# EUR-Lex - 52011DC0567 - EN

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# 52011DC0567

**COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Supporting growth and jobs – an agenda for the modernisation of Europe's higher education systems /* COM/2011/0567 final */**

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1.
INTRODUCTION

The Europe 2020 strategy, its Flagship Initiatives and the new
Integrated Guidelines put knowledge at the heart of the Union’s efforts for
achieving smart, sustainable and inclusive growth; the Commission’s
proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020 supports this
strategy with a significant increase in the budget devoted to investment in education,
research and innovation. This is because education,
and in particular higher education and its links with research and innovation, plays
a crucial role in individual and societal advancement, and in providing the
highly skilled human capital and the articulate citizens that Europe needs to
create jobs, economic growth and prosperity. Higher education institutions[1] are thus crucial partners
in delivering the European Union's strategy to drive forward and maintain growth.

Despite a challenging employment climate in
the wake of the economic crisis, higher education represents a sound choice[2]. Yet, the potential of
European higher education institutions to fulfil their role in society and
contribute to Europe's prosperity remains underexploited; Europe is no
longer setting the pace in the global race for knowledge and talent, while emerging
economies are rapidly increasing their investment in higher education[3]. While 35% of all jobs in the
EU will require high-level qualifications by 2020[4], only 26% of the workforce
currently has a higher education qualification. The EU still lags behind in
the share of researchers in the total labour force: 6 per 100, compared to 9 in
the US and 11 in Japan.[5]
The knowledge economy needs people with the right mix of skills : transversal
competences, e-skills for the digital era, creativity and flexibility and a
solid understanding of their chosen field (such as in Science, Technology,
Engineering and Maths). But public and private employers, including in research
intensive sectors, increasingly report mismatches and difficulties in finding
the right people for their evolving needs.

At the same time, higher education
institutions too often seek to compete in too many areas, while comparatively
few have the capacity to excel across the board. As a consequence, too few
European higher education institutions are recognised as world class in the current,
research-oriented global university rankings. For instance, only around 200 of
Europe's 4000 higher education institutions are included in the top 500, and
only 3 in the top 20, according to the latest Academic Ranking of World
Universities. And there has been no real improvement over the past years. There
is no single excellence model: Europe needs a wide diversity of higher
education institutions, and each must pursue excellence in line with its mission
and strategic priorities. With more transparent information about the specific
profile and performance of individual institutions, policy-makers will be in a
better position to develop effective higher education strategies and
institutions will find it easier to build on their strengths.

The main responsibility for delivering reforms
in higher education rests with Member States and education institutions
themselves. However, the Bologna Process, the EU
Agenda for the modernisation of universities[6]
and the creation of the European Research Area show that the challenges and policy
responses transcend national borders. In order to maximise the contribution of
Europe's higher education systems to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, reforms
are needed in key areas: to increase the quantity of higher
education graduates at all levels; to enhance the quality and relevance
of human capital development in higher education; to create effective
governance and funding mechanisms in support of excellence; and to strengthen
the knowledge triangle between education, research and business. Moreover,
the international mobility of students, researchers and staff, as well as the
growing internationalisation of higher education, have a strong impact
on quality and affect each of these key areas.

Section 2 of this
Communication identifies key policy issues for Member States and higher
education institutions seeking to maximise their contribution to Europe’s
growth and jobs. The specific
actions that the EU will take, bringing its added value to support the modernisation
efforts of public authorities and institutions are presented in Section 3. The
Staff Working Document accompanying this Communication discusses the analytical
evidence underpinning these policy issues and actions.

2.
KEY ISSUES FOR MEMBER STATES AND FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
INSTITUTIONS
2.1.
Increasing attainment levels to provide the
graduates and researchers Europe needs

The Europe 2020 education
headline target stipulates that, by 2020, 40% of young people should
successfully complete higher education or equivalent studies[7]. Attainment
levels have grown significantly across much of Europe in the last decade, but
they are still largely insufficient to meet the
projected growth in knowledge-intensive jobs, reinforce Europe's capacity to
benefit from globalisation, and sustain the European social model. Increasing higher education attainment must also be
a catalyst for systemic change, to enhance quality and develop new ways to
deliver education. Furthermore, while the impact of demographic
ageing varies across Member States[8], the group of school leavers from which higher education
traditionally recruits is shrinking.

