation has contracted the European Science Foundation to carry out its review of research institutes. It is estimated that 5,000 jobs are now at risk and this follows dramatic cuts to the research sector in the country ... read more 22.07.2014

Spanish higher education reform underway

MADRID (eldia) -- Spanish minister for culture, education and sport has held talks this week with universities and local governments over a major reform of Spain’s higher education sector. Discussions will focus on the accreditation of university teachers and relations with the European Qualifications Framework ... read more 23.07.2014

Norwegian universities train for terrorist attacks

OSLO (nrk) -- Following the terrorist attacks of 2011 in Norway, students, staff and emergency services are undergoing training in Norway’s universities to prepare them, should such a tragedy happen again ... read more 22.07.2014

European research programme is launched

BRUSSELS (evertiq) -- The European Union’s 7th Framework Programme has launched a research project BASTION on future nanoelectronics manufacturing technologies. The research will be conducted in five European universities with cooperation with ccompanies ... read more 22.07.2014

€140 million loan for Turkish automotive industry

ANKARA (balkans) -- The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing a €140 million long-term loan to leading Turkish commercial vehicle maker Ford Otomotiv Sanayi A.Ş. This is part of a long-term investment project that will also work with universities in the research of new engine technologies ... read more 21.07.2014

Germany warms to the MBA

BERLIN (financial times) -- The number of MBA courses on offer in Germany is growing. As many German students opt to study abroad for their MBA programmes, Germany is seeing a loss in skills in key sectors, prompting action now from various institutions ... read more 20.07.2014

Polish students looking away from home

WARSAW (natemat) -- Polish universities are having to offer some lucrative deals to attract students. With universities declining, students have opted to head abroad such as to the Czech Republic, as universities offer free laptops or a free semester to entice students ... read more 21.07.2014

All affected by Ukrainian tragedy

HRABOVE (the) -- British students and international AIDS researchers have lost their lives in the crash of Malaysian airlines flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine. Some passengers were travelling to the twentieth international AIDS conference in Australia, including former International Aids Secretary Joep Lange, whilst British students were on the way to start placements abroad ... read more 18.04.2014

Italian medical admissions labelled unlawful

ROME (orizzontescuola) -- The battle to reform the entrance to Italy’s medical universities continues, with Lazio regional court agreeing that medicine entry is currently unlawful ... read more 21.07.2014

New online opportunity for French graduates

PARIS (reussir ma vie) -- Social networking platform LinkedIn has launched a new sight - LinkedIn Etudes supérieures - to help French students find their first job. The platform is specifically aimed at higher education graduates to give them the help they need to get into the job market ... read more 21.07.2014

8,000 new Dutch student homes

AMSTERDAM (architectenweb) -- Dutch housing minister Stef Blok has announced that 3,000 new student homes are set for completion, bringing the total number to 8,000. This is the second wave of accommodation to be finished, as government aim complete 16,000 new student homes by 2016, but the Dutch students’ union are sceptical ... read more 17.07.2014

Stem cell research legal battle

BRUSSELS (phys.org) -- A human egg used to produce stem cells but unable to develop into a viable embryo can potentially be patented, a key EU legal chief said. The ethical discussion continues ... read more 17.07.2014

Portuguese rectors demand assessment

LISBON (tvi24) -- Rectors want to see a reassessment of supply and demand in universities. Antonio Rents believes the ratio of applicants to places needs to be looked into, in order to improve the value of qualifications. He feels that higher education is letting people down with the false promise of a future higher salary ... read more 17.07.2014

Austrian universities claim one billion

VIENNA (die presse) -- Austrian science minister Reinhold Mitterlehner wants to spend 615 million euro on universities from 2016 to 2019, but rectos claim that is simply not enough. They want to see him spending closer to a billion euro being directly invested into universities ... read more 16.07.2014

Germany: Law proposal for university funding

BERLIN (tagesschau) -- The German cabinet has proposed an amendment to their higher education law, meaning that universities could soon be federally funded. Discussions over university funding have been taking place for some time, and now the cabinet have made their proposal ... read more 16.07.2014

A walk through Bologna

SEOUL (korea times) -- Among the many prestigious universities in Europe, the University of Bologna is where the history of such institutions all began. Walking along the school walls and the arcades is indeed an experience ... read more 17.07.2014

New UK universities minister announced

LONDON (guardian) -- Greg Clark has been appointed the new minister for universities, with responsibilities for science and cities as well. The 46-year-old Member of Parliament for Tunbridge Wells will look to combine his fields to increase university involvement in society. But his time is limited with a General Election just 8 months away ... read more 15.07.2014

The legacy of David Willetts

LONDON (wonkhe) -- It is with mixed feelings that the higher education sector says goodbye to David Willetts. His fee hike should be remembered alongside his enthusiasm for the sector during his long political career in the education field ... read more 17.07.2014

Charity begins at CERN

MEYRIN (nature) -- CERN, Europe’s particle physic laboratory, has now registered a charitable foundation to raise funds for its educational, technology-transfer and arts activities. CERN is not the only big institution to go after donations to fund projects that fall outside the core research remit ... read more 15.07.2014

German universities: precarious and understaffed

BERLIN (der westen) -- The German Council of Science and Humanities has called for more 7,500 professors in universities, following the growing number of students. According to Manfred Prenzel, chairman of the council, this needs to take place along with a higher education funding reform. “Many tasks are permanent at universities,” he said. “There is no real justification for precarious employment.” 90 percent of German university staff have temporary contracts ... read more 14.07.2014

Polish students’ study abroad dreams evaporate

WARSAW (gazeta) -- Polish students are concerned that their opportunity to work or study abroad may be lost. Many higher education institutions are yet to sign the Erasmus+ contracts, leaving students in limbo ... read more 15.07.2014

UK universities minister loses job

LONDON (the) -- David Willetts has resigned as minister for universities and science as David Cameron carries out a major cabinet reshufffle that has also seen Michael Gove lose his job as education secretary. Willets will leave Parliament at the next general election in 2015. It is not yet known who will replace him ... read more 15.7.14

UK firm invests in French student housing

CHAMBERY (men) -- Manchester-based the Victus European Student Accommodation Ltd. has bought two buildings in Chambery. Its first move in France, the firm will be able to provide 144 studios for students in the Rhône-Alpes region, as it looks to expand further in Europe ... read more 14.07.2014

University of Cyprus to plough on

NICOSIA (incyprus) -- The University of Cyprus is set to continue building developments despite a lack of funding. A loan from the European Bank is one possible means of survival ... read more 14.07.2014

Power games in Greek Universities

ATHENS (financial times) -- As struggles and strikes continue in Greek universities, it’s the students who are being negatively impacted. Poor funding and a high level of bureaucracy have plagued the sector for many years and this strike is just the next in another long wave of protests. Yet now exams have been postponed and there is a real negative impact on the student body ... read more 13.07.2014

MOOCs start oppressing academic freedom

UK: Labour proposes ‘technical degrees’

The slow death of Turkish higher education

Number of Erasmus students hits record high

BRUSSELS (eu observer) -- The EU’s student exchange programme, Erasmus, funded the studies of nearly 270,000 students in 2012/2013 - a record 15,000 more than the previous year. Nearly €15 billion will be spent on the “Erasmus +” programme, bringing together the EU’s programmes for education and training, between now and 2020 ... read more 10.07.2014

Huge investment for Turkish internationalisation

ANKARA (daily sabah) -- The Turkish government is set to spend 70 million euro on creating an international education hub. The aim is to have 200,000 international students by 2023 ... read more 10.07.2014

Human Brain Project under fire from neuroscientists

BRUSSELS (nature) -- As a billion euro is be spent on the EU’s flagship brain research project, neuroscientists are urging the European Commission to think again. Following cuts, sections of the field are in danger of being alienated ... read more 07.07.2014

Danish university to solve football injury crisis

AALBORG (dr) -- Even on the football pitch, scientific research has an important role to play. More and more injuries are occurring at the end of football games and it has fallen to the University of Aalborg to look into this. Researchers intend to analyse the physiological effects of a ninety minute game on footballers’ bodies. Then they will be able to advise trainers and coaches on how to prevent injuries late into games ... read more 10.07.2014

Major investment in UK automotive research

WARWICK (insider news) -- A £65m research programme will be launched by the Warwick Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick with car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover. The research aims to further the use of low-carbon technologies to combat climate damage ... read more 11.07.2014

Four private universities close in Romania

BUCHAREST (romania insider) -- With the Romanian higher education landscape changing, four previously accredited private universities will be closed down. 135 specialisation and study programs will no longer be available, the Government has decided, following a period of monitoring ... read more 10.07.2014

US military investment in Austria

VIENNA (ad hoc) -- The US army has invested nearly nine million euro into Austrian military research since 2009. Nearly all Austrian universities have received money from the Pentagon for their work, with genetics expert Josef Penninger receiving over five million euro alone ... read more 08.07.2014

Agricultural sciences to rise in Portuguese universities

LISBON (cmjornal) -- A network of science centres and agricultural technologies from the North region will be created by the universities of Porto, Trás-os-Montes/Alto Douro and Minho, with an investment of four million euros by 2015 ... read more 08.07.2014

Greek rector election biased?

ATHENS (avgi) -- The election of rectors to two of Greece’s top universities, the University of Athens and Athens Technical, has been criticised. Critics say that only candidates who are on the side of the government have been elected to office ... read more 09.07.2014

Scientists protest EU’s $1.6bn brain-mapping project

BRUSSELS (rt) -- Nearly 370 neuroscientists and researchers across the world have signed an open letter to the European Commission, criticising the $1.6bn brain-mapping project. They want to see money invested in existing projects, as the Human Brain Project is “controversial and divisive” and “would fail to meet its goals” ... read more 08.07.2014

Plagiarism highlighted again in Serbia

BELGRADE (balkanist) -- Following the recent tidal wave of plagiarism accusations in Serbia, opposition official Aleksandar Šapić has become the latest victim. It has been discovered that the former international water polo player’s plagiarism is “more serious, more extensive and more shameless” than other cases ... read more 05.07.2014

43,000 new student homes in Bordeaux

BORDEAUX (vousnousils) -- Geneviève Fioraso, secretary of state of universities, confirmed the construction of nearly 43,000 student homes in Bordeaux by 2017. “Accommodation is the government’s priority to improve students’ quality of life” ... read more 08.07.2014

Education cuts affect Spanish research

MADRID (la razon) -- The liberal foundation CYD has warned that Spanish research could lose out due to education cuts. According to a recent CYD report, university funding in Spain has decreased by 20 percent or 1.3 billion Euro between 2009 and 2012 ... read more 07.07.2014

Hungarian universities lose autonomy

BUDAPEST (pesterlloyd) -- A vote in Hungarian parliament will see universities come further under the control of the government. Amongst other changes, a “Kanzler” for every university will be appointed by the government without consultation to oversee how institutions are run ... read more 07.07.2014

Academy ‘reform’ is stifling Russian science

La Sapienza throws away culture

ROME (republica) -- At the university La Sapienza in Rome, students have discovered that library books have simply been thrown away, with valuable texts ending up in the bin. Martha Mannarino, a student of Philosophy, defined this as “culture in the trash” ... read more 07.07.2014

Polish university teachers lose out to internet

WARSAW (express) -- There is a movement at the moment to replace in-class foreign language teaching in Poland teaching with more internet programmes. Nicolaus Copernicus University, for example, plans to release over half their language teaching staff ... read more 07.07.2014

New Danish higher education record set

COPENHAGEN (politiken) -- The number of applicants for Danish universities has increased to over ninety thousand for the coming academic year, as students look to a secure future. This is despite the fact that last year only about sixty thousand received a place, so many will miss out ... read more 05.07.2014

Ukrainian universities receive financial autonomy

KIEV (gazeta) -- As part of a reform package on higher education reform in Ukraine, universities have been granted financial authority, meaning they will organise their own budgets. Quality control has also been improved and the length of time any rector can serve has been defined, amongst a fleet of other reforms from the ministry ... read more 04.07.2014

Internationalisation the source for Finnish funding

HELSINKI (helsinki times) -- Internationalisation is one of the major factors for Finnish university funding decisions. This could explain why the number of foreign staff at Finnish universities has increased from roughly 10 to 20 per cent over the past few years ... read more 03.07.2014

Bosnian universities costing a fortune

SARAJEVO (radio sarajevo) -- Research by the Anadolu Agency has found that Bosnian universities are amongst the most expensive in Europe. Students at prestigious universities in France pay less for their studies, in France around two hundred euro for the first cycle, with the highest in Bosnia one and a half thousand  ... read more 03.07.2014

Swedish Prime Minister sorts student housing

STOCKHOLM (gp) -- Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has identified the problem with student housing in the country. Reinfeldt wants to launch a project creating 20,000 new homes by 2020, after recognising the problem that universities are sitting on large areas of land with student housing not being addressed ... read more 03.07.2014

Cheating rife amongst Czech students

PRAGUE (novinky) -- Nearly three quarters of Czech students surveyed said that they knew of an upcoming question in a test before sitting it. Twenty-two per cent said they would happily pay for answers, with technology one of the main causes of the cheating pandemic ... read more 02.07.2014

Shell sees solution for Dutch innovation

AMSTERDAM (nuzakelijk) -- A study put together by Shell has suggested that universities and companies need to increase their cooperation to accelerate innovation. Gerhard Schotman also believes that innovation shouldn’t be too much of a political objective ... read more 02.07.2014

Huge EU input into Macedonian research

SKOPJE (macedoniaonline) -- Macedonia will take part in the EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation "Horizon 2020", having EUR 23 million at disposal for research and innovation in the science field. This is thanks to education minister Ademi signing the agreement, hoping to fund over a hundred projects ... read more 01.07.2014

Europe investing to boost electronics sector

BRUSSELS (cio) -- The European Commission is partnering with the private sector to invest €5 billion in Europe’s electronics sector. The initiative wants to bring together manufacturers, developers, designers, researchers and universities ... read more 01.07.2014

Swiss research reveals fading language

BERN (bote) -- An inter-university project on the use of Whatsapp has found a drop in the use of Romansh among young Swiss people. Requesting information from smart phone users, there is a lack of material in the language, as researchers aim to see whether Whatsapp affects communication styles ... read more 01.07.2014

Austrian students need to work

VIENNA (wiener zeitung) -- Figures have emerged revealing that Austrian students are turning to working to support their studies. 84 percent of students are working alongside their studies, while just under half said they need their parents' help ... read more 01.07.2014

Croatians taking up military placements

ZAGREB (glas-slavonije) -- Two new undergraduate study programmes at the Croatian Military Academy are expected to be incredibly popular. A hundred jobs will be created, with applications increase ... read more 02.07.2014

Russian rector selection still up to government

MOSCOW (ria) -- The Russian government is looking to increase powers available to university supervisory boards, but wants to retain some influence. Whilst supervisory boards will be able to nominate candidates to become a rector, the final decision lies with the government ... read more 01.07.2014

European project good news for Slovenia

LJUBLJANA (rtvslo) -- The European Space Agency is set to launch a major project to create the largest space telescope for X-rays. This European project will be a hundred times better than the NASA equivalent and will be researched primarily in conjunction with two scientists from the University of Ljubljana ... read more 29.06.2014

Lithuanian universities’ management questioned

VILNIUS (balsas) -- Barclays Technology Centre Lithuania CEO Giedrius Dzekunskas is convinced that Lithuanian universities need to change their management style. In his opinion, they need to be more aware of their goals and more orientated to their social responsibility ... read more 30.06.2014

Horizon 2020 proves popular in Poland

WARSAW (naukawpolsce) -- One hundred and ten reseach institutions have currently signed up to the Ministry of Science’s "Pact for Horizon 2020" in Poland. Universities are committed to working towards a broader participation, and the Ministry is keen to reward researchers applying for European grants ... read more 30.06.2014

Major upheaval for Romanian universities

BUCHAREST (romaniatv) -- The Ministry of Education in Romania is putting forward a major bill, which will see thirty-three universities in the country have courses cut. Plans suggest that over a hundred programmes could be lost if the bill goes through, with recruitment on hold for these courses in both private and public institutions ... read more 24.06.2014

Norwegian masters students have nowhere to go

OSLO (aftenposten) -- More and more students are studying masters programmes in Norway. Yet this is something that is concerning Norway’s top employers, as the posts they need to fill do not require graduates with a masters level of knowledge ... read more 30.06.2014

Italian minister to combat disparity

ROME (termometropolitico) -- Italian education minister Stefania Giannini wants to cut administration in Italian higher education, to try and boost standards in the south to match the north. She wants to take power away from “academic barons” who control spending ... read more 30.06.2014

Spain to offer new degree structure

MADRID (herald) -- The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports studies that, in an "optional" and "selective" universities can offer degrees in three years instead of four, to align with much of European countries. Minister Jose Ignacio Wert sees this as a way to improve internationalisation ... read more 24.06.2014

Thessaloniki universities heavily criticised

THESSALONIKI (news.gr) -- Universities in the Greek city of Thessaloniki have been heavily criticised by auditors, some even being described as a waste of public money. Amongst the problems uncovered by auditors were fraud and irregular recruitment ... read more 23.06.2014

French universities opt to fuse

MARSEILLE (le monde) -- In conjunction with Secretary of State for Higher Education and Research Geneviève Fioraso’s university reform package, the universities of Marseille and Aix-en-Provence have decided to fuse. This decision will improve facilities as buildings and accommodation look set for a face-lift ... read more 24.06.2014

Europe’s big push in graphene research

BRUSSELS (electronics weekly) -- Europe’s Graphene Flagship research project is doubling in size. Research institutions and universities alike will team up with companies to further develop research in the graphene sector: Europe’s biggest research project worth a billion euros ... read more 23.06.2014

Denmark’s international rules too restrictive?

