COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on a renewed EU agenda for higher education
Date: 2017-05-30
Institutions: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, European Commission
Subjects: EU financing, cooperation in the field of education, educational reform, educational system, higher education, innovation, social integration, teacher training, vocational training

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   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 30.5.2017  COM(2017) 247 final   COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on a renewed EU agenda for higher education {SWD(2017) 164 final}  
 
 
1. 

A NEW IMPETUS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE EU 

A new EU agenda for higher education … 

The success of the European project depends on the EU’s capacity to build a better future for 
European citizens. This is a key message of the Commission’s White Paper on the Future of 
Europe.1  It  is  also  at  the  heart  of  the  initiative  'Investing  in  Europe's  Youth'2  and  the  New 
Skills Agenda for Europe.3 These made clear that effective education and training systems are 
a foundation of fair, open and democratic societies and of sustained growth and employment. 
The  EU's  'pillar  of  social  rights'4  and  recent  reflection  paper  on  harnessing  globalisation5 
identify education and skills as a priority for European cooperation. 

Higher education plays a unique role. Demand for highly skilled, socially engaged people is 
both increasing and changing. In the period up to 2025, half of all jobs are projected to require 
high-level  qualifications.  High-level  skills  gaps  already  exist.  Driven  by  digital  technology, 
jobs  are  becoming  more  flexible  and  complex.  People’s  capacities  to  be  entrepreneurial, 
manage  complex  information,  think  autonomously  and  creatively,  use  resources,  including 
digital  ones,  smartly,  communicate  effectively  and  be  resilient  are  more  crucial  than  ever. 
Europe  also  needs  more  high  achievers  who  can  develop  the  cutting  edge  technologies  and 
solutions  on  which  our  future  prosperity  depends.  In  parallel,  countering  the  growing 
polarisation  of  our  societies  and  distrust  of  democratic  institutions  calls  on  everyone  — 
including  higher  education  staff  and  students  —  to  engage  more  actively  with  the 
communities around them and promote social inclusion and mobility. 

Without  higher  education  institutions  (HEIs)  and  systems  that  are  effective  in  education, 
research and innovation and are connected to their societies, Europe cannot respond to these 
challenges.  Reform  of  higher  education  is  the  responsibility  of  Member  States  and  part  of 
their efforts to develop world-class education and training. The EU can help Member States 
with  their  educational  reform  efforts.  This  renewed  agenda  for  higher  education6  aims  to 
ensure  the  EU’s  initiatives  to  support  higher  education  modernisation  are  focused  on  issues 
that matter, while also helping to prepare for the next EU funding period. 

…that builds on work already done… 

The  EU  has  a  successful  record  of  supporting  higher  education  through  policy  cooperation 
and funding programmes. The European Semester is a key driver of reform, namely through 
education-related country specific recommendations. As part of the Europe 2020 strategy and 
the  strategic  framework  for  European  cooperation  in  education  and  training  (ET  2020),  the 
Council  agreed  that  40 %  of  young  people  should  have  a  tertiary  education  qualification  or 

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3  
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5  
6  

COM(2017) 2025 final 
COM(2016) 940 final 
COM(2016) 381 final. 
COM(2017) 250 final  
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/publications/reflection-paper-harnessing-globalisation_en  
Announced in COM(2016) 941 final 

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equivalent by 2020. Supporting this target, since 2011, the Modernisation Agenda for Higher 
Education7 has provided strategic direction for EU and Member State activities to: 

 

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 

 

Build  evidence  about  what  works  in  higher  education  (in  education,  research, 
innovation and the design of systems) through studies, expert groups and analysis and 
monitoring of benchmarks and indicators; 
Support  cooperation,  mutual  learning  and  targeted  policy  advice  between 
governments and authorities responsible for higher education; 
Strengthen  the  capacity  and  outputs  of  higher  education  institutions  by  funding 
innovative  cooperation  projects  between  institutions  and  their  partners  (Erasmus+, 
Horizon  2020)  and,  through  European  Structural  and  Investment  Funds  (ESIF), 
investment  in  infrastructure,  facilities,  skills  and  innovation  projects.  European 
Investment  Bank  projects  have  also  supported  investment  in  higher  education 
infrastructure, including through the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI); 
Support  international  mobility  of  students,  staff  and  researchers  as  a  way  for 
them  to  develop their experience and skills (Erasmus+ and  Marie Skłodowska-Curie 
Actions); and 
Strengthen collaboration between higher education, research and business. 

…but refocuses efforts on current and evolving opportunities and challenges 

The  positive  impact  of  EU  activities,  and  the  international  dimension  they  bring,  has  been 
acknowledged by MS, social partners and the higher education sector. The EU is on track to 
meet the 40 % attainment target but, as highlighted by the public consultation on future EU 
support  for  higher  education  undertaken  in  2016,8  Europe’s  higher  education  systems  face 
challenges, including:9 

 

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A mismatch between the skills Europe needs and the skills it has: many parts of 
the EU are experiencing shortages in certain high-skill professions10, both in terms of 
qualifications  and  the  quality  of  the  associated  skills.  At  the  same  time,  too  many 
students  graduate  with poor  basic  skills (literacy,  numeracy,  digital)  and  without  the 
range  of  transversal  skills  (problem-solving,  communication,  etc.)  they  need  for 
resilience in a changing world. 
Persistent and growing social divisions: people from disadvantaged socio-economic 
and  with  a  migrant  background  remain  far  less  likely  to  enter  and  complete  higher 
education; academics and graduates are too often perceived as detached from the rest 
of society; and gender segregation by field of study is still pervasive. 