Therefore, Europe needs to attract a
broader cross-section of society into higher education, including
disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, and deploy the resources to meet this
challenge; in several Member States, reducing
higher education drop-out rates is also crucial. This increase in aspirations and achievement cannot be addressed at the
tertiary level alone: success also depends upon policies to improve earlier
educational outcomes and reduce school drop-out, in line with
the Europe 2020 target[9]
and the recent Council Recommendation on early school leaving[10].

Europe also needs more researchers, to prepare the ground for the industries of tomorrow. To make our
economies more research-intensive, reaching the 3% of GDP research investment
target, the Union will need an estimated one million new research jobs[11], mainly in the private sector.
In addition to improving the conditions for industry to invest in research and innovation,
this calls for more doctoral candidates and equipping the existing workforce
with research skills, and for better information on opportunities so that
career paths outside academia become a genuine career prospect for early stage
researchers. Tackling stereotyping and dismantling
the barriers still faced by women in reaching the highest levels in
post-graduate education and research – especially in certain disciplines and in
leadership positions – can liberate untapped talent.

Key policy issues for Member States and higher education
institutions:

·
Develop clear progression routes from
vocational and other education types into higher education. An effective way to
achieve this is through national qualification frameworks linked to the
European Qualifications Framework and based on learning outcomes, and through clear
procedures for recognising learning and experience gained outside formal
education and training.

·
Encourage outreach to school students
from underrepresented groups and to 'non-traditional' learners, including adults;
provide more transparent information on educational opportunities and outcomes,
and tailored guidance to inform study choices and reduce drop-out.

·
Ensure that financial support reaches
potential students from lower income backgrounds through a better targeting of
resources.

·
Design and implement national strategies to
train and re-train enough researchers in line with the Union’s R&D targets.

2.2.
Improving the quality and relevance of higher
education

Higher
education enhances individual potential and should equip graduates with the
knowledge and core transferable competences they need to succeed in high-skill
occupations. Yet curricula are often slow to respond to changing needs in the
wider economy, and fail to anticipate or help shape the careers of tomorrow;
graduates struggle to find quality employment in line with their studies[12]. Involving employers and
labour market institutions in the design and delivery of programmes,
supporting staff exchanges and including practical experience in courses can
help attune curricula to current and emerging labour market needs and foster
employability and entrepreneurship. Better monitoring by education institutions
of the career paths of their former students can further inform programme design
and increase relevance.

There is a strong need for flexible, innovative
learning approaches and delivery methods: to improve quality and relevance
while expanding student numbers, to widen participation to diverse groups of
learners, and to combat drop-out. One key way of achieving this, in line
with the EU Digital Agenda[13],
is to exploit the transformational benefits of ICTs and other new
technologies to enrich teaching, improve learning experiences, support
personalised learning, facilitate access through distance learning, and virtual
mobility, streamline administration and create new opportunities for research[14].

In meeting the increased demand for
knowledge workers, researcher training in higher education must be
better aligned with the needs of the knowledge-intensive labour market and in
particular with the requirements of SMEs. High quality, industry-relevant
doctoral training is instrumental in meeting this demand for expert human
capital. Linking funding to the implementation of the EU Principles on
Innovative Doctoral Training[15]
will allow Europe to train more researchers better and faster.

The reform and modernisation of Europe’s
higher education depends on the competence and motivation of teachers and
researchers. Yet teaching and
research staffing has often not kept pace with expanding student numbers which puts pressure on already strained capacities. Better working conditions including transparent and fair
recruitment procedures[16],
better initial and continuing professional development, and better recognition
and reward of teaching and research excellence are
essential to ensure that Europe produces, attracts and retains the high
quality academic staff it needs.

Key policy issues for Member States and higher education institutions:

·
Encourage the use of skills and growth
projections and graduate employment data (including tracking
graduate employment outcomes) in course design, delivery and evaluation,
adapting quality assurance and funding mechanisms to reward
success in equipping students for the labour market.