COPENHAGEN (dr) -- Foreign students are only permitted to work fifteen hours a week in Denmark, which a lawyer has referred to as simply too restrictive. This is the aftermath of a fine for a butcher who employed a student as a dishwasher, working illegally in the eyes of the state ... read more 24.06.2014

Fraud concerns over Serbian diplomas

BELGRADE (radio Sarajevo) -- Following a spate of damaging plagiarism accusations in the last weeks, figures now suggest that one in ten Serbian degrees could be fraudulent. Diplomas were found to either have been counterfeit or issued by unrecognised institutions ... read more 24.06.2014

EU students leave UK to pick up the bill

LONDON (huffington post) -- Figures have emerged from the Student Loans Company in the UK that EU students are failing to repay £380 million (474 million euro) in student loans. This has further sparked the debate on the UK’s EU membership, with the total amount of government expenditure on student loans more than tripling in the last year ... read more 24.06.2014

Portuguese students demand answers

LISBON (cmjournal) -- Portuguese students have demanded the government produces a report explaining the increasing drop-out rate in Portuguese higher education. The demands will go before Secretary of State José Ferreira Gomes, who will then be required to take action ... read more 23.06.2014

German students take to the streets

ROSTOCK (focus) -- Over a hundred students have begun to protest in Rostock over the quality of their education. As part of the national group “Bildungsstreik 2014”, the students wanted to say they are not happy with what they see as the lack of financial support for higher education institutions ... read more 25.06.2014

Bosnian professor hospitalised

MOSTAR (slobodnaevropa) -- Professor Slavo Kukić, a sociologist at the University of Mosta, was attacked at work so heavily he required hospital treatment. Men reportedly entered and attacked him with a baseball bat, according to the interior ministry. Kukić believes the attack was politically motivated ... read more 23.06.2014

Turkish universities affected by health reform

ANKARA (risalehaber) -- Turkey is planning a major shake-up of its health system. This will have affects for universities as minister Mehmet Müezzinoğlu looks to invest more money into university health research, as well as creating new health institutions for research ... read more 24.06.2014

Dutch universities fail to make the grade

AMSTERDAM (nvao) -- Twenty-six universities have failed to be classed as sufficient for their humanities courses by the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organisation (NVAO). NVAO Chairman Anne Flierman is concerned that “13 percent of the courses in the humanities is not up to standard” ... read more 24.06.2014

Disaster for Romanian research

BUCHAREST (hotnews) -- Former National Research Council of Romania members have condemned the Ministry of Education for damaging Romanian research. Drops in funding and the elimination of university classifications have led the group to release their statement ... read more 23.06.2014

University application panic in Bulgaria

SOFIA (news.ibox) -- Panic is setting in for the fifty-two higher education institutions in Bulgaria, as they struggle to fill themselves. The problem is that less people are taking the admissions tests than there are places, representing a dramatic drop in applications ... read more 23.06.2014

Institution faces closure in Ukraine

KIEV (gazeta) -- The thirty-nine graduates of the School of Polish and European Law at Lviv National Ivan Franko University in Poland will be the last. Both nations hope that cooperation can continue in other forms ... read more 23.06.2014

Russian students funded to study abroad

MOSCOW (dp) -- Russian students will be funded by their home government to study abroad, thanks to a new bill entitled signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. The budget for the project will be 4.4 billion ruble (ninety million euro) over the next three years ... read more 23.06.2014

Robbery in Italian university

CHIETI (ilmessagero) -- A robbery has taken place at the Annunzio University in Chieti, eastern Italy. Three people were reportedly drugged and tied up, with one man needing hospital treatment, as thieves entered. Police say that the value of stolen goods is as-of-yet unknown ... read more 22.06.2014

New European institution to open in Poland

CHECINY (gazeta) -- The European Centre for Geological Education, as part of the University of Warsaw, is set to open in Poland. There has been mass international interest in using the facility. The thirty-four million Polish złoty (eight million euro) should be finished open for the first classes in summer 2015 ... read more 22.06.2014

German states under funding strain

BERLIN (drk) -- The head of Germany’s rector conference, Horst Hippler, believes that German states cannot afford the cost of their universities anymore. As federal states become financially weaker due to tax losses, the burden needs to be taken up by the federal state, with Germany’s international competitiveness at risk ... read more 20.06.2014

Free universities dent Danish economy

COPENHAGEN (dailycaller) -- Danish students attend university for free, then don't go into high-paid jobs because of the high tax threshold. This means that the amount of money spent on students is not recuperated by the government, so they have to search for alternative solutions ... read more 18.06.2014

MOOCs can be the solution for Norway

OSLO (nho) -- A new report has pointed towards MOOCs as the potential way forward for Norwegian universities. This report, handed to the government by a Norwegian MOOC committee, advocates an aggressive use of online teaching platforms to enhance the learning experience ... read more 19.06.2014

French universities condemned by former PM

LONDON (figaro) -- Former French Prime Minister and potential Presidential candidate for 2017 Francois Fillon has denounced French universities as “hotbeds for Marxism”. In a bid to differentiate himself from Nicolas Sarkozy, Fillon has gone after universities as well as other institutions ... read more 19.06.2014

Swedish students against fee proposals

STOCKHOLM (offensiv) -- Sweden look set to introduce tuition fees for their universities. The education ministry believes that Swedish universities just cannot maintain standards without students having to bear some of the cost, to which students have reacted very negatively ... read more 20.06.2014

Vote on Ukrainian higher education reform

KIEV (wz.lviv) -- One of Ukraine’s major higher education reforms, Bill 1187-2, went before parliament on Thursday. Having gone through the first phase of its adoption, the second reading taking place last Thursday ... read more 19.06.2014

New Cypriot institution opens

PYLA (financial mirror) -- A new university has opened in the Cypriot town of Pyla, a branch of the University of Central Lancashire. President Nicos Anastsaiades wants Cyprus to become “an educational and research centre in the south eastern Mediterranean region” ... read more 18.06.2014

Greek entrance exams pressure unbearable

ATHENS (greek reporter) -- Famously tough, the Greek University entrance exams have reportedly led to one student taking their own life. Many students are struggling under the pressure with competition for places, with thirty thousand set to miss out on places ... read more 16.06.2014

Studying in Spain costing more and more

MADRID (excite) -- The Spanish university system is moving closer and closer to the British system, and gradually getting more and more expensive. A new study from the Centre for University Studies says Spanish universities now have "higher prices and fewer scholarships" ... read more 17.06.2014

Huge pharmaceutical funding package from EIB

BRUSSELS (out-law) -- The European Investment Bank will inject seventy-five million euro into Belgian pharmaceutical research. The money is for private company UCB in this "first-of-its-kind" transaction. The InnovFin Large Projects instrument could help many universities access the funds, as well as research organisations ... read more 17.06.2014

Scottish universities make UK break

EDINBURGH (the) -- Connected Scotland has been launched in conjunction with Scotland’s nineteen universities, separate from UK institutions. The aim is to improve their international reputation and increase their international revenue ... read more 17.06.2014

Czech crack down on fraudulent degrees

PRAGUE (tyden) -- A proposed amendment to the higher education act in the Czech Republic would have the power to strip people of fraudulent degrees. The proposals from the education ministry have been backed by rectors, including Tomáš Zima of Charles University ... read more 17.06.2014

New scandal hits Serbian universities

BELGRADE (rts) -- Following recent plagiarism investigations, it has emerged that Mića Jovanović, the rector of Serbia’s biggest private higher education institution Megatrend University, does not hold a PhD from the London School of Economics as he has claimed. Education minister Srđan Verbić has called for him to resign ... read more 12.06.2014

Swedish students struggle to balance the books

STOCKHOLM (dagenssamhalle) -- The current Conservative government in Sweden is making life difficult for students. On one hand, they believe students should be self-sufficient, but on the other if they start to work, the amount of financial support they receive drops dramatically. So no student can afford to get ill at the moment ... read more 12.06.2014

Russian students to combine study with army service

MOSCOW (kommersant) -- Starting this autumn, Russian students will given the opportunity to combine studies with army service, according to the Ministry of Defence. The ministry also intends to open inter-university centers of military training ... read more 16.06.2014

Ukraine: A new broom sweeps clean

KIEV (profi-forex) -- Sergey Kvit, Ukraine’s new science minister, said police are investigating all the activities of the former leadership of his ministry. Corruption has been detected in the business with textbooks for students. The minister also announced a reform aiming to reduce the number of  universities to 40 ... read more 15.06.2014

Ambitious Malta

FLORIANA (malta today) -- Prime minister Joseph Muscat wants Malta to be the world’s next education hub, just like “Singapore or Dubai” ... read more

Irish fears over potential research fraud

DUBLIN (irish times) -- The Irish Universities Association has called for a nationwide review of scientific fraud policy. As the sector grows and becomes more internationally prominent, policy is seen as not adequate to protect the quality of research ... read more 16.06.2014

Bolognese student housing corruption

Swiss eyeing EU research money despite referendum

Spain want more private money in universities

Hungarian universities on the short leash

BUDAPEST (delmagyar) -- The work of Hungarian human resources minister Zoltán Balog has been heavily criticised. He and the government are seen as far too intrusive into the work of universities. Other concerns are over the lack of inclusion for all ethnicities in Hungary ... read more 11.6.14

Irish universities facing funding nightmare

DUBLIN (irish times) -- As the staff to student ratio is set to rise and money spent on individual students is set to fall, Ireland are desperately searching for a solution. Doubling the number of international students from outside the EU is one of the proposed answers to this problem ... read more 12.06.2014

Croatian education ministers swap

ZAGREB (shanghai daily) -- Croatian prime minister Zoran Milanović dismissed Željko Jovanović‏ without going into details, before announcing that Vedran Mornar would be his successor. This means that there have now been eight ministerial changes in thirty months of the Milanović cabinet ... read more 12.06.2014

Germany turning to talented immigrants

BERLIN (livemint) -- Germany has the lowest birth rate in Europe and its oldest population. Estimations say that over a million technical workers could be lost over the next decade, with concerns over how they will be replaced. One solution is to encourage the immigration of skilled students who can contribute to these technical fields, whether this be in big industry or even to small- and medium-sized businesses. Universities are increasing their programmes targeting overseas students ... read more 11.06.2014

Three-Day strike in Greek universities

ATHENS (greek reporter) -- University administrative staff will hold a three-day strike, starting Wednesday. Protesters are asking the Greek Education Minister, Andreas Loverdos not to lay off the employees who were placed in the mobility-availability scheme, expiring on June 13 ... read more 11.06.2014

Polish tuition fees unconstitutional

WARSAW (rp) -- Students in Poland have recently held a meeting with science minister Lena Kolarska-Bobińska to discuss the future of higher education. Piotr Müller, president of the Students’ Parliament, claims that the fees for the study of a second degree are unconstitutional ... read more 11.06.2014

Higher education strengthens local economy

OSLO (forskning) -- Universities contribute strongly to the regions’ economic development, a new study in Norway shows. Students largely find work in the region where they studied, and this is of great importance for local businesses. Employment rates of locally educated graduates are on the rise ... read more 09.06.2014

Austrian university-industry cooperation lacks transparency

VIENNA (zeit) -- Following the incorporation of the science ministry into the department of economy, university-industry partnerships and private research funding are thriving in Austria. One hundred million Euro of industry money is said to be flowing into universities. But contract details become less and less transparent, Luise Gubitzer, economics professor in Vienna says. And concerns of more results-led science are growing ... read more 05.06.2014

Finland in need of a stronger technology policy

HELSINKI (talouselama) -- There are major concerns in Finland over international competition in high level research. This has led to a call for a new targeted policy programme. What is needed, says Martin Tiuri, professor emeritus from Aalto University, is a re-evaluation of technical universities with the possibility to offer PhDs ... read more 09.06.2014

Prominent plagiarism case sparks debate in Serbia

BELGRADE (rts) -- Following the allegations that Serbian interior minister Nebojša Stefanović plagiarised his doctoral thesis, a parliamentary commission has stated the need to strengthen plagiarism control ... read more 06.06.2014

Dutch students struggle to pay back loans

AMSTERDAM (utnieuws) -- After converting the system of student grants into student loans, the Dutch government is facing highly indebted students. Degrees can now cost up to 73,000 Euro, meaning that payback time may extend to over 11 years ... read more 05.06.2014

Student houses in Zagreb falling apart

ZAGREB (index) -- The conditions of some student accommodation in Zagreb has shocked both the media and government in the Croatian capital. For the sum of 350 Kuna (46 Euro) per month, hundreds of students live in decaying buildings, without without hot water ... read more 09.06.2014

15 years of Bologna Process

BRUSSELS (WENR) -- World Education News & Reviews from New York gives an overview of the process that led to the European Higher Education Area ... read more
In a special feature, editor Nick Clark highlights how the European higher education reform project has been applied and modeled by other regions, and indeed how the EHEA has engaged world regions directly by offering regionalisation advice based on its experiences ... read more 03.06.2014

Modern voting at Austrian student union

VIENNA (ots) -- Student representatives will now be elected directly by students through postal voting, thanks to an amendment to Austria’s student union law. The reform is expected to increase democracy at universities due to more transparent rules and the greater involvement of student representatives in negotiations ... read more 04.06.2014

IBM partners with universities in big data

US (computer world) -- IBM will collaborate with 28 universities and business schools in the US to help expand and launch a new curriculum, giving students the necessary knowledge and skills to build successful IT careers in the field of big data ... read more 05.06.2014

Turkish university hospitals facing closure

ANKARA (turktime) -- Turkish university hospitals are at risk due to the financial crisis. The university hospital sector is on the brink of bankruptcy with debts of 322 million Turkish lira (112 million euro). Some vital departments have already closed across the country, leaving many doctors and nurses in limbo regarding their futures ... read more 02.06.2014

Students picket Ukraine’s parliament over reforms

KIEV (pressorg24) -- Students and activists have protested outside Ukraine’s parliament, demanding that a reform bill adopted over a month ago be implemented immediately. The bill will reduce the workload of students and teachers, increase student mobility and student choice and improve quality and transparency ... read more 05.06.2014

Bulgaria punishes poor quality universities

SOFIA (standart news) -- The Bulgarian State will limit student intake for university faculties that are churning out graduates who are poorly trained and unable to find jobs in the labour market. Subsidies per student will also increase, but they will only be given to universities that provide quality training ... read more 04.06.2014

Belgian rectors demand refinancing

LIÈGE (la libre) -- The rectors of six French universities across Belgium are calling for a refinancing, demanding an additional 20 million Euro a year for the next five years. Without this money, universities feel they no longer have the ‘necessary minimum’ to fulfil the tasks entrusted to them in terms of teaching, research and serving the community ... read more 03.06.2014

Increased dissatisfaction among UK students

LONDON (THE) -- More than 20,000 UK students lodged complaints with their universities last year, according to statistics from the BBC. The universities minister, David Willetts, has welcomed has welcomed these figures, seeing it as positive that students are demanding more from institutions under the new regime ... read more 03.06.2014

France: Hollande disrupts university plans

PARIS (l’etudiant) -- Whilst universities in France are working hard to adhere to Geneviève Fioraso’s consolidation law, François Hollande may have just thrown a spanner in the works. The French President announced plans in early June to reduce France to 14 regions, which could disrupt the university reconciliation work already in progress ... read more 03.06.2014

Plagiarism accusations against Serbian minister

BELGRADE (index) -- The Serbian interior minister, Nebojsa Stefanovic, is under mounting pressure over accusations that his doctoral thesis is plagiarised. Mister Stefanovic strongly denies the accusations. Some are calling for the immediate resignation of the minister, despite the fact that there are no legal ramifications if he is found guilty ... read more 02.06.2014

Polish universities to cooperate on missile project

WARSAW (wnp) -- The Military University of Technology and Warsaw University of Technology will unite with industry forces to start research on a new missile. Warsaw University of Technology specialises in rocket technology, so is seen as an ideal partner. The work on the missile is part of a larger defence project known as Polish Shield ... read more 02.06.2014

Transfers not permitted for Greek students

ATHENS (yahoo) -- Greek universities are set to prevent international transfers, as said recently by education minister, Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos. He is concerned that those studying abroad will request a permanent transfer to the host university. He doesn’t want Erasmus students coming to Greece to stay either ... read more 31.05.2014