·
Encourage a greater variety of study modes (e.g. part-time, distance and modular learning, continuing
education for adult returners and others already in the labour market), by
adapting funding mechanisms where necessary.

·
Better exploit the potential of ICTs to enable more effective and personalised learning experiences,
teaching and research methods (eg. eLearning and blended learning) and increase
the use of virtual learning platforms.

·
Enhance the capacity of labour market
institutions (including public employment services) and regulations to match
skills and jobs, and develop active labour market policies to promote
graduate employment and enhance career guidance.

·
Introduce incentives for higher education
institutions to invest in continuous professional development for their staff,
recruit sufficient staff to develop emerging disciplines and reward
excellence in teaching.

·
Link funding for doctoral programmes to the Principles
for Innovative Doctoral Training.

2.3.
Strengthening quality through mobility and
cross-border co-operation

Learning mobility helps individuals increase
their professional, social and intercultural skills and employability. The
ministers of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) have agreed to double
the proportion of students completing a study or training period abroad to
20% by 2020[17].
The EHEA has brought about far-reaching changes: the bachelor-master-doctorate
structure and advances in quality assurance have facilitated individual
mobility and strengthened institutions and systems. In parallel, the
development of the European Research Area (ERA) is increasing
complementarity between national systems to enhance the cost effectiveness of
research investment and intensify exchanges and cooperation between
institutions.

However, the recognition of academic
qualifications gained abroad is still too difficult; the portability of grants
and loans is restricted; “vertical” mobility[18]
remains limited; and obstacles hinder the free movement of researchers within
the EU. The implementation of the Council Recommendation on promoting learning
mobility[19],
and the use of European quality assurance tools such as the European Quality
Assurance Register, would facilitate mutual trust, academic recognition and
mobility.

Attracting the best students, academics
and researchers from outside the EU and developing new forms of
cross-border cooperation are key drivers of quality. They can also be
important sources of income for institutions. Although some Member States are a very attractive study destination[20], the EU as
a whole needs to attract the best students and researchers if it is to
compete with the US[21].
Europe’s attractiveness can be enhanced if a number of concerns are urgently
addressed: increasing cost and uneven quality; difficult academic recognition; non-transparent
recruitment and unattractive working conditions for researchers; and problems
in obtaining visas to study and work, including for intra-EU mobility.

Key policy issues for Member States and higher education
institutions:

·
Encourage institutions to build learning
mobility more systematically into curricula, and eliminate unnecessary
barriers to switching institutions between bachelor and master levels and
to cross-border co-operation and exchanges.

·
Ensure the efficient recognition of credits
gained abroad through effective quality assurance, comparable and
consistent use of ECTS and the Diploma Supplement, and by linking
qualifications to the European Qualifications Framework.

·
Improve access, employment conditions and progression
opportunities for students, researchers and teachers from other countries,
including by fully implementing the Directives on students and researchers[22] and the EU Visa Code to
facilitate the issuing of Schengen visas to students and researchers undertaking
short stays[23].

2.4.
Making the knowledge triangle work: Linking
higher education, research and business for excellence and regional development

The contribution of higher education to
jobs and growth, and its international attractiveness, can be enhanced through
close, effective links between education, research and business – the three
sides of the “knowledge triangle”. The recent shift towards open innovation has
resulted in increased flows of knowledge and new types of co-operation between
education institutions, research organisations and business. But the capacity
of higher education institutions to integrate research results and innovative
practice into the educational offer, and to exploit the potential for
marketable products and services, remains weak[24].

Working across the boundaries of research,
business and education requires in-depth scientific knowledge, entrepreneurial
skills, creative and innovative attitudes and intensive interaction between
stakeholders to disseminate and exploit knowledge generated to best effect. Public
policies which encourage partnership between professional institutions,
research universities, business and high-tech centres can anchor education in
the knowledge triangle, improve the continuum between basic and applied research,
and transfer knowledge to the market more effectively. Improved management of
intellectual property will facilitate this process[25].

As centres of
knowledge, expertise and learning, higher education institutions can drive
economic development in the territories where they are located; they can bring
talented people into innovative environments and harness regional strengths on
a global scale; they can foster an open exchange of knowledge, staff and
expertise. They can also act as the centre of a knowledge network or cluster
serving the local economy and society, if local and
regional authorities implement smart specialisation
strategies to concentrate resources on key priorities and maximise impact.