Slovenian academia slams Commission

LJUBLJANA (euractiv) -- Slovenian educators and students are ringing the alarm, after the Commission initiated a legal case against the country’s education legislation, which ‘could undermine education quality’ and ‘set a dangerous precedent’ in the light of EU-US trade deal negotiations ... read more 30.05.2014

Portuguese students struggling to pay back loans

LISBON (publico) -- Students in Portugal are finding it increasingly difficult to pay back the 200 million Euro worth of loans they took out under the mutual guarantee system launched six years ago. These 20,000 students will have to start paying 300 Euro per month from October 2014 ... read more 01.06.2014

Denmark to revise admission policy

COPENHAGEN (borsen) -- Danish universities will introduce a new admission system comprised of interviews, applications and tests, which will reduce the importance of a candidate’s grade point average in high school. The proposed changes follow the call from Education Minister, Sofie Carsten Nielsen, to lower the dropout rate ... read more 02.06.2014

Dutch government scraps student grants

AMSTERDAM (dutch news) -- The Dutch government will abolish student grants from the start of the 2015 academic year, which will free up 1 billion Euro to spend on improving educational standards. However, student unions say the move towards a feudal system will add at least 15,000 Euro to the average student debt ... read more 28.05.2014

Austria: Financial boost for university renovation

VIENNA (der standard) -- The Federal Real Estate Company in Austria is allocating 200 million Euro to university restoration until 2017. The construction of new buildings is not permitted in the initiative ... read more 30.05.2014

Foreign students in Latvia victims of discrimination

RIGA (nra) -- 25 per cent of foreign students in Latvia have experienced discriminatory treatment, according to a survey conducted by Riga Technical University. Students have encountered negative comments and offensive remarks related to ethnicity, nationality, social status and religion ... read more 29.05.2014

More young researchers in Swiss universities

BERN (bz) -- New regulations brought in by the Swiss government will make it easier and more attractive for young people to become researchers. Funding for doctorates is set to increase by seven per cent and it will be guaranteed that PhD students will spent sixty per cent of their time on their thesis. Universities and the rectors’ conference support these measures as both want to see more young researchers entering the field ... read more 29.05.2014

Polish government on a mission against plagiarism

WARSAW (wiadomosci) -- Academic work in Poland already has to undergo a plagiarism scrutiny test, but the new government wants to improve the process by 2016. Universities say they cannot cope with the quantity, especially because many files were originally scanned in and would need to be converted ... read more 27.05.2014

Slovenia students fight for subsidised transport

LJUBLJANA (siol) -- Slovenian Prime Minister Alenka Bratušek’s promises to spend €13 million on transport subsidies for students have been empty. The Student Organisation of Slovenia is concerned by the lack of action and is planning a protest for the third of June ... read more 29.05.2014

Albanian higher education at a dead end

TIRANA (mapo) -- Albania’s proposed higher education reform is facing fundamental difficulties, according to a report. The neoliberal recipe to bring in private capital following state incentives fails: the state is financially weak, but the large Albanian businesses, potential investors, are as well ... read more 28.05.2014

Academic strike disrupts Croatia

ZAGREB (sd) -- Universities and scientific institutions in Croatia held a one-day strike on Thursday, organised by the Independent Union of Research and Higher Education. The strike drew attention to pay cuts as well as imposed restrictions and conditions that threaten the system ... read more 28.05.2014

Transfer woes for Crimean students

CRIMEA (radiosvoboda) -- So far, 1,500 Crimean students have successfully transferred to universities on Ukraine’s mainland. But at Lviv University in western Ukraine, students are being asked to pay tuition fees before gaining admission, despite having already paid their Crimean institutes ... read more 28.05.2014

Russia to prepare international HE rankings

MOSCOW (rn) -- Russia plans to produce an official international ranking of higher education institutions, including universities in the CIS, BRICS and SCO countries, by June 2015, the Russian Government said Tuesday. The call for rankings follows instructions given by Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, on priority national projects ... read more | background27.05.2014

Replacement funds for Swiss research

BERN (nzz) -- The Swiss National Fund (SNF) is offering grants to researchers in order to mitigate the lost EU funding following Switzerland’s immigration referendum. Researchers with seven to twelve years of experience are eligible to receive over 1.5 million Euro per project ... read more 28.05.2014

‘Education programmes’ to stop TTIP concerns

BRUSSELS (access now) -- US lobby groups are planning to implement an ‘education programme,’ in order to reassure Europeans on the benefits of TTIP. The TTIP is a free trade agreement currently being negotiated between the United States and the European Union ... read more 26.05.2014

German government takes over student loans

BERLIN (noz) -- From 2015, the German federal government will completely take over the cost of publicly subsidised student loans (BAföG), which will free up over 1 billion Euro per year for states to spend on education and science. A comprehensive student loan reform is also set for 2016. Until now, the federal funding of regionally controlled universities had been banned. Although this is a step forward, opposition parties say it is a step too late ... read more 27.05.2014

Spain: Industry advises university consolidation

MADRID (europa press) -- Industry representatives are urging ‘corporate universities’ in Spain to follow the global trend of consolidation. Corporate universities are schools, usually linked to universities, which foster technical and operational training tied to business, management skills, a corporate culture and employability ... read more 27.05.2014

Italian rectors fear widening access in Medicine

ROME (im) -- University rectors in Italy warn against the opening up of medical degrees as universities would be unable to cope with vast numbers of incoming students. Education Minister, Stefania Giannini, suggested the admission test for medicine be abolished from 2015 ... read more 25.05.2014

First “Fairtrade University” in Germany

SAARBRÜCKEN (fd) -- Universities in Germany are taking part in a new campaign, “Fairtrade-Universities” by TransFair, which promotes the use and selling of Fairtrade products on campus. Saarland University, in southwest Germany, has won the prize of Germany’s first ‘Fairtrade-University’ ... read more 19.05.2014

EU universities not proactive enough

BRUSSELS (europa) -- Not enough countries are using the information they collect on higher education to improve their universities and the opportunities they offer for students, according to a new EU report ... read more 22.05.2014

Mergers ahead for Finnish universities?

HELSINKI (sk) -- In the eyes of Chancellor Emeritus of Helsinki University, Kari Raivio, Finnish universities are of poor quality because of their small size and fragmented courses. A possible solution would be to regionalise higher education in Helsinki and Tampere ... read more 27.05.2014

British universities turn to capital markets

LONDON (NYT) -- Facing government funding cuts and sharp spending increases, some British universities are turning to a new source of money — the bond market. To help cover the costs, they plan to borrow £560 million in the current academic year, raising their total debt to £6.83 billion by July 31, equivalent to 27 percent of their combined total income ... read more 25.05.2014

Full power of free market for Australian higher ed

SWINBURNE (conversation) -- In the 2014 Australian federal budget, plans were announced to bring the full power of the free market to the Australian higher education sector. From 2016, universities will have their budgets reduced but be free to charge undergraduates literally whatever they like! ... read more 22.5.14

Public consultation on the Europe 2020 strategy

BRUSSELS (ec) -- The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the Europe 2020 strategy. The consultation will be open until 31 October 2014. Policy Fields: Economic and financial affairs; competitiveness; industry; single market; employment; research, development and innovation; the digital economy; climate, energy and resource efficiency; education and training; poverty and social exclusion ... read more 21.05.2014

Frankfurt University celebrates Jewish founders

FRANKFURT (SZ) -- The Goethe University in Frankfurt is commemorating its Jewish founders and scientists with a three-day symposium, on the 100th anniversary of its creation. The symposium remembers persecuted Jewish scholars, among which are founder Wilhelm Merton and philosopher Theodor Adorno ... read more 24.05.2014

Ukraine: Volyn universities expect reform

VOLYN (volyn news) -- Universities in the Volyn region in northwest Ukraine may be subject to a future higher educational reform. The proposed bill allows students to have more of an impact on the learning process, whilst granting universities greater autonomy ... read more 24.05.2014

UK: New cost cutting open access scheme

LONDON (THE) -- A publisher has launched a pilot with 21 UK universities to reduce their subscription costs in proportion to the amount of open access fees. Other countries have also expressed an interest in negotiating similar deals ... read more 23.05.2014

Research universities push for joint EU science policy

BARCELONA (europa press) -- The League of European Research Universities (LERU) is calling on the EU to form a concrete and solid commitment to research cooperation in Europe. “Voluntary initiatives are not enough” according to Secretary General of LERU, Kurt Deketelaere. He urges the European Commission to take control and adopt obligatory legislation ... read more 21.05.2014

Fears raised over new Welsh HE bill

CARDIFF (THE) -- Universities in Wales have expressed concerns over the new higher education bill that will see the government gain more control and subject universities to “micro-management” ... read more 20.05.2014

Italy to model admission system on France

ROME (tgcom24) -- Italy’s education minister, Stefania Giannini, plans to revamp the university admission system. Modelled on the French system, she suggests students have free access to university for their first year and then at the end of the year, selection will take place based on merit ... read more 21.05.2014

Slovakian rector ‘crucified’ over conflict

RUŽOMBEROK (sme) -- The rector of the Catholic University in Ružomberok in northern Slovakia, Tadeusz Zasępa, has resigned over a conflict after six years in the position. Zasępa decided to leave after uncovering a string of illegal activities conducted by the university, such as borrowing money for advances and travel. He also found the Faculty of Arts to have paid 85 employees more than 243,000 Euro worth of bonuses and he criticised the disparities in average wages across faculties, with the Faculty of Health receiving 1,070 Euro per employee per year and the Education Faculty only receiving 667 Euro. In a letter to SME, Zasępa likened his situation to a ‘crucifixion’ ... read more 19.05.2014

Interest free loans for Greek students

ATHENS (dikaiologitika) -- Greek students will now have access to interest free loans that are only repayable upon completion of studies, the Greek Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, has announced. The new law stipulates that institutions will provide students with financial aid based on individual or family circumstances and academic performance ... read more 20.05.2014

Students make millions for Russia

MOSCOW (rn) -- The commercialisation of inventions by Russian students and postgraduates led to revenue of 2.7 billion Ruble (58 million Euro) in 2013, Russian Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, has announced ... read more 20.05.2014

French universities resist reform law

PARIS (l’etudiant) -- The ‘anti-Fioraso’ petition in France against the restructuring of universities has reached over 11,000 signatures, representing 11 per cent of the university community. Academics criticise former higher education minister, Geneviève Fioraso, for her law reform, which calls on universities to merge, associate or form a community by 22 July 2014 ... read more 19.05.2014

Flemish universities call for shorter holidays

LEUVEN (dm) -- Flemish university rectors and the student association VVS have proposed a major higher education reform, which would see the academic year lengthened at the cost of shorter holidays ... read more 20.05.2014

Norway faces a class divide among students

OSLO (ba) -- Norwegian students are getting more financial help from family than ever before, which can create social divisions and upset the ideal of equal access to education. 63 per cent of students receive financial support from home ... read more 20.5.14

Tablets are failing in higher education

US (beta news) -- Tablets are failing to make an impact in higher education, with only 29 per cent of students owning one, according to the latest statistics from the Institute for Mobile Media Research. Institute Director, Michael Hanley, says ‘tablets are for entertainment purposes, not for writing papers and doing class projects’ ... read more 18.05.2014

New academic innovation centres for Germany

AMSTERDAM (dc) -- SAP will soon open the first two centres for Big Data and innovation in collaboration with universities in Magdeburg and Mannheim, Germany. Researchers and students will benefit from access to state-of-the-art software, as well as knowledge and expertise ... read more 17.05.2014

Turkish students protest mining disaster

ISTANBUL (altaposten) -- 1,000 Turkish students have occupied Istanbul’s technical university in protest of the mining disaster in Soma that claimed 301 lives. Students object to the university’s links with the company that operates the mine in Soma ... read more 18.05.2014

Danes’ education dependent on postcode

COPENHAGEN (jv) -- Young people’s access to higher education in Denmark is determined by their postal code, according to new statistics. Those in municipalities north of Copenhagen are much more likely to pursue higher education compared to those in remote municipalities, such as Norddjurs on the East coast.
Ironically, this is no news and not exclusive to Denmark. “It is a curse to be born in Ackerstraße,” the German publicist Kurt Tucholsky wrote in 1931. “Why did these children come from this hole? A few holes further and they would have been sure to make the law exam.” ... read more 15.05.2014

Lithuania expands Nordic cooperation

VILNIUS (bns) -- Lithuania has increased its participation in the NordPlus programme, with twice the number of applications from higher education institutions compared to last year. The programme, which includes eight Nordic and Baltic countries, allows educational institutes to learn, develop and share best practices ... read more 15.05.20.14

Georgia to fund students’ education abroad

TBILISI (messenger) -- The Georgian government will provide financial support to talented students who receive admission from leading universities abroad. The aim is to improve Georgia’s welfare and further its progress ... read more 16.05.2014

UK universities fight to stay in the EU

LONDON (times) -- Vice chancellors from 23 of the UK’s leading universities have written a letter campaigning for Britain to remain a part of the European Union. Amongst their fears include a potential loss in millions of pounds of funding as well as a reduced attraction to international students, if the UK were to leave the Union ... read more 19.05.2014

Reverse discrimination at Swedish universities

STOCKHOLM (aftonbladet) -- Accusations are rife in Swedish universities over gender discrimination, but it is men who feel they are losing out. Various projects to promote female mobility in the higher education hierarchy have been said to compromise the position of men, with women being favoured too much ... read more 15.05.2014

Honorary doctorate next for Snowden?

ROSTOCK (berliner zeitung) -- Edward Snowden, the world-famous whistle-blower, could be set to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Rostock. Gesa Mackenthun, vice dean of the philosophy department in Rostock, said that Snowden “has rendered outstanding services to our right to freedom”, one of the reasons Mackenthun feels Snowden deserves this honour ... read more 14.05.2014

Polish students ready to celebrate

WARSAW (wp) -- Polish university students are ready to take to the streets as part of the Great Parade of Students in the Polish capital. The parade will begin from the Palace of Culture and wind its way through the city, with students mixing with locals in what is sure to be a brilliant atmosphere ... read more 14.05.2014

Russian minister cancels Italy visit after protest

VENICE (the local) -- Russian minister for culture, Vladimir Medinsky, has cancelled a planned visit to collect an award at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice following a protest by students and professors over his nationalist views ... read more 14.05.2014

‘Barons’ reign over Italian universities

ROME (l’espresso) -- The reform introduced by former Italian science minister Mariastella Gelimini has failed – at least regarding its objective of putting an end to nepotism at Italian universities. The reform is estimated to have cost 120 million Euro, which has led to numerous appeals and protests. Italy’s appointment of researchers, professors and even Nobel Prize winners has been surrounded by nepotism controversy for years, and cases of unfair selection have been reported in various disciplines ... read more 12.05.2014

Russian universities see licences stripped

MOSCOW (moscow times) -- 77 Russian universities have lost their licences since January 2014, in conjunction with a new law which was implemented last September. The law, signed by President Putin in December 2012, seeks to increase the level of scrutiny upon Russian universities and improve quality across the spectrum. Luckily for students they will be moved to other institutions ... read more 13.05.2014

U-Multirank officially launched

EUROPE (euractiv) -- The European Commission has officially launched U-Multirank, a new global university ranking system. The system, which was funded with 2 million Euro from the European Union, ranks 850 higher education institutions according to five criteria, including research excellence and quality of teaching ... read more 13.05.2014

Belarus embrace Bologna for brighter future

MINSK (THE) -- Belarussian universities are set to adopt measures of the Bologna reform, walking a diplomatic tightrope between neighbouring Ukraine and Russia. Belarus’ education minister Sergey Maskevitch said “[Belarus] needs graduates to help us build our economy” ... read more 15.05.2014

German university does not permit burka

GIESSEN (fr) -- A Muslim teaching student from the University of Gießen in central Germany has agreed not to wear her burka during lectures and seminars, due to communication concerns. She is the first reported case of a woman wearing a burka to attend a German university ... read more 12.05.2014

Norwegian students lack danger awareness

STEINKJER (nrk) -- Students in Norway have a relaxed attitude towards fire safety, according to the Fire Protection Association.a survey. In a survey, many students said that they never had a fire drill or don’t know where the exinguisher is ... read more 11.05.2014

Swiss seniors are highly educated

BASEL (bz) -- Swiss citizens attending senior universities hold an above average education, according to a survey. Three in five attendees are women, and the main reason seniors enrol is because it gives them pleasure to learn new things and make new contacts. Over 7000 seniors are registered ... read more 12.05.2014

US-EU agreement threatens HE in Ireland

DUBLIN (irish times) -- Irish universities fear that they will become powerless in protecting students from incoming education providers and in defending and maintaining a high quality of education, if a planned commercial trade agreement between the EU and the US goes ahead. The TTIP agreement would subject higher education to the commercial rules of trade agreements for the first time ... read more 10.05.2014

Turkish universities are desperate for academics

ISTANBUL (cihan) -- The president of the Higher Education Board (YÖK) prof. Gökhan Çetinsaya has announced the findings of a new report, which claims that Turkish universities need 45,000 more academic staff ... read more 12.05.2014

Basel to rescue the Italian language

BASEL (tl) -- The University of Basel is working with seven Swiss media associations to relaunch the Italian language in Switzerland. The ‘Basel Declaration 2014’ states that the current globalisation process presents an opportunity to exploit the diversity and potential of a multi-lingual Switzerland, in a world of ‘digital citizenship’ ... read more 11.05.2014

Dutch companies demand science policy change

AMSTERDAM (the post) -- The research directors of eleven major companies, including Unilever and Philips, have sent a letter to Dutch science minister, Jet Bussemaker, calling for a change in science policy. They argue for more attention to be paid to science and technology and for less focus on publication numbers ... read more 11.05.2014

Danish students falling into depression

COPENHAGEN (jv) -- Danish students are being pushed into depression by education reforms, according to the Red-Green Alliance opposition party. They say the reforms are forcing young people to make a quick decision about higher education, leading to many choosing the wrong path. Over the last ten years, there has been a 30 per cent increase in the number of students seeking counselling ... read more 11.05.2014

Romanian President pushes for regional university

TIMIȘOARA (yahoo) -- Romanian President, Traian Băsescu, is in talks to merge all universities in the Timișoara region, a large city in western Romania. The creation of large and powerful universities should allow Romania to compete internationally in research and education ... read more 12.05.2014

Few Crimean students turn to Ukrainian universities

CRIMEA (vn) -- The Ministry of Education in Ukraine has reported that about 2,000 (of 60,000) Crimean students have requested a transfer to Ukrainian universities through their hotlines. These students will be distributed in 124 universities on the mainland, the majority as first year students. This follows on from the numerous transfer requests received in March and April 2014 ... read more 08.05.2014

Greece: University administrators on strike

ATHENS (enet) -- The Greek federation for university administrators have announced a 48-hour strike on 13 and 14 May in an act of solidarity against redundancies and mobility issues ... read more 08.05.2014

European students condemn Spanish education minister

MADRID (ibercampus) -- The delegates of the 47 national members of the European Students Union (ESU) have condemned Spanish education minister, José Ignacio Wert, for not consulting students about the most important policies of higher education in his recent manifesto ... read more 08.05.2014

Education Minister slates Norwegian universities

OSLO (ua) -- Norway’s Minister for Education, Torbjørn Røe Isaksen, has expressed concern over the progress of higher education institutions, many of which are struggling to attract students and to publish research. He called for a restructuring of Norwegian higher education, which may lead to fewer institutions ... read more 07.05.2014

Spring for private universities in Germany

WIESBADEN (the local) -- Private German higher education providers saw a ten percent increase in applications reaching about 135,000 this year. However, 94 percent of students still prefer public institutions ... read more 7.5.14

Universities promote more drug research freedom

INTERNATIONAL (nature) -- Many drug researchers fear an increasing level of restriction on their early work by companies. Therefore universities are looking to further co-operate with these researchers as an alternative, by offering funding and the freedom to conduct experiments in a less restrictive manner ... read more 08.05.2014

Zagreb University in trouble over taxes

ZAGREB (jutarnji) -- The University of Zagreb in Croatia is under police investigation, following reports that three of their faculties have accumulated 46 million Kuna (6 million Euro) worth of tax debt ... read more 08.05.2014

Burgeoning market for MOOCs in France

PARIS (les echos) -- Universities in France have experienced success with online courses with their first MOOCs attracting 250,000 Francophones in three months. Universities are now looking to pool efforts and share production and marketing costs by creating joint platforms, such as UNF3S, which brings together 37 universities ... read more 07.05.2014

Milan university to teach degrees in English

MILAN (the local) -- The rector of Milan’s Polytechnic University, Giovanni Azzone, is pushing forward a plan for degree courses to be taught in English, although 150 professors rallied against the move and despite a previous Lombardy court ruling. 29 out of 36 courses will soon be taught in English ... read more 06.05.2014

Saxony-Anhalt students take to the streets

HALLE (tagesspiegel) -- Thousands of university students in Halle and Magdeburg, two of Germany’s oldest universities cities, are protesting against cutbacks to higher education, whilst other regions are looking to expand. State support is set to drop by 5 million Euro per year ... read more 05.05.2014

Denmark boosts basic research

COPENHAGEN (jv) -- The Danish government will allocate three billion Kroner (400 million Euro) to the National Research Foundation. The money will be used to create new Centres of Excellence and research labs by 2026 ... read more 5.5.14

New Serbian minister sets out plan

BELGRADE (kurir) -- Serbia’s new Minister of Education, Science and Technology Development, Srđana Verbič, chooses responsibility as his key word. Minister Verbič looks to use his new role in order to improve the national opinion of education, with cooperation a necessity for the future ... read more 06.05.2014

Bulgarian General to shake up university education

SOFIA (focus) -- Bulgarian General Simeon Simeonov wants to introduce military training into higher education institutions. The army official believes that military education will “contribute to the development of valuable orientation and adjustment towards patriotism, dignity, debt, honour and responsibility towards the country,” as he stated in an interview on the Day of Bravery and the Day of the Bulgarian Army … read more 06.05.2014

Polish science ministry mismanaged public funds

WARSAW (gazeta) -- The Polish science ministry improperly issued 7.5 million Złoty (1.8 million Euro) worth of university funds between 2010-2013, according to the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau. The money was intended for student scholarships and grants but was instead used for other purposes ... read more 05.05.2014

Romania struggles with brain drain

BUCHAREST (dr) -- Romania is facing a serious outward mobility problem, with 15 per cent of the population leaving the country in the last ten years. Young people are leaving due to poor job prospects ... read more 06.05.2014

First global protest against mainstream economic teaching

MANCHESTER (guardian) -- Economics students from 19 countries have joined forces to call for an overhaul of the way their subject is taught. The students, who have formed 41 protest groups in universities from Britain and the US to Brazil and Russia, say research and teaching in economics departments is too narrowly focused and more effort should be made to broaden the curriculum. They want courses to include analysis of the financial crash that so many economists failed to see coming, and say the discipline has become divorced from the real world ... read more 04.05.2014

New teaching app tested at German university

HOHENHEIM (uni) -- A German university is experimenting with smartphone apps for didactic purposes. A pilot project from the University of Hohenheim is seeking to link campus maps and news with teaching materials and other virtual tools for their students ... read more 05.05.2014

Russian rector fired for plagiarism

MOSCOW (moscow times) -- The science minister has fired the rector of the Russian State Social University, Lidia Fedyakina, after she was alleged to have heavily plagiarised her doctoral thesis ... read more 29.04.2014

More fees for foreign students in Austria?

VIENNA (presse) -- As the number of foreign students in Austria stands at an all-time high, universities demand more favourable immigration rules for their overseas graduates. Economic concerns over the fees charged to international students were also raised in a recent statement ... read more 04.05.2014

Costs drive UK students abroad

LONDON (new york times) -- A sharp rise in university fees has encouraged students in Britain to consider studying overseas, while worries about high costs and debt are deterring US students from going abroad, according to a study by the British Council ... read more 04.05.2014

Kazakh university corruption worth $100 million

ASTANA (tengri) -- Corruption in higher education in Kazakhstan has grown to $100 million per year, according to the science ministry. Minister Takir Balykbaev acknowledged that Kazakhstan’s university sector is not transparent ... read more 30.04.2014

Austrian budget swindles science?

VIENNA (der standard) -- Austria’s Budget for 2016-2018, announced Tuesday by Finance Minister Michael Spindelegger, has duped universities according to representatives from the Green Party. Universities will not receive any additional funds in this time, meaning, “basic research is frozen, and science and research are further starved” ... read more 29.04.2014

Turkey to change university entrance system

ANKARA (star gazete) -- The Turkish government is making changes to the way students are admitted to universities. Universities will be divided into three groups, each with different selection criteria. The aim is to provide a more precise evaluation of prospective students ... read more 29.04.2014

Open Access campaign shines a light on paywalls

LONDON (guardian) -- Since its launch last year, the Open Access Button project has tracked more than 6,500 paywalls that deny open access to scientific research. The campaign is now in a second phase, attempting to help people find alternative routes to blocked content ... read more 29.04.2014

Czech State to reduce research-business funding

PRAGUE (e15) -- The Czech State wants to slow down funding for the construction of new research centres, following a boom in R&D expenditure that lasted from 2005 to 2012. Although construction is subsidised by the EU, the costly job of operating and sustaining such centres is left to the State ... read more 30.04.2014

Slovaks have a taste for several careers

BRATISLAVA (sk) -- Slovaks seem to try their hand at a number of careers according to a survey by Focus. It reveals that almost 50 per cent of respondents work in a completely different field to what they studied and 40 per cent would still opt for a change in career ... read more 29.04.2014

Further weakening of Spanish universities

VALENCIA (las provincias) -- The Spanish government has put universities in an even worse position with spending cuts, fewer grants, more stringent academic requirements and fees that have increased by over a third in a year and a half. Rectors have now gone on the offensive with a manifesto denouncing such policies ... read more 30.04.2014

Lithuania doubles student numbers

VILNIUS (penki) -- The Education Ministry in Lithuania has made changes to the target funding for higher education studies, which will see twice as many students accepted compared to last year. The target funds will be allocated to specific specialist courses, such as the information, energy and agricultural sectors ... read more 29.04.2014

The future of higher education in Latvia

RIGA (reitingi) -- In order to secure a successful future, Latvia needs to focus on academic exchanges, the development of humanities and scientific progress involving clusters, universities and business incubators, according to Mārcis Auziņš, rector at the University of Latvia ... read more 28.04.2014

Serbian education in crisis

BELGRADE (24sata) -- Serbia’s newly appointed Education Minister, Srdjan Verbić, believes that their education sector is in crisis, with students only learning for exams rather than for knowledge. He calls on the need to increase the responsibility of all stakeholders, not just those paid to work in education ... read more 28.04.2014

Corruption allegations in Kazakhstan

ASTANA (tumba) -- Shadow turnover in the higher education system of Kazakhstan may exceed 72 million Euro a year according to reports from the Ministry of Education. The Ministry has called university management “opaque and unaccountable”, citing corruption in many areas ... read more 29.04.2014

Czech universities turn to South Korea

PRAGUE (pl) -- Czech universities are looking to strengthen cooperation with South Korean counterparts, in an attempt to increase student and teacher exchanges as well as developing joint research projects. They hope to capitalise on the “diligence and tenacity” with which Korean students approach their studies ... read more 28.04.2014

Bulgaria lagging behind in education

SOFIA (sn) -- Bulgaria lags behind in educational reform and has not absorbed enough European funding into the sector, according to George Valtchev, of the civil initiative for Bulgarian revival. He suggests the introduction of a dual professional training system ... read more 28.04.2014

Scholarships proving problematic for Spanish students

MADRID (nt) -- Students in Madrid called for a demonstration to protest delays and possible cuts in scholarships, which has lead to a feeling of uncertainty. They have asked for an urgent meeting with the Minister to establish a State Emergency Plan, which will ensure that no student is expelled for financial reasons ... read more 27.04.2014

Ukrainian students picket Russian Embassy in Belgium

KIEV (pohlyad) -- Students of Ukrainian descent gathered in the Russian Embassy in Belgium on Saturday to protest against Russian aggression towards Ukraine. They urged governments to resort to diplomatic mechanisms for interference ... read more 27.04.2014

Kosovo’s diaspora unmoved by ‘brain gain’ fund

PRISTINA (scidev) -- Kosovo’s 600,000 Euro ‘Brain Gain Grant’ programme, aimed at rebuilding research and teaching by supporting experts’ return to the country, has proved unsuccessful. The scheme has had no eligible applications since it began four years ago, possibly due to low pay and the unstable political and economic situation ... read more 24.04.2014

Danish students warn against elitist track

COPENHAGEN (jv) -- The Danish Students’ Confederation has warned against the trend towards an elitist track in the country’s universities, which they fear will create A and B programmes. This follows the government’s decision to allow institutions to make special offers, such as talent programmes, to elite students ... read more 25.04.2014

Italy subject to further education cuts

ROME (corriere) -- Italy’s Education Minister, Stefania Giannini, has announced a new bout of “savings” in higher education, that will result in funding cuts of 15 million Euro ... read more 24.04.2014

Go-ahead for major HE reforms in Finland

HELSINKI (iltalehti) -- The Finnish State has revealed a major higher education reform that will see a new kind of applied sciences universities. These universities will be formed as limited companies, in an aim to increase workplace orientation and create business ... read more 23.04.2014

Ireland braces itself for radical reforms

DUBLIN (bbc news) -- The Irish education minister, Ruairi Quinn, has met with harsh criticism by higher education teachers. They oppose his ideas to introduce courses that run on a 12-month cycle, merge institutions and increase the minimum requirements for teachers ... read more 23.04.2014

Bulgarian State enters university management

SOFIA (actualno) -- The Bulgarian government will increase its participation in university management as part of a new higher education strategy. A Board is supposed to monitor the way in which universities spend state subsidies ... read more 23.04.2014

Romania and France secure cooperation

BUCHAREST (rfi) -- Romanian-French relations are more intense than ever thanks to a growing number of French students choosing to study in Romania. Their medical universities are proving most popular amongst the French, with some even offering studies in the French language ... read more 23.04.2014

Scottish universities quit employers’ federation in protest

EDINBURGH (guardian) -- Three of Scotland’s leading universities have quit the employers’ group, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), following CBI’s decision to register as an anti-independence campaign for September’s referendum. The decision conflicts with the universities’ need to remain neutral in the independence debate ... read more 21.04.2014

Universities in Milan say no to paper

MILAN (milanotoday) -- Milanese universities have rolled out a new initiative to reduce the amount of paper used and to streamline bureaucratic procedures. Under the scheme, exams will be verbalised and books and reports will no longer be printed but will instead be available online ... read more 23.04.2014

Slovenia launches scheme to open up education

BRUSSELS (europa) -- Slovenia has adopted a new initiative, ‘Opening up Slovenia’, as a part of a national strategy to promote open educational resources. The aim is to make the most of the opportunities created by digitisation and new technologies ... read more 22.04.2014

Poland to enfranchise scientists

WARSAW (natemat) -- The Polish science ministry may enfranchise scientists as a solution to the ‘shockingly poor co-operation between business and science.’ The initiative would transfer property rights to the researchers in an aim to increase motivation and commercialise research ... read more 23.04.2014

Slow Dutch students may lose credits

AMSTERDAM (punt) -- The Dutch government may start to subtract university credits from students who are taking too long to finish their degree. They hope it will motivate students and solve the problem of aging knowledge ... read more 

Belgian universities face underfunding

LEUVEN (rtbf) -- The Catholic University of Leuven (UCL) has accused the government of Belgium’s French community, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, of under-subsidising students following a merger. If successful, the university will gain an additional 14 million Euro by 2016 ... read more 23.04.2014

Too few leading women in Danish research

COPENHAGEN (information) -- Denmark is lagging behind when it comes to the proportion of female professors, placing 17th out of the 24 EU member states. Initiatives, such as the ‘Younger women devoted to a university career’ (YDUN) programme, try to help women ... read more 22.04.2014

Russia to offer creative degrees for free

MOSCOW (en) -- The Russian government has prepared a draft decree that will offer students a second degree in a creative field, such as film or composition, free of charge, funded by the State ... read more 22.04.2014

Swedes paying off debt well into retirement

STOCKHOLM (the local) -- The Swedish government is moving further away from its social-democratic legacy by making student loans more expensive. It is planned to scrap the 25-year span for repayment and to double the fee for late payment reminders. The reforms will likely see Swedes paying the money back well into retirement ... read more

Red alert for research in Bologna

BOLOGNA (cdb) -- The Emilia Romagna region in Northern Italy is at risk of losing 560 research contracts and large amounts of funding due to a lack of resources to renew negotiations with the European Union and delays in actions ... read more 22.04.2014

Greece shows the door to ‘eternal’ students

ATHENS (pathfinder) -- The Ministry of Education in Greece has introduced a new law that states that students admitted before 2006 must get their degree within a year or risk losing their student status. 180,000 students have already been removed ... read more 22.04.2014

Spanish government owes universities billions

TENERIFE (eldia) -- According to the rectors’ conference in Spain, the Spanish government is in debt by more than 2.2 billion Euro worth of committed capital and investments to universities all over the country ... read more 22.04.2014

Reflections on the tech sector in Ireland

DUBLIN (rte) -- Ireland is entering a golden age of innovation with a booming technology sector according to Will Goodbody, who recounts his first year working as a Science and Technology Correspondent for RTE ... read more 10.04.2014

Rankings for European digital competitiveness

LOUVAIN (in) -- Munich, London and Paris are the top three most dynamic regions in digital technology in Europe, a new study finds. Among the keys to success is access to the best universities and major research centres as well as funding opportunities such as venture capital ... read more 14.04.2014

How the top UK universities use Twitter

LONDON (THE) -- UK universities are mainly using Twitter accounts to broadcast university specific and industry news and do not generally interact with others, with the exception of Manchester University, according to a new analysis by Brandwatch ... read more 15.04.2014