Key policy issues for Member States and higher education
institutions:

·
Stimulate the development of entrepreneurial,
creative and innovation skills in all disciplines and in all three cycles,
and promote innovation in higher education through more interactive
learning environments and strengthened knowledge-transfer infrastructure.

·
Strengthen the knowledge-transfer infrastructure
of higher education institutions and enhance their capacity to engage in
start-ups and spin-offs.

·
Encourage partnership and cooperation with
business as a core activity of higher education institutions, through
reward structures, incentives for multidisciplinary and cross-organisational cooperation,
and the reduction of regulatory and administrative barriers to partnerships between
institutions and other public and private actors.

·
Promote the systematic involvement of higher
education institutions in the development of integrated local and regional
development plans, and target regional support towards higher
education-business cooperation particularly for the creation of regional hubs
of excellence and specialisation.

2.5.
Improving governance and funding

Higher education systems require adequate
funding, and the Europe 2020 strategy highlights the need to protect the
growth-enhancing areas of education and research when prioritising public
spending. Yet, while spending levels vary substantially between Member States[26], total investment in higher
education in Europe is too low: 1.3% of GDP on average, compared with 2.7%
in the US and 1.5% in Japan. The current pressure for fiscal consolidation has inevitably
led Member States to assess the cost-effectiveness of their public investments
in higher education and research: while some have reduced spending, others have
increased budgets in recognition of the growth potential of spending in these areas.

Public investment must
remain the basis for sustainable higher education. But the scale of funding
required to sustain and expand high-quality higher education systems is likely
to necessitate additional sources of funding, be they public or private. Member
States are increasingly striving to maximise the value of resources invested,
including through targeted performance agreements with institutions,
competitive funding arrangements, and channelling finance directly to
individuals. They are looking to diversify funding sources, using public
investment to lever funds from elsewhere and drawing to a larger extent on
private funding; tuition fees are becoming more widespread, particularly at
masters level and above. It will be important to monitor and assess the effectiveness
and impact of these new developments, including on students from poorer
backgrounds, and on equity and mobility.

The challenges faced by higher education require
more flexible governance and funding systems which balance greater autonomy
for education institutions with accountability to all stakeholders. Autonomous
institutions can specialise more easily, promoting educational and research
performance[27]
and fostering diversification within higher education systems. But legal,
financial and administrative restrictions continue to limit institutional
freedom to define strategies and structures and to differentiate themselves
from their competitors. The efficiency of higher education institutions and so
the effectiveness of public investment can be enhanced by reducing
restrictions: on raising private revenue, on capital investment, on the
ownership of infrastructure, on the freedom to recruit staff, on accreditation.
Investment in professional management can provide strategic vision and leadership
while allowing teachers and researchers the necessary academic freedom to
concentrate on their core tasks.

Key policy issues for Member States and higher education
institutions:

·
Encourage a better identification of the real
costs of higher education and research and the careful targeting of spending,
including through funding mechanisms linked to performance which introduce an
element of competition.

·
Target funding mechanisms to the needs of
different institutional profiles, to encourage institutions to focus efforts on
their individual strengths, and develop incentives to support a diversity of
strategic choices and to develop centres of excellence.

·
Facilitate access to alternative sources of
funding, including using public funds to leverage private and other public
investment (through match-funding, for example).

·
Support the development of strategic and
professional higher education leaders, and ensure that higher education
institutions have the autonomy to set strategic direction, manage income
streams, reward performance to attract the best teaching and research staff,
set admissions policies and introduce new curricula

·
Encourage institutions to modernise their human
resource management and obtain the HR Excellence in Research logo and to
implement the recommendations of the Helsinki Group on Women in Science[28].

3.
THE EU CONTRIBUTION: INCENTIVES FOR TRANSPARENCY,
DIVERSIFICATION, MOBILITY AND COOPERATION

The key policy issues outlined in Section 2
must be addressed in the first place by national authorities and institutions.
But the EU can significantly support their efforts to reform higher education
systems through the different EU policy and budgetary instruments.