Swiss students find solace in Africa

BERN (20min) -- After several top European universities, including Cambridge and Sorbonne, have rejected a student exchange with Switzerland, Swiss universities are now looking to alternatives in Africa and Asia. The University of Basel is already in talks with universities in Cape Town and China ... read more 13.04.2014

Slovenia rise up against new higher education laws

LJUBLJANA (mladina) -- The Student Society Initiative in Slovenia has called for a protest against a new law that will introduce tuition fees for students who fall short of entry conditions and those who cannot complete their studies within a given time limit ... read more 14.04.2014

Austria launches 17 new Research Studios

VIENNA (ots) -- Austria’s science minister, Reinhold Mitterlehner, has launched 17 new Research Studios, or temporary applied sciences associations. The studios will support the production of innovative prototypes as well as increasing the efficiency of applying and implementing research results ... read more 16.4.14

Brutal staff cuts endanger Italian universities

ROME (il manifesto) -- Structural cuts, a reduction in hiring and the lowering of the retirement age will cause the number of university professors in Italy to drop to only 9000 by 2018 according to the National University Council ... read more 15.04.2014

Belgian universities concerned for embryo research

BRUSSELS (rtl) -- Rectors of Flemish universities in Belgium have voiced concerns about consequences on future scientific progress if a ban on funding for scientific research that destroys human embryonic stem cells is put in place by the European Commission ... read more 10.04.2014

Norway: Open access improves university accountability

OSLO (science20) -- Norway could achieve a competitive advantage in the European context through higher compliance with open access publishing requirements according to Curt Rice, head of the Board at the Current Research Information System ... read more 15.04.2014

Finns are “over-educated underperformers”

HELSINKI (ht) -- A major problem of the Finnish economy is that young people are over-educated, according to renowned professor Bengt Holmström. “Young people should get into working life sooner. For many, studies could end in a Bachelor’s degree, and the Master’s thesis should be abolished,” he proposes ... read more 14.04.2014

Latvian education ministry fights for student loans

RIGA (nra) -- Aware of the reluctance of Latvian banks to lend to students, the Latvian Ministry of Education is pushing for an amendment to loan legislation. They hope the change will see eligible students enrolled in state-accredited programmes gain access ... read more 12.04.2014

Parisian students protest against merger

PARIS (mce) -- Students and staff at the University of Paris 8 have gone on strike, in protest against the planned merger of their university with that of Nanterre. They claim the merger would see the closure of courses, a reduction in student rights, and several cutbacks ... read more 13.04.2014

German student wins case to attend Swiss university

BERN (nzz) -- A German student has won a study place in Switzerland by going to the Federal Court for help after being turned down by two Swiss universities due to insufficient grades. The Swiss fear that this will endanger the quality of education ... read more 13.04.2014

Luxembourg: Students go on the offensive

LUXEMBOURG CITY (tageblatt) -- Students and student organisations in Luxembourg are planning to strike on April 25 against proposed budget cuts that will see state study aid considerably reduced ... read more 13.03.2014

Malta: Student data requests may breach laws

VALLETTA (malta independent) -- A legal notice authorising Maltese Education Minister, Evarist Bartolo, to request personal data on students from educational institutions may be in breach of European and even national laws. Student information can only be handed out if it is in the subject’s interest and with consent ... read more 12.04.2014

German universities to offer sample study courses

THURINGIA (mdr) -- The German parliament has passed a new law allowing universities in Thuringia to offer sample study courses to students who do not hold the necessary qualifications, such as a high school diploma, but instead have at least three years of work experience. After a maximum of three semesters, the university must then decide whether the student can continue the course ... read more 10.04.2014

Italy: Sword of Damocles hangs over entrance test

ROME (gdm) -- Investigations are being carried out in Italy following reports that an envelope containing the entrance exams for medical university was tampered with. An envelope in Puglia was missing one exam and was sealed differently from others, which suggests theft and could lead to the withdrawal of the test all over Italy ... read more 10.04.2014

Swiss universities find costly alternative to Erasmus

BERN (der bund) -- The University of Bern in Switzerland is attempting to organise individual exchange agreements for students hoping to study abroad. This is a temporary but very costly and highly bureaucratic solution to Switzerland’s expulsion from the Erasmus programme. However, Swiss universities still face being blacklisted by other countries, which are rejecting bilateral agreements, for example, Spain and the UK ... read more 11.04.2014

Sweden creates meeting point for research

UPPSALA (unt) -- Sweden’s Uppsala University has opened a new ‘hub’ as part of the SciLifeLab research centre, which will act as a national meeting point to facilitate meetings and joint problem solving. The aim is to provide and share technical resources and expertise from across the country ... read more 09.04.2014

Mutual recognition for Ukraine and Slovakia

KIEV (un) -- Ukraine and Slovakia have arranged the mutual recognition of education documents, including certificates, examinations and internships. The agreement will equate qualifications in each country, allowing for greater mobility in both directions ... read more 10.04.2014

Danish universities need to modernise

COPENHAGEN (jv) -- Universities in Denmark need to transform current education methods and adapt them to today’s students, according to Hanne Leth Andersen, chairman of the Danish Network for Educational Development in Higher Education. Some universities, such as Aarhus University, are already moving away from old-fashioned lectures, engaging students with smartphones and tablets ... read more 10.04.2014

Funders punish open-access dodgers

INTERNATIONAL (nature) -- Two of the world’s largest research funders, the US National Institutes of Health and the UK's Wellcome Trust, are now withholding grant money from researchers who do not make publications openly available. The policy has seen an increase in researchers following the rules, with the Wellcome Trust’s compliance rate rising by 14 per cent since 2012 ... read more 9.4.

World-renowned Polish scientist accused of plagiarism

WARSAW (pch24) -- Zygmunt Bauman, a prominent scientist from Poland, has been accused of plagiarism by Peter Walsh, a student from the University of Cambridge. Bauman strongly denies having copied statements available on Wikipedia without fully citing them in one of his books ... read more 8.4.2014

MedCity creates UK science ‘golden triangle’

LONDON (bbc news) -- Mayor Boris Johnson has launched MedCity, a new research initiative aimed at strengthening links between hospitals, universities and businesses in South East England. He claims that the ‘golden triangle’ of London, Oxford and Cambridge could host the “world’s most powerful life sciences research” ... read more 08.04.2014

Western science severs ties with Russia

INTERNATIONAL (nature) -- Scientific relations between Russia and the West have reached a low point after Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and NASA both cut ties with Russia last week. If Russia were to push any further into Ukraine, cutbacks on all sorts of academic exchange programmes and scientific collaborations would inevitably follow ... read more 08.04.2014

Belarus and UK sign memorandum of understanding

MINSK (belTA) -- The Belarusian Education Ministry and the UK Association of Business Executives (ABE) have signed an agreement that will work towards the conformance of the two education systems. Belarus will be granted the ability to get education certificates recognised while the UK will develop its business ... read more 09.04.2014

French academics disappointed with new Secretary of State

PARIS (rlt) -- Former Higher Education Minister in France, Geneviève Fioraso, has been appointed Secretary of State in the same position despite a petition by over 8,000 academics contesting this decision. They blame Fioraso for their deteriorating working conditions and regard her university and research policies as failures ... read more 09.04.2014

Greek families fork out thousands for university preparation

ATHENS (greek reporter) -- Despite the harsh financial crisis, Greek families are estimated to be paying at least 14,000 Euro to prepare their children for entrance examinations to universities, particularly spending on extra curricular tutoring and foreign language classes ... read more 06.04.2014

Universities ‘challenged’ by globalisation

EUROPE (research) -- Universities are struggling to incorporate the skill sets needed to cope with the challenges of globalisation in their teaching and research, according to the European University Association’s annual conference. Institutions need to offer alternatives to the traditional full-time classroom degree and teach skill sets such as leadership, business practice and intercultural understanding ... read more 04.04.2014

UK to build new universities in ‘cold spots’

LONDON (telegraph) -- David Willets, the UK’s Universities Minister, will create new university campuses in areas identified as higher education ‘cold spots’, such as county towns and coastal resorts. The plan is aimed at increasing the number of school leavers attending university as well as boosting local economies ... read more 04.04.2014

USA funds Creationism and pseudoscience with $1 billion

SAN DIEGO (tvm) -- Nearly $1 billion in public funds will be handed to hundreds of private schools in the United States that teach creationism as science this year. These schools promulgate the ideas that the earth is less than 10,000 years old and that mankind existed simultaneously with the dinosaurs. Unfortunately, movements are afoot to expand these programs ... read more

Open access ‘leads to higher research paper correction rate’

LONDON (THE) -- Discussing potential flaws in peer-reviewed research online can lead to a higher rate of corrections to the scientific record, according to a study ... read more 03.04.2014

China counts on closer research cooperation with Europe

Media in Europe: New Questions for Research and Policy

Housing and higher wages to stop Russian brain drain

MOSCOW (rian) -- “If we confine ourselves to solely academic goals, like international university rankings, we will face a brain drain,“ said Viktor Tolokonsky during the All-Russian Forum of Young Scientists in Tomsk. “We should create better conditions so that our young scientists are motivated to build their career here in the country,” he added ... read more 02.04.2014

Belgian girl works as prostitute to pay studies

BRUSSELS (rtl) -- A former student from the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) admitted working as a prostitute to pay her tuition. “Hearing this kind of thing, I find it surprising, but there are many people for whom it might be the only way to pay for housing or education,” said one student. This year, 8,000 students applied for financial support at the ULB. A figure that is increasing ... read more 03.04.2014

New minister to foster university concentration in France

PARIS (educpros) -- The French science ministry wants to restructure the national higher education landscape in a way that only 30 administrative centres remain. The institutions have to merge or engage in partnerships. The new minister in charge of universities will be Benoît Hamon who replaces Geneviève Fioraso in a cabinet reshuffle. Hamon, member of the Socialist Party (PS), is a historian and former professor of European economy in Paris ... read more 02.04.2014

UK universities’ contribution to economy rises 25%

LONDON (FT) -- Universities add £73bn to the country’s economy, an increase of nearly a quarter in five years, research has shown ... read more 01.04.2014

Rankings and Bologna Process in CIS countries

MINSK (belTA) -- In a university rating in the former Soviet Republics, Lomonossov University in Moscow and the Belarus State University in Minsk were the two best among 153 institutions. The main trend in the CIS was the transition to a two-tier scheme “bachelor - master”, consistent with the Bologna Process ... read more 03.04.2014

National student protest in Belgium

ANTWERP (le vif) -- Across Belgium, students are taking to the streets in protest against the underfunding of higher education. Looking ahead to the national elections on May 25, they demand quality education for all, a more knowledge-oriented education rather than one for the labour market, housing for students at democratic prices, full funding of higher education, an adequate budget for infrastructures, a stop to wrangling between institutions, that library schedules and study spaces be adapted and finally club facilities for all students ... read more 01.04.2014

Finnish universities given incentive to find private financing

HELSINKI (yle) -- The Finnish government will encourage universities to source private funding for themselves by promising three Euro to every self-acquired Euro ... read more 01.04.2014

Slovenian education minister cleared of corruption allegations

LJUBLJANA (demokracija) -- Jernej Pikalo will remain Slovenia’s education minister following a vote on his dismissal. The vote came about after the opposition accused Pikalo of irregularities and corruption in a Ministry of Education’s Civic Education public tender in 2009 ... read more 31.03.2014

Austria’s ‘homemade’ brain drain

VIENNA (nzz) -- Austria is experiencing a massive brain drain, with 25,000 Austrians moving away in the past decade and only 15,000 coming back. This is due to poor incentives to return, high taxes, uncompetitive wages, low funding, a demographic imbalance and a lack of courage to reform ... read more 01.04.2014

Troika attempts to divide and manipulate Greek students

ATHENS (enetenglish) -- The Troika has intervened at Greek universities in order to favour politically adapted students. Officials at the education ministry in Athens, who have been presented with a rough outline of the Troika proposals, say certain students would be able to earn their degree within a year provided they sign up to a pledge committing themselves to market reforms and increased competiveness ... read more 01.04.2014 (An April Fool)

Danish scientists feel shackled by University Act

COPENHAGEN (information) -- Researchers in Denmark are criticising university research policy, claiming it gives too much power to individual department heads. These managers reportedly use threats, verbal assaults and continually redefine rules and deadlines to push out the employees they no longer want ... read more 01.04.2014

Ireland rejects European Students’ Union

DUBLIN (university times) -- Irish students are claming that the European Students’ Union (ESU) is not only costly, but also lacking in “meaningful consequences”. As a result, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union will propose a motion that would see their separation from ESU ... read more 31.03.2014

UK revises open access policy

LONDON (wellcome) -- The UK’s newest open access policy, published on 31st March, will force all UK-based researchers in receipt of public funding to make their research outputs open access ... read more 31.03.2014

Belarus President proposes single scientific body

MINSK (belTA) -- Belarus President, Alexander Lukashenko, wants to develop a single scientific regulatory body, for example the Education and Science Ministry, in order to improve the state management and budgeting for science ... read more 01.04.2014

Protesting Italian students risk 15 years of prison

MILAN (tgcom) -- In 2008, students have occupied the Università Statale, Milan’s biggest university. Today, the process against 19 students accused of looting and vandalism has terminated. They could be punished with 8-15 years of imprisonment ... read more 27.03.2014

Spanish university group cooperates with Euronews

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA (ep) -- The Spanish university association Grupo Compostela de Universidades and the French broadcasting company Euronews SA want to improve online learning opportunities together. Their first joint action will be an international student video competition with the participation of 19 universities in 11 countries ... read more 26.03.2014

Public-Private university cooperation in Portugal

LISBON (universia) -- The engineering school ISEL in Lisbon has signed a memorandum of partnership with Universidade Europeia, a branch campus of the U.S. education corporation Laureate International Universities. Joint research projects and other activities are planned ... read more 27.03.2014

Elsevier blocks road to open access

LONDON (THE) -- Publishing house Elsevier seems to persist in its sabotage of the progress towards open access, following reports of charging people to reuse articles published with open licences ... read more 27.03.2014

Spanish student protests continue

MADRID (the local) -- Students in Madrid occupied offices at a top university in protest against spending cuts and fee rises. Over fifty students have been arrested for putting up barricades and burning bins ... read more 26.03.2014

EU enhances university engagement in Africa

BRUSSELS (europa) -- The European Commission hopes to double the scope of the Africa-EU ‘tuning’ scheme from 60 to 120 African universities by 2015. The scheme, launched in 2011, aims to improve competences, degree relevance, and the recognition of qualifications ... read more 26.03.2014

Professor sacked for criticising Russia’s Crimea policy

MOSCOW (enca) -- One of Russia’s most prestigious universities is facing accusations of “political censorship” after it sacked a prominent professor. Andrei Zubov, professor for philosophy, compared Russia’s takeover of Crimea to Nazi Germany’s annexation of Austria ... read more 25.03.2014

Hungarian opposition promises free tuition

BUDAPEST (politics) -- In the run up to the Hungarian elections set to take place on April 6 this year, five-party opposition Unity alliance turns to students, promising free tuition to undergraduates ... read more 25.03.2014

Polish Academy of Sciences under fire

WARSAW (gazeta) -- The Polish Academy of Sciences is under investigation following suspicions of irregularities in bookkeeping, unreliable data transfer to the science ministry and overdue subsidies ... read more 25.03.2014

Germans against Kissinger professorship

BONN (amerika21) -- The University of Bonn’s civil initiative against the planned professorship for Henry Kissinger has already received over 300 signatures from numerous organisations and prominent scientists. Opponents say the professorship would be “intolerable” considering Kissinger’s role in the bombings of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in 1973. The initiative also rejects the co-financing of the professorship by the Federal Ministry of Defence ... read more 24.03.2014

Call for European reform convention

VIENNA (ots) -- Othmar Kara, Vice President of the European Parliament, wants to hold a convention on the further development of the EU following the elections in 2015, on the 200th anniversary of the Congress of Vienna. He hopes all educational institutions, universities and civil society will participate in creating reforms to invest in education ... read more 24.03.2014

Swiss universities stake their claim

BERN (le nouvelliste) -- Swiss universities are demanding that they be included in future decisions on quotas, following Switzerland’s vote to restrict mass immigration in February, which led to their exclusion from the Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020 programmes ... read more 23.03.2014

UK student loans face ‘timebomb’

LONDON (bbc) -- The UK coalition government is facing a growing deficit according to forecasts that 45 per cent of university graduates would not earn enough to repay student loans ... read more 24.03.2014

Dublin builds city flats for students

DUBLIN (irish mirror) -- A student housing project in Dublin is to become the biggest construction scheme in the city this year. When finished it will provide an extra 1000m² of enterprise office space for the inner city technology enterprise centre as well as apartments for 470 students ... read more 24.03.2014

Scotland: Student recruitment warning

EDINBURGH (herald) -- Scottish universities are concerned that it will be harder to recruit lucrative fee-paying students from the rest of the UK from next year, which may lead to a funding deficit. This follows news that universities in England will no longer face restrictions on student recruitment numbers ... read more 25.03.2014