As concerns policy, the governance and reporting
mechanisms of Europe 2020 provide the main instrument
to monitor developments and support Member States’ reform efforts, including
through country-specific recommendations linked to the Integrated Guidelines.

At the same time, the EU should make better
use of the policy tools available in the field of higher education, in
particular the European cooperation framework in education and training 'ET2020'.
The Commission can support transparency and excellence through evidence-based
policy analysis. It can support mobility of learners, teachers and
researchers. It can support strategic cooperation between European institutions,
and, in a context of increasing global competition for talent, provide a common
framework to support the interaction of European higher education
with the rest of the world.

As concerns funding, the Multiannual
Financial Framework 2014-2020 will offer an
opportunity to ensure that EU instruments and policies – particularly education,
research, employment, entrepreneurship, migration and Cohesion – work together
effectively to support the modernisation of higher education. The Commission,
in focussing EU spending closely on the priorities of the Europe 2020 Strategy
and on the key drivers of growth and jobs, has proposed a substantial increase
in the budgets for education programmes and for research.

3.1.
Supporting reform through policy evidence,
analysis and transparency

The Commission will focus on improving the
evidence base for policy-making in key areas. The available information on the
performance of higher education institutions focuses mainly on research-intensive
universities, and thus covers only a very small proportion of Europe’s higher
education institutions[29]:
it is essential to develop a wider range of analysis and information, covering
all aspects of performance - to help students make informed study choices, to
enable institutions to identify and develop their strengths, and to support
policy-makers in their strategic choices on the reform of higher education
systems. Evidence shows that a multi-dimensional ranking and information
tool is feasible and widely supported by education stakeholders. [30].

In addition, better labour market
intelligence on current and future skills requirements would help identify
growth employment areas and allow for a better match between education and labour
market needs. As stated in the New Skills and Jobs flagship initiative, the
Commission will set up the “EU Skills Panorama” to improve intelligence
on current and future skills needs. Improving conditions for graduates to gain
practical experience, for example through high quality traineeships, can further
facilitate their integration in the labour market.

The
European Commission will:

·
Launch U-Multirank: a new performance-based ranking and information tool for
profiling higher education institutions, aiming to radically improve the
transparency of the higher education sector, with first results in 2013. By
moving beyond the research focus of current rankings and performance
indicators, and by allowing users to create individualised multidimensional
rankings, this independently run tool will inform choice and decision-making by
all higher education stakeholders.

·
In co-operation with Eurostat, improve data
on European higher education learning mobility and employment outcomes, and
work towards a European Tertiary Education Register.

·
Provide specific guidance and recommendations on
raising basic and transversal skills and overcoming skill mismatches.

·
In cooperation with Member States and
stakeholders, analyse the impact of different funding approaches on the
diversification, efficiency and equity of higher education systems, as well as
on student mobility.

3.2.
Promoting mobility

With the launch of the European Higher
Education Area, the Bologna Process will reinforce mobility
and cooperation. However, some mobility flows can be a
challenge for those education systems which receive substantial inflows of
students, or threaten 'brain drain' in countries where many talented people choose
to study and then remain abroad. At the same time there are concerns about the
quality of cross-border education, including in the case of so-called
"franchised" provision.

EU mobility programmes such as Erasmus and
Erasmus Mundus have achieved far-reaching positive effects for individuals and
institutions. Three million students will have benefited from the current
Erasmus programme by 2013, and mobility opportunities for higher education
teachers and staff are also increasing. In parallel, the Commission is
developing a 'mobility scoreboard' to assess progress in removing
obstacles to learning mobility[31]
within the EU. The Single Market Act[32],
a focused action plan to unlock the internal market's potential for growth,
jobs and citizens' confidence, includes the revision of the Professional
Qualification Directive to reduce barriers to mobility in the regulated
professions. Mobility for researchers will be facilitated by the European
Framework for Research Careers, a new transparency tool to be applied in
the EURAXESS Jobs Portal.