Polish universities strengthen ties with Ukraine

WARSAW (gazeta) -- Lena Kolarska-Bobińska, the Polish education minister, is increasing efforts to support Ukraine through further cooperation schemes. This includes the launch of an intervention pool of scholarships for Ukrainian students who were expelled during the riots ... read more 18.03.2014

Low student workload in Norway

OSLO (norway post) -- There is “no culture for hard work among Norwegian students”, complains University of Oslo professor Bernt Hagtvedt. With an average of 29 hours per week, he claims Norwegian students study much less than in other countries ... read more 24.03.2014

Denmark to review scientific fraud rules

COPENHAGEN (jv) -- Danish education minister, Sofie Carsten Nielsen, has asked officers to conduct an international comparison of research guidelines. Her aim is the drafting of a new ‘code of integrity in research’ ... read more 23.02.2014

Europe faces research divide

EUROPE (science business) -- The innovation and knowledge divide in Europe is increasing according to a new report. Industry orientated advisors recommend revising policies to bridge the divide and expand Europe’s international collaboration footprint ... read more 20.03.2014

Russia to set up federal university in Crimea

MOSCOW (voice of russia) -- Russia has announced plans to create a tenth federal university in Crimea a year from now. The aim is to unify higher education institutions and expand higher education programmes, which is expected to involve several mergers ... read more 19.03.2014

German government divided on federal science funding

BERLIN (welt) -- The governing coalition of the Social and the Christian Democratic Party have come out of hibernation. A fierce debate has ensued on how to spend nine billion Euros of federal funds, waiting to be used for research and education in the hands of the finance minister. The hot topic: If the money goes to the federal states, how will it be spent? ... read more 17.03.2014

Italy: University drop out rate reaches all time high

ROME (the local) -- A report by educational agency Anvur has found that 40 per cent of students that enrol in an Italian university fail to graduate in their chosen course, choosing instead to switch courses or drop out altogether. Anvur puts the high figure down to the difficulty students have in moving from school to university life ... read more 19.03.2014

Male Finns fall back in higher education

HELSINKI (ht) -- In Finland, women have overtaken men in the race for degrees. The gender gap has widened by over 17 per cent in the 30-34 age bracket, with one in two women holding a higher education degree compared to less than one in three men ... read more 20.03.2014

Third level fees cut for Irish emigrants’ children

DUBLIN (irish times) -- Irish minister for education, Ruairí Quinn, has announced that children of Irish emigrants will now pay much lower fees if they return to Ireland for university. Citizens of the European Union who spend five or more years in primary or post primary school in Ireland will also be entitled to lower fees ... read more 18.03.2014

France boosts student entrepreneurship

PARIS (e-orientations) -- The French Education Ministry has launched several new projects aimed at promoting student entrepreneurship and supporting student projects. They hope to increase competitiveness by promoting project management training, creativity and risk taking ... read more 18.03.2014

Swiss research partners run in fear

BERN (le temps) -- Swiss research partners have abandoned projects with Switzerland following the European Union's decision to freeze EU-Swiss talks. The first reported case is the EPFL transport centre, which removed Switzerland from its consortium, fearing that Swiss presence could derail its EU funding ... read more 17.03.2014

Norway: State funds new student housing

OSLO (news in english) -- Norway’s education minister, Torbjørn Røe Isaksen, has agreed to allocate 359 million Norwegian Krone (43 million Euro) to help fund student housing projects around the country. Currently, more than 14,000 students are on waiting lists for state-subsidised housing ... read more 17.03.2014

Dutch minister calls for open access

AMSTERDAM (utnieuws) -- Henk Kamp, Dutch minister of economic affairs, has stressed the need for scientists to share their research with companies in order to improve innovation and entrepreneurship. He even suggests changing science law to force open access publishing ... read more 18.03.2014

EU-US free trade ‘threatens’ European education quality

EUROPE (euroactiv) -- The European Students’ Union (ESU) has raised concerns over the EU-US trade deal, demanding that education be excluded entirely from negotiations. They worry that public education could be treated as an ordinary economic service, which would lead to increased commercialisation and privatisation ... read more 17.03.2014

Renowned scientists petition for Austrian budget

VIENNA (der standard) -- Many distinguished scientists have signed a petition asking that Austrian science minister Reinhard Mitterlehner's budget demands for 1.6 billion Euro be met. The money would be used to expand universities, improve student-teacher ratios and protect research funding amongst other things ... read more 17.03.2014

Swedish U-turn on cuts to student grants

STOCKHOLM (the local) -- The Swedish government has pulled back from a much-criticized proposal to cut student grants, a budget saving that they will now make up for with even higher alcohol taxes ... read more 14.03.2014

Helsinki University faces security threats

HELSINKI (yle) -- Helsinki University has launched three criminal investigations following suspicions of a planned explosives attack, the stabbing of a lecturer and the sudden death of a researcher in an on-campus laboratory ... read more 14.03.2014

GM lobby plays the ‘science card’ against the EU

LONDON (science) -- British researchers are criticising the EU on its approval process on the use of genetically modified (GM) crops, claiming it is “influenced by political considerations that do not have a scientific basis.” This is not the first time that British GM researchers have complained about EU red tape ... read more 13.03.2014

Turkey: Green light for politically motivated school closure

ANKARA (reuters) -- Turkish President Abdullah Gul approved the law closing private preparatory schools, many of which are a source of income and influence for an Islamic cleric accused by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan of seeking to topple him ... read more 12.03.2014

UK universities whimper over training schemes

LONDON (telegraph) -- UK universities feel threatened by on-the-job training schemes offered to school leavers, according to David Bell, vice-chancellor of Reading University. Such schemes are seen as “an attractive option to 18 year olds who want a good wage without being saddled with debt” ... read more 16.03.2014

Crimean universities cautious to take sides

CRIMEA (dailybeast) -- Crimeans have voted in a contentious referendum on whether or not to secede from Ukraine and join Russia. But the region’s universities decline even to discuss what the ramifications will be for the region after breaking with Ukraine. “No one wants to risk their tenure or promotion by speaking out of turn,” confides a senior professor from the Crimean Economic Institute of Kiev ... read more 15.03.2014

Dutch universities lure UK students

THE HAGUE (the australian) -- Dutch universities are scrambling to attract British students by offering low-cost degrees taught in English. British teenagers are also being lured with low admission thresholds and the chance to graduate with international experience ... read more 14.03.2014

Nations chasing Harvard merge colleges to ascend rankings

INTERNATIONAL (chicago tribune) -- Ten miles from King Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles, twenty colleges and research institutes are combining to create Universite Paris-Saclay, soon to be one of France’s largest universities. Countries from Finland to Portugal are shaping their higher education policies based on outside rankings, eager for the validation and attention the annual lists bestow ... read more 15.03.2014

Possibility of open access fee threshold

LONDON (the) -- Research funders worried about high open access fees charged by “hybrid” journals- subscription journals that allow authors to pay to make their articles open access- could refuse to pay fees above a set threshold or only pay a certain proportion of fees, a report suggests ... read more 12.03.2014

Finland reforms research funding policy

HELSINKI (svenska) -- The Finnish government is preparing a comprehensive reform on research institutions and research funding ahead of the next general election. The reform will see greater political control over research with the creation of a new strategic council for research with state-appointed members and state-determined guidelines ... read more 10.03.2014

Denmark debates elitism at universities

COPENHAGEN (information) -- Copenhagen University will increase the minimum grade requirement for school leavers hoping to go to university. Whilst academics believe this will improve professionalism and eliminate the mass production of graduates, Jacob Ruggaard, president of the Danish Students’ Union, believes it will lead to an elitism that sieves out talented prospective students ... read more 10.03.2014

High-tech park to be built in Bulgaria

SOFIA (media pool) -- The Bulgarian government is funding 50 million Euro project to build “Sofia Tech Park”. The park will include a laboratory complex to create new technologies and innovative products, an interactive museum to present these products, an innovation forum to discuss results and a business incubator to help develop start-ups ... read more 12.03.2014

Student dissenters unite in Bern, Switzerland

BERN (der bund) -- Students have formed a right-wing political party at the University of Bern to fight left-winged politicisation. The group wants to ensure that the university fulfils its bridging function between French-speaking and German-speaking Switzerland as well as finding alternative exchange programmes to Erasmus ... read more 11.03.2014

Germany deepens cooperation with Russian universities

BONN (bildungsklick) -- The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is building an information centre in Kazan, Russia. The centre will provide information and advice on funding opportunities from the DAAD for Russian students, academics and researchers, and will organise interdisciplinary meetings, conferences and seminars ... read more 11.03.2014

Slovakia invests millions in online courses

BRATISLAVA (ekonomika) -- Slovakian Education Minister, Dušan Čaplovič, has allocated 28 million Euro to the creation of e-learning courses, ranging from breeding goats and sheep to facial massage. The courses are designed to give around 5000 people the chance to retrain without giving up their jobs ... read more 11.03.2014

New research network for Serbia

BELGRADE (rts) -- 50 young scientists from Serbia and other EU states have formed a research network in Belgrade that will last three years. The idea is to connect young researchers from varying disciplines in the hopes of rejuvenating scientific staff and creating innovation incentives ... read more 11.03.2014

Tackling youth unemployment in Bulgaria

SOFIA (tech news) -- The Bulgarian government will launch this year an EU subsidised programme called “First Job”, aimed at tackling youth unemployment. The programme will help graduates who have been unable to find a job for four months by giving them temporary subsidised employment ... read more 11.03.2014

Austria seeks private university funding

VIENNA (kurier) -- Following Austria’s poor performance in recent university rankings, Science Minister Reinhold Mitterlehner is looking to break new ground by bringing in private funds to co-finance universities and research. Universities are estimated to need around one billion Euro in order to maintain their status quo ... read more 08.03.2014

New Spanish university reform in the works

MADRID (la informacion) -- The Secretary of State for Education in Spain, Montserrat Gomendio, has announced a planned reform on the regulation of universities. Included in the reform are new and improved assessment systems that will measure scientific production, the quality of teaching and knowledge transfer to companies ... read more 10.03.2014

Swiss students stand up against EU

LAUSANNE (20 minutes) -- 200 Swiss students have piled up stacks of laboratory equipment, computers and textbooks outside a learning centre in Lausanne in protest of Switzerland’s exclusion from Erasmus and Horizon 2020. The protesters wanted to show their disagreement with the EU’s decision and demonstrate what will be lost ... read more 10.03.2014

UK universities risk losing right to sponsor foreign students

LONDON (guardian) -- More than 100 universities and higher education institutions face losing their right to sponsor overseas students under a fresh drive by Home Office minister James Brokenshire to arrest the latest unexpected rise in net migration to Britain ... read more 06.03.2014

Russia: plans for new university consortium

ULYANOVSK (73online) -- Russian governor Sergey Morozov has announced a new agreement to be signed in late March between scientific and educational institutions in the Ulyanovsk region. The main objectives of the research community will be to increase innovation and the quality of scientific education and training ... read more 10.03.2014

New student ‘think tank’ in France

PARIS (le monde) -- The National Front, a French nationalist party, has created a new student collective called Marianne. The group, which wants to be platform for youth discussions and proposals rather than a student union, denounces the “massification of higher education and the depreciation in the value of degrees” ... read more 10.03.2014

Ukraine: New education minister at the helm

KIEV (tsn) -- The newly elected Minister of Education for Ukraine, Serhiy Kvit, wants to merge the Ministry of Education and the National Academy of Sciences. He hopes the merger would better develop national science ... read more 04.03.2014

Estonian universities to become more demanding

TALLINN (err) -- Estonia’s science minister Jaak Aaviksoo has signed a memorandum aimed at improving the quality of universities. “We need to raise the requirements for admission to universities and increase demands for the entire period of training to ensure that all students are receiving a decent education,” he said ... read more 04.03.2014

Asylum for Ukrainian students in Poland

KRAKOW (dp) -- Krakow universities are waiting for the education ministry’s approval of a new scheme that would adopt free studies for young people from Ukraine, stricken with the military conflict with Russia. “It would be a great investment and advertising for the university,” said Wiesław Banyś, chairman of the Polish rectors' conference ... read more 06.03.2014

Danish U-turn on English language stance

COPENHAGEN (university post) -- Danish education minister, Sofie Carsten Nielsen, has gone back on her suggestion from 2011 that Danish universities declare English as their corporate language. Back then she argued that international talent was systematically being kept out by the language barrier. Now, she said, she will still go as far as she can go in promoting internationalisation, but without making English obligatory ... read more 03.03.2014

Lithuania increases doctorate funding

VILNIUS (balsas) -- Lithuania’s government has approved a proposal to increase state funding for doctorates by 10 per cent, with a strong focus on biomedical, natural and technological sciences ... read more 05.03.2014

Serbia: students rise up against tuition fees

BELGRADE (e-novine) -- Serbia’s student union has invited students to protest against the education ministry’s recent proposal to increase tuition fees. The union has said in a statement that they are fighting for the rights of students and they want to show a categorical disagreement with this proposal ... read more 04.03.2014

London students rally against police presence on campus

LONDON (independent) -- Students stormed the University of London on Friday in protest against police presence on campus and university management’s plans for the union. Demonstrators were calling for vice chancellor Adrian Smith to be sacked. The protest comes after months of demonstrations on similar matters, which started at the end of last year ... read more 03.03.2014

Indians discover Germany

MUMBAI (dna india) -- Germany outsmarts the US and UK by offering affordable and high quality education to international students. In Indian cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Pune, applications for German universities increased by 15-20 per cent in a year, while UK and US figures have fallen considerably ... read more 03.03.2014

Persian on the rise in Turkey

ANKARA (presstv) -- There has been a recent rise in interest for the teaching and studying of the Persian language and literature in Turkish universities. More than a dozen universities are in the process of setting up their own department for Persian ... read more 04.02.2014

Luxembourg forced to reform student finance

LUXEMBOURG CITY (wort) -- Following a European court order that found Luxembourg’s student finance system to be discriminatory, higher education minister Claude Meisch has announced reform plans. Soon, students from low-income or cross-border worker families will be able to apply for additional funding ... read more 03.03.2014

EU roadshow for research jobs

BRUSSELS (europa) -- The European Commission launched an information campaign to help researchers find career advice and work through the EURAXESS gateway. The “EURAXESS – Researchers in Motion” roadshow will visit 29 European cities in 22 countries ... read more 03.03.2014

Malta’s educational north-south divide

VALLETTA (malta today) -- Malta’s educational north-south divide has been confirmed by the 2011 census which revealed glaring contrasts between 30 and 3 per cent attendance in different regions ... read more 04.03.2014

Harvard at the Upper Rhine

FREIBURG (swp) -- In the three-border region between Germany, France and the Switzerland, a university alliance shall form the basis of a common research area with an international reputation. The "European Campus" would include the universities of Freiburg, Basel, Mulhouse, Strasbourg and Karlsruhe ... read more 01.03.2014

Austrian medical graduates leave the country

Sweden loses foreign graduates to visa curbs and fees

STOCKHOLM (AFP) -- Since fees were introduced for non-EU nationals, enrolments dropped by 80 per cent. With an ageing population and growing skills shortages, particularly in healthcare and IT, the government will come under increasing pressure from industry to tackle the graduate visa issue ... read more 03.03.2014

Rectors set their stakes for the European election

BERLIN (juraforum) -- The election to the European Parliament on May 25 is important for universities, too. Thus German, French and Polish rectors' conferences have asked the political parties of their respective countries which higher education policy they intend to follow ... read more 28.02.2014

Turkey to shut schools run by Erdogan rival

ISTANBUL (reuters) -- Turkey’s parliament has voted to close private preparatory schools, many of which are a source of income and influence for an Islamic cleric accused by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan of covertly seeking to topple him. Millions of students prepare at the centres for entrance examinations to win limited spots at state high schools and universities. Thousand out of the 4,000  schools, called dersanes, are controlled by the influential islamic brotherhood Hizmet headed by Erdogan’s adversary Fethullah Gulen ... read more 02.03.2014

Rector of Coimbra protects universities’ autonomy

COIMBRA (rtp) -- The rector of the University of Coimbra, João Gabriel Silva, criticised the government for depriving universities of the ability to manage their businesses and to choose their employees ... read more 01.03.2014

Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture occupied by film students

KIEV (THR) -- Film students, directors and others working creative industries have occupied the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture demanding the appointment of a new head as change sweeps the country in the wake of the collapse of President Viktor Yanukovych’s government. Yanukovych fled the capital late Friday ... read more 26.02.2014

Erasmus door officially closed on Switzerland

BERN (le temps) -- The European Commission has confirmed the exclusion of Swiss universities in the Erasmus programme for 2014-2015. The country’s participation in the research programme Horizon 2020 has also been refused ... read more 27.02.2014

German surge in international education

INTERNATIONAL (the australian) -- According to QS, top international student destinations are losing ground to non English-speaking countries. The trend was most pronounced in Germany, which ... read more 25.02.2014