Masters
degrees allow students to acquire the kind of advanced skills that are
particularly valuable for knowledge-intensive jobs and research. Cooperation
and mobility at Masters level can be instrumental in strengthening centres of
excellence across Europe, making this an area where the EU has clear potential
to add value. However, current EU funding instruments do not currently support full
degree mobility at Masters level, which generally requires financial support
for 12 months or more[33].
Moreover, restrictions on the portability of national loans limit their application
for taking a full degree abroad , while commercial loans are typically inaccessible
for students from lower income backgrounds. The European Commission has
identified a need for further financial support for this group of students.

The European Commission will:

·
Improve the recognition of studies abroad, by
strengthening the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System
(ECTS), proposing incentives in EU programmes to improve implementation, and
working through the Bologna Process.

·
Propose an Erasmus Masters Degree Mobility
Scheme (through a European-level student loan guarantee facility),
operational from 2014, to promote mobility, excellence and access to affordable
finance for students taking their Masters degree in another Member State
regardless of their social background.

·
In the context of the EHEA, contribute to
strengthening synergies between the EU and intergovernmental processes.

·
Support the analysis of the potential of
student mobility flows, including within the Bologna process, to take into
account the judgements of the European Court of Justice,[34] and of Quality Assurance
standards to support the quality of franchise education.

·
Promote the European Framework for Research
Careers to foster cross-border researcher mobility, helping researchers to
identify job offers and employers to find suitable candidates, profiling
research posts according to four levels of competence[35].

3.3.
Putting Higher Education at the centre of
Innovation, job creation and employability

Europe's future capacity for innovation
will depend upon higher education institutions fully embracing their role within
the knowledge triangle, alongside business and non-university research organisations.

The European Institute of Innovation and
Technology (EIT) provides a genuine model of integrating higher education in
the knowledge triangle. Through educational programmes of high academic
standing, the EIT and its Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) promote
knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship building on multi-disciplinary, innovative
research. The EIT will increasingly focus on disseminating the lessons learned,
thus providing examples of integrated partnerships, new governance and funding
models to increase the innovation potential of higher education institutions in
cooperation with business. The Commission intends to propose further steps to
develop the knowledge triangle in its proposal regarding the Strategic
Innovation Agenda, foreseen by the end of the year.

There is further scope to support the
interaction between higher education and the wider economy at EU level, to
support the flow of knowledge. Recent European pilot projects to foster the development
of structured partnerships – "knowledge alliances" - bringing
together businesses with higher education institutions to design and deliver
new courses have already produced promising results and should be developed
further.

The Marie Curie Actions are also an
effective tool for stimulating knowledge transfer, while the new European
Research Area framework to be presented in 2012, will support measures to
remove obstacles to researcher mobility and cross-border cooperation[36]. The Commission is also developing European
Industrial Doctorates and Doctoral Schools to foster innovation in training
for the researchers of tomorrow.

The success of the Erasmus placements,
introduced into the Erasmus programme from 2007, illustrates the demand for
opportunities to gain practical, work-relevant experience as part of higher
education study programmes. Traineeships are an important mechanism for
matching graduate skills with labour markets needs, as well as for the personal
development of students. However, internships and placements today do not
always provide the right conditions for students to develop their skills and
receive appropriate recognition for experience gained. More needs to be done to
improve the quality and relevance of traineeships.

The European Commission will:

·
Adopt by the end of 2011 a Strategic
Innovation Agenda designing the future of the EIT, its priorities, and
proposal for new KICs to be launched.

·
Build on the pilot project recently launch to
strengthen the interaction between universities and business through the
knowledge alliances

·
Strengthen within the Marie Curie actions a
European Industrial PhD Scheme in order to support applied research

·
Propose a quality framework for traineeships
to help students and graduates get the practical knowledge needed for the
workplace and obtain more and better quality placements. It will also create a
single and centralised platform for traineeship offers in Europe

3.4.
Supporting the internationalisation of European
higher education

Future co-operation in higher education within
the EU should be part of a wider strategy to engage with partner countries across
the world, to promote the EU's values and expertise, and support higher
education in developing countries as an integral part of the EU's development
policy and of a comprehensive approach to education sector development. The Commission will promote consistency
between EU and national actions for research through the Strategic Forum for
International Scientific and Technological Cooperation.

The internationalisation and openness of
higher education systems requires a joint approach from a wide range of policy
areas and stakeholders, to attract the best students, staff and researchers
from around the world, to increase international outreach and visibility, and
to foster international networks for excellence. The Commission will explore
the possibility to design a specific strategy for the
internationalisation of higher education[37]:

The European Commission will:

·
Promote the EU as a study and research
destination for top talent from around the world, by supporting the
establishment and development of internationalisation strategies by Europe’s
higher education institutions.

·
Develop relations on higher education with
partners beyond the Union, aiming to strengthen national education systems,
policy dialogue, mobility and academic recognition, including via the Enlargement
strategy, the European Neighbourhood Policy, the Global Approach to Migration,
and the Bologna Policy Forum.

·
Make use of existing Mobility Partnerships
to enhance and facilitate exchanges of students and researchers.

·
Consider proposing amendments to the students
and researchers Directives[38],
to make the EU even more attractive to talent from non-EU countries, and examine
whether the processes and the accompanying rights should be facilitated and/or
strengthened. .

·
Strengthen the tracking of non-EU doctoral
students as a percentage of all doctoral students, as indicated in the Performance
Scorecard for Research and Innovation to measure the attractiveness of EU
research and doctoral training to the rest of the world.

3.5.
Strengthening the long-term impact and
complementarity of EU funding

EU
investment in higher education is proposed to be channelled through three main
funding mechanisms of the 2014-2020 MFF:

1. Education Europe: the single
programme for education training and youth

To contribute to the Europe 2020 goals, the
Commission will propose a single programme for education, training and youth,
with simplified entry points and management. The programme will focus spending
on priorities such as quality and innovation in teaching, enhanced links with
the world of work, and better recognition of skills gained through mobility. It
will contribute to the Bologna 20% mobility target, focussing resources on: mobility
opportunities based on quality and excellence (including through Erasmus
Masters Degree Mobility); intensive cooperation and capacity-building
partnerships across Member States and with global partners; specific
initiatives to recognise and reward excellence in teaching, and encourage
student entrepreneurs and innovative university-business cooperation.

2.
Horizon 2020: the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation

The new Horizon 2020 programme will cover all relevant EU research and innovation funding currently
provided through the Seventh Research Framework Programme, the Competitiveness
and Innovation Programme and other EU innovation initiatives, such as the EIT.
Horizon 2020 aims to make EU funding more attractive and easier to access. It
will ensure a high degree of policy coordination and maximise synergies between
initiatives, and will enable simpler, more efficient streamlined funding
instruments covering the full innovation cycle.

3.
Cohesion Policy instruments

In the 2007-2013 funding period, around
€72.5 billion EU cohesion funding will be spent on education and training, and
€60 billion on research and innovation. A strategic use of the EU's Cohesion
Policy can significantly enhance the social, economic and territorial
contribution of higher education. The European Regional Development Fund
can invest in building or renovating higher education institutions, providing
equipment and promoting digitalisation, and support incubators, spin-offs and
other forms of university-business partnerships. The European Social Fund
(ESF) can finance modernisation processes, increase participation and
attainment particularly for students from under-represented backgrounds, enhance
educational content and the match between programmes and labour market demand. The
MFF proposal for 2014-2020 allocates a minimum of €84 billion to the ESF, of
which over €40 billion could be expected, based upon past experience, to be made
available for education and training.

3.6.
Next steps towards smart, sustainable and
inclusive European Higher Education

In setting out this Communication, the
Commission has consulted widely: with higher education institutions’ leaders,
teachers, researchers and students, with businesses and social partners, with
governments and with international bodies. It will continue to engage with
these stakeholders along with the European Parliament, the Committee of the
Regions and the Economic and Social Committee, the European Investment Bank and
Eurostat, to take forward this agenda for action.[39]

The Commission will also draw upon external
expertise to develop progressive policies and identify innovative practices. As
a first step, in 2012, it will establish a high-level group with a rolling
mandate to analyse key topics for the modernisation of higher education,
starting with the promotion of excellence in teaching and reporting in 2013.