Amsterdam last in list of student capitals

AMSTERDAM (dutch news) -- Amsterdam is bottom of a list of nine European student cities in a comparison study, which reveals that only 6.6 per cent of the city’s students come from outside the country, compared to 34 per cent in Brussels. This means the city is missing out on talent, thousands of jobs and millions of euros in income ... read more 27.02.2014

Eastern European students confront UK government

LONDON (guardian) -- The UK government faces a legal challenge over its suspension of financial support for thousands of Romanian and Bulgarian students who claim they are being used by ministers desperate to appear tough on immigration ... read more 26.02.2014

Ukrainian students rebuke new Education minister candidate

KIEV (zik) -- Students in Ukraine are blocking the education ministry in Kiev in protest against the likely appointment of radical nationalist Iryna Farion as education minister ... read more | video 24.02.2014

PLOS’ new policy: public access to data

INTERNATIONAL (plos) -- In an effort to increase data access, the open access portal PLOS is revising its data sharing policy. From March 3rd 2014, all authors will have to make all data publicly available, without restriction, immediately upon publication of the article ... read more 24.02.2014

Swiss universities will need more private funding

ZURICH (srf) -- Swiss universities already finance some of their research with private sector funds. Private sources are becoming even more important in light of the EU’s decision to cut research funding following the Swiss memorandum on immigration restrictions ... read more 24.02.2014

50 universities take on social responsibility

CÁDIZ (20 minutos) -- 50 Spanish and Latin American universities have laid the foundations to create an Observatory of University Social Responsibility (USR). They aim to improve the internal functioning of universities and transmit community values associated with social responsibility to societies and businesses ... read more 24.02.2014

Generous stimulus package for Austrian universities

VIENNA (ots) -- Austrian finance and science minister Reinhold Mitterlehner will provide 200 million Euro in additional funding to improve and redevelop university infrastructure and buildings ... read more 24.02.2014

More and more academics leave Germany

BERLIN (wiwo) -- An increasing number of young and well-educated academics are leaving Germany due to its unattractive research system, and are moving to countries like Switzerland or the US ... read more 23.02.2014

Google education centre in Budapest

BUDAPEST (budapest times) -- Google has founded a knowledge base called Google Ground in Budapest. The company plans to offer 150 free seminars at its education centre, situated near several universities, to 3,000 people. They aim to make Hungarian businesses, start-ups and students more digitally competitive ... read more 22.02.2014

Russia to introduce age limit at research institutes

MOSCOW (bankir) -- The Russian ministry of education has suggested an age limit at research institutions: 60 years for directors and other senior officials, with the possibility to extend to 65 years in special cases. The aim is to rejuvenate management teams with young and capable leaders, allowing for greater scientific progression ... read more 24.02.2014

New Sony PlayStation lab opens in Europe

ABERTAY (the courier) -- Sony has opened its biggest teaching laboratory in Europe, at Abertay University in Scotland. Maria Stukoff, Sony head of academic development said, “The next generation of PlayStation talent is in education right now and we want to work to work with this talent” ... read more 21.02.2014

UK universities in trouble over price-fixing claims

LONDON (telegraph) -- British watchdog OFT is looking into a full inquiry on “anti-competitive” practices at universities, such as colluding on prices, restricting applicants to a choice of just five universities and preventing students from applying to both Oxford and Cambridge ... read more 23.02.2014

Ousting of Education Minister brings joy to Ukraine

KIEV (rferl) -- As opposition lawmakers in Ukraine continue their purge of government officials, one ouster causing particular glee is that of the minister of education and science, Dmytro Tabachnyk. His sacking, announced February 23, sparked hundreds of virtual cheers across Ukrainian social media in what could best be summarised as a collective “good riddance.” Tabachnyk was seen by many as a front-line enemy of Ukrainian national identity ... read more 23.02.2014

Chernivtsi students continue to strike

CHERNIVTSI (mb) -- Students at Chernivtsi University in Ukraine have announced plans to strike until their demands are met. The student community wants to be included in negotiations on the new candidature for the minister of education and his deputy ... read more 24.02.2014

Snowden elected as Glasgow student rector

LONDON (bd) -- US intelligence whistle-blower Edward Snowden has been elected to the post of student rector at Glasgow University in Scotland. The former National Security Agency contractor was nominated by a group of students ... read more 19.02.2014

EU–Swiss research on shaky ground

BRUSSELS/BERN (nature) -- The outcome of a referendum against ‘mass immigration’ threatens to spoil Switzerland’s beautiful science landscape. The motion was approved by a narrow majority despite opposition from the government, parliament and Swiss lobby groups, including those from science and industry. The European Commission suspended talks over Switzerland’s association in the Horizon 2020 research programme. Clearly, the nation’s U-turn will not be without consequences ... read more 18.02.2014

Hollande confirms new French-German campus plans

PARIS (dna) -- Among the many points raised at the Council of Franco-German Ministers in Paris, was as promised by François Hollande 30 January in Strasbourg, the famous “European Campus”. The campus is supposed to connect Strasbourg and Freiburg ... read more 19.02.2014

Romania helps Moldovan universities adapt

BUCAREST (trm) -- Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta is going to visit Chisinau this week in order to meet with Prime Minister Iurie Leanca and to participate in the Moldovan-Romanian Forum “Promoting joint participation in European programs in science and education”. Ponta stated that Romania intends to develop several projects jointly with the Moldovian state ... read more 17.02.2014

Thomson Reuters collaborates with Lisbon universities

LISBON (gnom) -- Thomson Reuters has announced its collaboration with ULisboa in Portugal. The strategic relationship supports the university’s plans to develop new research strategies, retain talent and identify new opportunities. “There is tremendous potential for interdisciplinary collaboration,” said Rogerio Gaspar, vice-rector of the university ... read more 19.02.2014

SCIENCE launches new open-access journal

USA (live science) -- The non-profit organisation that publishes the scientific journal Science announced that they will be launching a new, broad-based online open-access journal, called Science Advances. The new journal is slated to go live in 2015 ... read more 18.02.2014

No rest for Spanish universities

MADRID (teinteresa) -- While his latest, widely contested higher education law is still to be tested, Spanish science minister José Ignacio Wert announced new plans of university reform. His focus this time is funding rules which - taking the UK as an example - are more performance oriented ... read more 13.02.2014

New student village for Serbia

BELGRADE (blic) -- The Serbian ministry of education will invest several hundred million Dinar (several hundred thousand Euro) to build one of the largest and most modern student villages in the country. It will be located in Palić, in northern Serbia. The plans include the construction of an Olympic-size swimming pool, conference rooms and other facilities to make the resort both recreational and educational ... read more 13.02.2014

Swiss students mobile without Erasmus

GENEVA (tdg) -- Following the sudden suspension of EU-Swiss Erasmus talks, universities are now looking to the Coimbra network as a possible alternative. Unlike Erasmus, Coimbra is not controlled by the EU and connects with universities directly ... read more 18.02.2014

EU helps Mediterranean students into jobs

BRUSSELS (ansamed) -- A new programme funded by the EU and involving seven Mediterranean countries has been launched in France. The three-year project aims to help young graduates find employment by developing partnerships between universities and companies and by reforming and modernising training ... read more 17.02.2014

SAP opens innovation centre in Berlin-Potsdam

POTSDAM (idg) -- Enterprise software giant SAP is looking to exploit the large student pool in Berlin and neighbouring Potsdam through a new innovation centre. Speaking at the opening, SAP chairman Hasso Plattner said, “SAP has to be close to the 150,000 students in Potsdam and Berlin” ... read more 12.02.2014

Hungary: central bank to launch education programme

BUDAPEST (politics) -- The National Bank of Hungary will launch a 10 billion Forint (32m Euro) programme to promote education with a focus on economics, science and knowledge in finances ... read more 14.02.2014

Luxembourg and Russia expand links

LUXEMBOURG CITY (chronicle) -- The University of Luxembourg has signed a new partnership with the prestigious Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow. The new collaboration foresees the mutual exchange of students, faculty members and research ... read more 12.02.2014

EU suspends Swiss talks

BRUSSELS (eu observer) -- EU-Swiss talks on EU-funded research and education programmes, such as Horizon 2020 and Erasmus+, have been suspended following Bern's refusal to sign a reciprocal work permit deal with Croatia and a recent referendum decision to curb migration ... read more 17.02.2014

UK’s language departments deteriorating

LONDON (nd) -- Interest in learning European languages in the UK is dwindling. Since 1998, faculties of modern foreign languages have recorded a decline of 40 per cent in student numbers, which has led to the closure of 37 language departments ... read more 15.02.2014

Student trouble at the University of Bologna

BOLOGNA (rcdc) -- An increasing number of students at the University of Bologna have reported not only their difficulties to pay their tuition fees but also problems with the administrative services, including the late payment of grants and scholarships ... read more 14.02.2014

Moscow bomb threat prompts evacuation of 7,000 students

MOSCOW (cnn) -- Someone phoned in a bomb threat to the Moscow Aviation Institute on Tuesday, prompting the evacuation of 7,000 students from all 12 buildings at the institute, officials said. Security in Russia has been a global concern recently as the Sochi Winter Olympics take place about 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) south of Moscow ... read more 11.02.2014

Students lead protests in Kosovo

PRISTINA (dw) -- Student protesters at the University of Pristina have clashed with police following reports that their professors had forged academic works. These protests, also sparked by chronic unemployment and poverty, are thought to be the start of something bigger ... read more 13.02.2014

Oxford’s nuclear funding bombshell

LONDON (oxfordstudent) -- Oxford University has received over half a million pounds in funding from a nuclear weapons organisation over a two year period. The Atomic Weapons Establishment - responsible for the design, manufacture and support of warheads for the United Kingdom’s nuclear deterrent - gave the University £532,291 between 2010 and July 2012 ... read more 13.02.2014

Poland amends science law

WARSAW (wnp) -- Poland’s new science minister, Lena Kolarska-Bobińska, has proposed an amendment to science law, which aims to improve employability and innovation transfer. The new legislation will call for three months of compulsory practical work experience, the recognition of non-academic qualifications and full invention property rights for scientists ... read more 11.02.2014

English university budgets slashed

LONDON (nature) -- English universities will lose £125 million (152 million Euro) in funding in 2014-2015, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has announced. The cuts will likely result in lower wages and the removal of hardship schemes for poorer students ... read more 11.02.2014

Swiss xenophobia endangers student mobility

BERN (rts) -- After a successful referendum on immigration limits this week, student unions (as well as rectors) have voiced worries that EU sanctions will, in turn, curb student mobility between Switzerland and European countries ... read more 11.02.2014

Lithuania’s defence against brain drain

VILNIUS (uwn) -- Lithuania’s Vice-Minister of Education and Science, Rimantas Vaitkus, is promoting major higher education reforms aimed at preventing the loss of highly qualified citizens. These include re-focusing the sector’s priorities to support economic recovery and the needs of the labour market as well as mergers between institutions to create stronger universities that are able to compete globally ... read more 07.02.2014

New ERA initiative to bridge European innovation divide

EUROPE (eu news) -- Eleven universities and technical institutes in less developed regions in Europe are to receive up to 2.4 million Euro each in EU funding to boost their research capacity and ability to compete with centres of excellence elsewhere in the European Research Area (ERA) through the appointment of the first ever ‘ERA Chairs’ ... read more 10.02.2014

Polish universities devise ‘Innovation Incubators’

WARSAW (gazeta) -- The Ministry of Higher Education in Poland has provided twelve universities with 18 million Złoty (4 million Euro) worth of funding. The money will be used to commercialise research, promote scientific achievements, and strengthen cooperation between academia and the business environment ... read more 07.02.2014

Swedish universities violate UNESCO rules

KALMAR (barometern) -- A new study from Uppsala University shows that at least five Swedish universities, including Linnaeus University, are in violation of UNESCO’s international rules on collegial decision making. They have instead implemented top-down control ... read more 12.02.2014

Rio+20 project at Aalto University

HELSINKI (science business) -- The Finnish Aalto University will coordinate a Rio+20 project to further sustainable development in Nordic Higher Education Institutes ... read more 11.02.2014

Danish SU criticises university for labour market

COPENHAGEN (jv) -- The chairman of the Danish students’ union, James Ruggaard, has warned against cuts in university funding, saying that, “unemployment is not diminished by the fact that we stop funding education.” This follows news that courses with low labour market relevance will be punished financially ... read more 12.02.2014

Belarusian universities to join Bologna Process

MINSK (belTa) -- Belarusian universities are set to join the Bologna Process, rector of Belarusian State University Mikhail Zhuravkov told reporters. “In order to join in, our universities have to comply with certain requirements, like teaching disciplines in English or new courses for foreign students” ... read more 10.02.2014

Hungary’s membership to university association suspended

BUDAPEST (nsz) -- The Hungarian Accreditation Committee’s membership to the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education has been suspended following scandal in the 2014 admission process. This indicates a serious loss of prestige ... read more 10.02.2014

Portugal: over two thousand students drop out

LISBON (nm) -- Thousands of Portuguese students have been forced to leave university. With cuts in scholarships, and no money for school fees, students from the universities of Porto, Minho, Algarve and Coimbra have cancelled or frozen their enrolment ... read more 07.02.2014

French elite students challenge education minister

PARIS (libération) -- Students at four of France’s Institutes of Political Studies (IEPs) have announced in a letter to the Minister of Higher Education their “resolute opposition” to any further fee increases imposed to offset decreased funding. A 300,000 Euro increase in fees is proposed in the provisional 2014 budget for Toulouse’s IEP ... read more 07.02.2014

Green light for private university in Mallorca

MALLORCA (mm) -- After nearly 15 years of planning, the Spanish education ministry has finally given the green light for the construction of an international private university in Mallorca ... read more 10.02.2014

EU expands Erasmus+ links with Latin America

BRUSSELS (swiss info) -- The European Union has announced plans to expand its ‘Erasmus+’ study-abroad programme in Latin America. As well as providing more individual grants for students from Latin America wishing to study in the EU, they will also provide more support to increase the international reach of universities on both sides of the Atlantic ... read more 07.02.2014

Exposing a corporate trend in German higher ed

BERLIN (NYT) -- Mr. Humborg, director of Transparency International (TI) Germany, sees a troubling trend in German higher education, as more top-name universities embrace “strategic partnerships” with business and seek to commercialise their research. TI, a student union and a newspaper have started Hochschulwatch, or University Watch, a crowdsourced website that tracks university-business partnerships ... read more 09.02.2014

Hungary’s rural universities in trouble

BUDAPEST (hir24) -- Since 2008, the ratio of admissions to rural universities compared to admissions to city universities in Hungary has fallen dramatically. While the number of institutions in the capital has grown, the number of rural colleges has declined and their future in danger. The overall enrollment figures fell by nearly 6 per cent last year ... read more 04.02.2014

Help arrives for unemployed youth in Slovakia

BRATISLAVA (spectator) -- A new EU funded programme in Slovakia is aimed at assure that those 25 years-old or younger have access to higher education, vocational preparation and/or internships within four months of losing a job or finishing school ... read more 06.02.2014

German open access law contested

STUTTGART (faz) -- Public interest vs. the scientists’ reputation. Researchers of Baden-Württemberg, one of Germany’s rich southwestern regions, protest against a law amendment obliging them to publish publicly financed work for free in the internet. The law wants to save on expensive subscription fees for knowledge the state has already paid for ... read more 05.02.2014

UK visa problems worry scientists

LONDON (nature) -- The United Kingdom’s increasingly tough stance on immigration is driving foreign scientists to competing nations, the academic community has warned ... read more 04.02.2014

Croatia: fewer restrictions on university hiring

OSIJEK (glas-slavonije) -- The Ministry of Education in Croatia has decided to ease restrictions on independent hiring in universities due to the current poor economic situation. Rector Željko Turkalj hopes that this decision will help newer universities, which are “chronically short of teachers” ... read more 05.02.2014

New education minister in Denmark

COPENHAGEN (university post) -- Sofie Carsten Nielsen of the Social Liberal Party is to succeed Morten Østergaard as Minister of Education after a cabinet reshuffle. She has been a member of Parliament since September 2011, and has acted as chairwoman of the Social Liberal parliamentary group since 2012. In 2011, she argued for the introduction of English as the corporate language in universities ... read more 03/02/2014

Student dissatisfaction in Norway

OSLO (norway post) -- Norwegian students would like more guidance and increased contact hours, according to a recent survey of over 17,000 students by NOKUT (National agency for quality in education). Nearly half of them want more individual guidance, and one in three is dissatisfied with the feedback on their work ... read more 03/02/2014

Italian rectors call for merit-based funding

ROME (il fatto quotidiano) -- Rectors in Italy have complained that merit is not reflected in funding. While ordinary universities like those in Viterbo or Teramo receive between 5700 and 6600 Euro per student, Padova, which has one of the highest scores for teaching and research quality gets only 4300 Euro. Stefano Paleari, president of the rectors’ conference CRUI has now demanded a change in the evaluation method ... read more 04.02.2014

ESU: Not just for the labour market

BRUSSELS (esu) -- The roof association of European student unions, ESU, has criticised a recent EU report on quality assurance. ESU speaker Galán Palomares stresses that “quality assurance should not just answer the needs of the labour market but also the students themselves and the society at large. Students are mainly motivated by their interest in a certain subject and personal growth when they decide to seek higher education, not solely by employment opportunities” ... read more 31.01.2014

Hungary helps graduates with languages

BUDAPEST (budapest times) -- The Hungarian government is allocating 3 billion Forint (10 million Euro) to help young graduates pass their foreign-language exams. There are 50,000 students of them ... read more 02.02.2014

French government secures 1.3 billion EIB loan

LILLE (les echos) -- The French government has facilitated a 1.3 billion Euro loan at favourable interest rates from the European Investment Bank. The money will be used to modernise university buildings ... read more 03.02.2014

€2 billion boost for France’s Excellency Initiative

STRASBOURG (l'etudiant) -- François Hollande has awarded 2 billion Euro to a new wave of projects under the French excellency initiative Idex, which aims to make universities scientifically and economically more competitive. An extra 1 billion Euro will be given to regional universities ... read more 31.01.2014

Turkey and Portugal join research forces

ANKARA (cihan) -- A science and technology agreement has been signed between Turkey and Portugal. Turkish science minister Fikri Işık pointed out that developing their own technology comes at a heavy cost for countries ... read more 28.01.2014

World Bank supports skills development in Macedonia

SKOPJE (republika) -- The World Bank approved a 24 million Dollar (18 million Euro) project for Macedonian universities. The project aims to improve vocational training as well as enhancing the country’s innovation capacity ... read more 29.01.2014

New eastern European university network

Difficult labour market for Bulgarian graduates

SOFIA (novinite) -- Fifty-four per cent of the university graduates in Bulgaria have jobs, which don’t require a university degree. The unemployment rate among university graduates is over 4 per cent. A new survey compares 51 Bulgarian universities ... read more 31.01.2014

Swiss rectors against immigration quotas

Pope to Catholic universities: Be uncompromising witnesses

VATICAN CITY (zenit) -- In an audience with the Board of Trustees of the University of Notre Dame, Pope Francis stressed the importance of an “uncompromising witness” of Catholic universities to the Church’s moral teaching and the defence of her freedom ... read more | video 30.01.2014

More money for Polish universities in 2014

WARSAW (regiopraca) -- The ministry of higher education in Poland has announced that universities, in 2014, will receive funding of 1.5 billion Złoty (354 million Euro) more than last year. This could mean a near 10 per cent increase in staff wages ... read more 24.01.2014

13,000 Azerbaijani students expelled from universities

BAKU (apa) -- Last year, 4237 students were expelled from Azerbaijani universities for academic debts and 8945 for not paying tuition or missing classes ... read more 29.10.2014

Sicilian universities united against the brain drain

PALERMO (palermo today) -- “We must stop the shocking intellectual migration from Sicily,” said Roberto Lagalla, rector of the University of Palermo. Four universities of the southern Italian island—Palermo, Catania, Messina and Enna—now work together to help graduates find employment in the region ... read more 30.01.2014

Universities as a means for gentrification

BERLIN (taz) -- Universities across Europe conquer the cities. In inner city areas like Hamburg or Istanbul, students demand a central location and a cultural ambiance, which creates investor interest. This ‘studentification’ does not always benefit local communities ... read more 30.01.2014

France: Journalism schools rant about gender law

PARIS (le monde) -- Journalism schools are criticising the introduction of a new law, which obligates them to provide an education on gender equality and the fight against gender stereotypes. The field of journalism is being targeted and stigmatised according to Hervé Demailly, president of the conference of the schools of journalism ... read more 29.01.2014

Snowden bids to become Scottish rector

LONDON (afp) -- Edward Snowden, the former contractor for the US National Security Agency (NSA) who is in hiding in Russia, is standing as a candidate for rector of Glasgow University in Scotland after students nominated him for exposing US intelligence secrets ... read more 21.01.2014

Europe’s young researchers gloomy over prospects

BERLIN (the) -- An international survey has found that scholars in Europe are the least confident of finding a permanent research or teaching position ... read more 30.01.2014

France pledges €8 million for MOOC “catch up”

PARIS (pienews) -- At present, only 3 per cent of French universities offer online courses, compared with 80 per cent in the US. Higher education minister Geneviève Fioraso announced ... read more 29.01.2014

Birmingham's universities employ more than 10,000 people

BIRMINGHAM (bm) -- Universities in Birmingham are now employing more than 10,000 people, making the sector one of the most significant in the city. Nationally there were 382,515 staff employed in higher education, an increase of 1.1 per cent ... read more 28.01.2014

18 ideas for a new Italian university

ROME (adn) -- CRUI, the Italian rectors' conference, has launched 18 ideas for a “new university” - many free of cost and some aimed at rejuvenating lecturers and researchers as well as linking funding to autonomy and competitiveness ... read more 27.01.2014

European Commission creates corporates+universities group

London universities have £7.4m invested in arms industry

LONDON (blue & green) -- ‘London Student’, a student newspaper, found that Imperial College has the most investment in the industry, with direct holdings in four defence manufacturers totalling £3.9m ... read more 28.01.2014

“Sugar Daddies” for female Scottish students

GLASGOW (scottish express) -- Scottish universities have dismissed claims that a growing number of female students are using a website to find “sugar daddies” to help them cover study costs. Although there is a clear implication that wealthy men who sign up for the service go on to have relationships with the female students, the company denies allegations that it encourages sexual exploitation ... read more 28.01.2014

France: The great simplification

PARIS (vousnousils) -- Reducing 5000 master titles to 246 and increasing their comprehensibility in the labour market - this is the objective of science minister Geneviève Fioraso’s law reform ... read more 22.01.2014

Understanding the boycott of Israel’s universities

BEIRUT (washington post) -- The growing movement for boycott, divestment and sanctions of Israeli universities has struck a chord in Israel. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said ... read more 25.01.2014

Swedish proposal of foreign student grants

STOCKHOLM (uwn) -- A group of leaders of Swedish companies and universities have proposed a new model for financing international students through 1,500 grants. The grants will be calculated on a cost-benefit analysis of at least 20 per cent of the students working and paying taxes in Sweden for five years after graduating ... read more 24.01.2014

Norwegian universities in bed with fossil industry

OSLO (nu) -- The environmentalist youth organisation Nature and Youth (NU) has spoken out against a recently formed alliance between Norwegian universities and research institutions, whose shared goal is to develop petroleum-related research and education in Northern Norway in close cooperation with the industry. Ingrid Skjoldvær, chairwoman of NU, argues that universities should reject such agreements based on current polluting Arctic oil exploration and instead make room for progressive renewable energy in the North ... read more 21.01.2014

Slovak university salary increases unrealistic

BRATISLAVA (pravda) -- The 3 per cent pay raise for Slovak university teachers, promised by the government, is unrealistic, the rector’s conference says ... read more 21.01.2014

New information platform on research infrastructures

BRUSSELS (earto) -- The European Science Foundation has launched a new portal to examine the current state of our knowledge of the research infrastructure base in Europe ... read more 20.01.2014

Danish universities feel burdened by political control

COPENHAGEN (politiken) -- Jens Oddershede, the chairman of Universities Denmark, has criticised the growing political regulation of universities through continuous quality control and analysis. The government’s obsession with reports and monitoring endangers the necessary focus on teaching and learning, he says ... read more 21.01.2014

Dutch student numbers grow due to planned loan system

THE HAGUE (blik op nieuws) -- The number of first-year students in the Netherlands has grown sharply by 7 per cent this year. According to the university association VSNU this is due to the government’s plan to scrap student grants and substitute them by loans ... read more 23.01.2014

First British university accepts Bitcoin

CUMBRIA (THE) -- The University of Cumbria has become the first UK institution to accept Bitcoin for the payment of tuition fees. Students will be able to use the online currency for two of the university’s courses ... read more 22.01.2014

Apple expands educational iBooks to new markets in Europe

INTERNATIONAL (ai) -- Apple announced that iBooks Texbooks and iTunes U Course Manager, two education-oriented products, are expanding into new markets around the world, including Asia, Latin America, and Europe ... read more 21.01.2014

Image campaign for French universities

PARIS (le monde) -- Since university is not the first choice for two thirds of French school leavers is not the university, the Ministry of Higher Education has launched an unprecedented communication campaign ... read more 21.01.2014

The University of Ljubljana is short of 20 million Euro

LJUBLJANA (rtv) -- Slovenia's biggest university has found itself in trouble due to budget cuts, the obligation to pay property tax and to eliminate wage disparities. After a budget reduction of 10 per cent in the last two years, the University of Lubljana now lacks 20 million Euro. If the government does not step in, study quality will deteriorate, says Rector Ivan Svetlik ... read more 21.01.2014

Arab investor builds private university in Slovenia

MARIBOR (STA) -- Maribor was expected to get a huge arts centre as part of its 2012 role of European Capital of Culture. Instead, the construction site was sold to the Kuwaiti investor Hilal Arnaout, who plans to build an international university there. Construction is slated for completion in 2016 ... read more | video 06.01.2014

Public spending on education determines student influx

BASQUE COUNTRY (science daily) -- A new study has confirmed that the international demand for higher education depends largely on the public spending made in education ... read more 21.01.2014

New technological universities for Ireland

DUBLIN (irish times) -- Education minister Ruairí Quinn has proposed a legal amendment that will change Ireland's higher education landscape. This would allow some of the institutes of technology to progress to university status and it will involve mergers between current institutes ... read more 21.01.2014

Leading Belgian university wants more women

LEUVEN (scienceguide) -- In the next three years, the University of Leuven wants to employ as many women as men in academic positions. The university has launched a Gender Action Plan to improve the recruitment and promotion of women - for example by mentoring young mothers and families. “Our universities must be a reflection of society,” innovation minister Ingrid Lieten said ... read more 17.01.2014

Kyiv Mohyla University students go on strike

KIEV (zik) -- In today’s strike of Ukraine’s most progressive university, Kyiv Mohyla, students demand the abrogation of Dec. 16 police laws, disbandment of riot police and autonomy for universities ... read more 20.01.2014

Virulent degree mills in the Balkans

SARAJEVO (csm) -- Corruption in higher education is widespread, but neither Bosnia nor Serbia have passed laws to protect the rights of whistleblowers. BIRN, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, gathers evidence of shady practices in the education sector ... read more 19.01.2014

Where Austria's new finance and science minister is heading

VIENNA (orf) -- Reinhold Mitterlehner is not only Austria's new science minister, but finance minister, too. Accordingly he intends to attract more private capital to the country's universities. In a press conference he excluded tuition fees, but not university mergers ... read more 19.01.2014

Portugal: Many young people unable to afford to study

LISBON (portugal news) -- According to a new Mc Kinsey study, examining France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK, Portugal has one of the highest rates in the EU of young people who want to continue their studies but cannot afford to ... read more 16.01.2014

Swiss universities diverge on MOOCs

BERN (srf) -- Several Swiss universities have started to offer free online courses. But they don't all share in the same optimism. While universities in the western regions don't want to lag behind, institutions in the German speaking cantons remain sceptical ... read more 13.01.2014

Several university units in Latvia may be closed

RIGA (baltic course) -- After an assessment of 150 public and private Latvian higher education institutions carried out by the education ministry, 22 may be closed. Among them are structural units of the University of Latvia (LU) and Riga Technical University (RTU) ... read more 17.01.2014

Green light for new Austrian medical university

VIENNA (orf) -- The Austrian government has given the green light for a new medical university - the fourth in the country besides Graz, Vienna and Innsbruck. Rectors and regional governors do agree with it as long as its funding will not be at the expense of the other three ... read more 14.01.2014

€1 million a year to enhance Dutch online education

THE HAGUE (pienews) -- Online education and MOOCs received a sparkling endorsement from Dutch science minister Jet Bussemaker this month after she committed €1 million a year to stimulate the development of open education resources in higher education institutions ... read more 17.01.2014

New university law in Hamburg strengthens collegiality

HAMBURG (abendblatt) -- University rectors in Hamburg are not going to have the sole authority to make decisions. The new university law of the northern German city-region leaves decisions to the board. Faculties will still have their say in questions of hiring and of university development, science senator Dorothee Stapelfeldt said ... read more 14.01.2014

Russia will send its geniuses abroad

MOSCOW (pravda) -- In order to tackle the lack of specialists in the labour market, a new presidential decree wants to stimulate Russian students by sending them to graduate schools abroad ... read more 15.01.2014

Scottish inependence would cost £150m of lost tuition fees

EDINGURGH (herald) -- Charging British students tuition fees for attending Scottish universities would be illegal if the country were to gain its independence, legal experts have warned. The news is bound to be a blow to the Scottish National Party as Scotland would be left to foot a £150m bill in extra university fees ... read more 13.01.2014

Norway launches new international education strategy

OSLO (expatforum) -- Norway has launched a new strategy aimed at encouraging more students to study abroad and a number of initiatives are being set up with the United States and Canada with Asia also regarded as an important region for growth. New Norwegian Minister of Education and Research, Torbjørn Røe Isaksen, has confirmed ... read more 08.01.2014

EU awards €575 million to mid-career researchers

BRUSSELS (EU news) -- The European Research Council (ERC) has today selected 312 top scientists in its first Consolidator Grant competition ... read more 14.01.2014

Erasmus Mundus collides with Swedish legislation

STOCKHOLM (uwn) -- Several Swedish universities have reported difficulties in participating in Erasmus Mundus Action I programmes, particularly masters courses. In a letter to the ministry, 39 institutions ask for revised legislation or new regulations ... read more 10.01.2014

Portuguese higher education budget shrinks

LISBON (público) -- In two years since 2012, the Portuguese state has cut spending for higher education by over 380 million Euro or 0.3 per cent. Only one half of the expenditure for higher education in public ... read more 13.01.2014

British health fee adds barrier for foreign students

LONDON (NYT) -- The British government recently announced a proposal to introduce health care access fees for migrants and long-term visitors this year. The fees would affect some foreign students, who would for the first time have to pay for medical cover while in Britain ... read more 12.01.2014

Firms say skills gap keeping EU youth workless

LONDON (city a.m.) -- Despite crushing levels of youth unemployment, many European businesses say they struggle to find appropriately skilled young workers for vacant places, raising questions about educational systems in the EU. A report released by McKinsey shows that ... read more 13.01.2014

Nordic university reforms, diversification to continue

(UWN) -- In recent decades, universities in Nordic countries have seen many reform proposals, several of which have been implemented. The reforms have focused on: university autonomy from the state and in particular institutional mergers; university leadership and outside representation on governing bodies, and the chairing of boards by either the vice-chancellor or an external chair; and the drive for income from sources other than the public sector, including charging tuition fees to students from outside Europe ... read more 10.01.2014

Respected Russian university feels Kremlin’s scrutiny

MOSCOW (New York Times) -- Several professors at the Higher School of Economics here are under investigation for their alleged roles in what is known as the “case of experts.” ... read more 12.01.2014

Italy: Private online universities under attack

ROME (corriere) -- The critical student association LINK has asked for stronger regulation of virtual universities in Italy. “Accreditation criteria and funding rules for these private institutions are far from transparent,” said LINK spokesman Alberto Campailla ... read more 08.01.2014

Spanish students fear faculty closures and higher fees

MADRID (economista) -- Student spokesman Aratz Castro fears that liquidity issues - caused by budget austerity - may be “used to justify the closure of some faculties, as evidence of the infeasibility of the system, and another increase of tuition fees” ... read more 07.01.2014

Austerity is driving institutions closer together

BRUSSELS (THE) -- Nearly all higher education systems in Europe are considering or are taking steps towards merging institutions to cope with public spending cuts, an EUA study says ... read more 09.01.2014

One in four EU adults is caught in ‘low-skills trap’

BRUSSELS (euractiv) -- One in four adults in Europe lack basic numeracy and literacy skills, impeding them from finding work. The economic loss of having 7.5 million young EU citizens out of work or training is €150 billion every year, according to figures by the EU agency Eurofound. That’s 1.2 per cent of the union’s GDP ... read more 09.01.2014

China tops Europe in R&D intensity

LONDON (nature) -- By pouring cash into science and technology faster than its economy has expanded, China has for the first time overtaken Europe on a key measure of innovation: in 2012, China invested 1.98 per cent of its GDP into R&D — just edging out the 28 member states of the EU, which together managed 1.96 per cent ... read more 08.01.2014

Creative sector misses out on billions

BRUSSELS (scienceguide) -- Cultural and creative businesses across Europe are missing out on up to €13.4 billion in credit in the next seven years, a new study by the European Commission shows. All but the biggest enterprises find the door firmly shut when they ask for a loan ... read more 07.01.2014

Romania and Bulgaria lose their intellectual elite

SOFIA (augsburger allgemeine) -- More and more educated citizens of Romania and Bulgaria are leaving their country. “Two out of three scientists at the Mathematics Institute of Sofia have moved in the past 15 years,” says professor Mikhail Konstantinov ... read more 06.01.2014