Modern and effective higher education systems
are the foundation of an open, confident and sustainable society; of a creative,
innovative and entrepreneurial knowledge-based economy. The shared efforts of
Member State authorities, higher education institutions, stakeholders and the
European Union will be crucial for achieving the goals set out in this
Communication and underpinning Europe’s wider success.

[1]               This term is used to encompass all tertiary education
institutions including universities, universities of applied science,
institutes of technology, 'grandes écoles', business schools, engineering
schools, IUT, colleges of higher education, professional schools, polytechnics,
academies, etc. This is to take account of linguistic diversity and national
traditions and practices.

[2]               See Staff Working Document, Section 2

[3]               See Staff Working Document, Section 7.2

[4]               See COM(2010)
682 final.

[5]               MORE study on the mobility patterns and career paths
of EU researchers (EC, 2010)

[6]               COM(2006) 208 final

[7]               By 2020, 40% of 30-34 year
olds in the EU should have completed tertiary or equivalent education

[8]               See Staff Working Paper,
Section 3.4

[9]               To reduce the proportion of 18-24 years olds without
upper secondary education and not in further education and training to 10% at
most.

[10]             See Council Recommendation on policies to reduce early
school leaving (adopted 7 June 2011)

[11]             COM (2010) 546 final, p.9

[12]             See Staff Working Document, Section 4.1

[13]             COM (2010) 245 final

[14]             See Staff Working Document, Section 4.3

[15]             These principles, prepared with the support of the ERA
Steering Group Human Resources and Mobility, call for research excellence and
creativity, an attractive institutional environment with critical mass and
respect for the Charter and Code for attractive working conditions for
researchers, interdisciplinary research options, exposure to industry and other
relevant work sectors, international networking and mobility, transferable
skills training and quality assurance.

[16]             Including in line with the 'European Charter for
Researchers and Code of Conduct for their Recruitment'

[17]             See SEC(2011) 670 final.

[18]             Changing countries between bachelor, master and
doctoral levels.

[19]             Council Recommendation on promoting the learning
mobility of young people, 28 June 2011

[20]             See Staff Working Document, Section 7.1

[21]             ibid

[22]             Council Directive 2004/114/EC and Council Directive
2005/71/EC

[23]             Stays of no more than three months within a six-month
period

[24]             Council Conclusions on the knowledge triangle - 20
October 2009

[25]             See Recommendation on the
management of intellectual property C(2008) 1329 final, 10.04.2008

[26]             See Staff Working Document, Section 6.1

[27]             See Staff Working Document, Section 6.2

[28]             See Staff Working Document, Section 6.3

[29]             The question of excellence of institutions
pertaining to the EU research targets will be the subject of further analysisFor
example, only around 200 of Europe's 4000 higher education institutions
featured in the latest Academic Ranking of World Universities.

[30]             See Staff Working Document, chapter 1.1. A “U-Multirank“
tool would enable users to profile institutions based on data on the quality of
teaching (e.g. employability outcomes), research performance, the capacity for
knowledge transfer and for supporting regional development and the degree of
internationalisation.

[31]             Agreed in Council Recommendation on the learning
mobility of young people, 28 June 2011

[32]             See COM(2010)206, 13.04.2011

[33]             Erasmus supports credit mobility, rather than full
degree mobility, while Erasmus Mundus supports mobile students attending
specific Erasmus Mundus Masters programmes only.

[34]             Case
C-73/08 Nicolas Bressol and Céline Chaverot and Others v. Gouvernement de la
Communauté française

[35]             Common profiles (first
stage/recognized/established/leading researcher) for all sectors and
participating countries, as called for in the Innovation Union (2010). Report
adopted by the ERA Steering Group on Human Resources and Mobility, May 2011. See Staff
Working Document.

[36]             In line with the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of
Researchers and European Charter for Researchers

[37]             As called for in Council Conclusions on the
internationalisation of higher education, 11 May 2010.

[38]             As well as Recommendation 2005/761/EC to facilitate the
issue by the Member States of uniform short-stay visas for researchers from
third countries travelling within the Union to carry out scientific research

[39]             For example, work with the EIB on a European Student
Loan Guarantee, with the Committee of the Regions on the role of higher
education in regional development, and with Member States through the Thematic
Working Group on the Modernisation of Higher Education.