COM(2011) 567 final. 
See Annex II of the SWD accompanying the New Skills Agenda for Europe. 
See accompanying SWD 
See 'Skill shortage and surplus occupations in Europe' (CEDEFOP, 2016): 'Across the EU…[t]he top 
five are ICT professionals; medical doctors; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) 
professionals; nurses and midwives; and teachers.' The situation varies from region to region. 

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 

 

An innovation gap: higher education institutions are often not contributing as much 
as they should to innovation in the wider economy, particularly in their regions. The 
performance of higher education in innovation varies strongly between EU regions. 
The  different  components  of  higher  education  systems  do  not  always  work 
together seamlessly: funding, incentive and reward  mechanisms in higher education 
are  not  always  configured  to  reward  good  teaching  and  research,  innovation,  social 
inclusion  and  engagement.  Cooperation  with  schools,  vocational  providers  and  adult 
learning is often limited. 

2. 

PRIORITIES FOR ACTION 

It is time to give new direction to EU support for higher education. This will address the four 
challenges  above  by  focusing  on  four  corresponding  priorities  for  action,  supported  by  EU-
level activities: 

1.  Tackling future skills mismatches and promoting excellence in skills development; 

2.  Building inclusive and connected higher education systems; 

3.  Ensuring higher education institutions contribute to innovation; 

4.  Supporting effective and efficient higher education systems. 

2.1 

Tackling skills mismatches and promoting excellence in skills development 

Addressing  Europe’s  high-level  skills  needs  requires  action.  First,  more  people  need  to  be 
attracted  to  the  fields  of  study  that  prepare  students  for  jobs  where  shortages  exist  or  are 
emerging.  In  many  EU  Member  States  there  is  unmet  demand  for  graduates  in  science, 
technology,  engineering,  (arts)  and  maths  (STE(A)M)  fields,  medical  professions  and 
teaching11.  Second,  all  students  in  advanced  learning,  irrespective  of  discipline,  need  to 
acquire advanced transversal skills and key competences that will allow them to thrive. High-
level  digital  competences12,  numeracy,  autonomy,  critical  thinking  and  a  capacity  for 
problem-solving are increasingly crucial attributes. 

What  people  choose  to  study  in  higher  education  depends  on  personal  motivation,  good 
guidance  and  the  availability  of  attractive  learning  and  career  options.  Career  opportunities 
ultimately  depend  on  employers  and  the  wider  economy,  but  education  and  training  have  a 
key  role  to  play.  Schools  can  motivate  pupils  to  take  an  interest  in  all  subjects,  including 
maths  and  sciences,  and  in  guiding  their  choices.  They  are  also  key  to  tackling  the  under-
representation  of  women,  minorities  and  other  under-represented  groups  in  scientific  and 
technical  subjects  in  higher  education  and  subsequently  in  related  professions.  Good 
information  on  what  graduates  do,  contacts  with  alumni  and  forecasts  of  future  skills  needs 
are all valuable to guidance counsellors. Higher education has a duty to ensure that content is 
up  to  date,  provide  relevant  study  programmes  in  fields  where  skills  shortages  exist  and 

11  
12  

See COM(2017) 228 
(DigComp): https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/digcomp 

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develop methods of learning and teaching that allow students to acquire the breadth and depth 
of skills they need. 

Well-designed higher education programmes and curricula, centred on students’ learning 
needs, are crucial for effective skills development. A wider range of course choices, including 
two-year13  degrees  and  options  for  continuous  professional  development,  help  higher 
education respond better to people's needs. Technology offers new ways to structure the way 
learning and teaching are organised14, including through open, online and blended learning15 
to increase flexibility and teacher-student interaction. Open educational resources (OER) and 
learning  analytics16  have  potential  to  improve  learning,  but  remain  under-exploited.  While 
much teaching in higher education takes place in research-performing institutions, research is 
not  exploited  enough  as  input  for  teaching,  while  undergraduates  are  often  not  involved  in 
research. This limits students’ opportunities to explore contemporary issues and develop their 
research skills. Digitally-enabled open science17 opens up new possibilities to address this. 

Higher  education  should  also  allow  students  to  acquire  skills  and  experiences  through 
activities  based  around  real-world  problems,  include  work-based  learning  and,  where 
possible,  offer  international  mobility.  Cooperation  with  employers  can  allow  HEIs  to 
increase  the  relevance  of  their  curricula  and  deliver  them  effectively,  and  increase 
opportunities for students to access high quality work-based learning. 

Designing,  building  and  delivering  good  study  programmes  is  not  easy.  Good  teachers  are 
crucial.  Too  many  higher  education  teachers  have  received  little  or  no  pedagogical  training 
and  systematic  investment  in  teachers’  continuous  professional  development  remains  the 
exception.  National  and  institutional  strategies  to  improve  career  opportunities  and  rewards 
for good teachers are becoming more common but are far from standard.  

The Commission will: 

1.  Start a European initiative to track graduates to improve knowledge at national and EU 
level  on  how  they  progress  in  their  careers  or  further  education.  This  will  support 
improvements  in  career  guidance,  programme  design,  institutional  strategy  and  policy-
making.  The  Council  Recommendation18  proposed  as  part  of  this  package  will  be 
supported by an EU-level graduate survey and cooperation to improve national graduate 
tracking mechanisms. 

2.  Launch  an  up-scaled  EU  STE(A)M  coalition19  bringing  together  different  education 
sectors, business and public sector employers to promote the uptake of relevant STE(A)M 

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18  

19  

Short-cycle courses (EQF 5)  
https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/open-education 
Typically combining online and classroom-based learning. 
Data about learners and their contexts used to identify students’ learning needs 
Open science is the movement to make scientific research and data accessible to all 
This will include graduates of higher education and vocational education and training (VET) as well as 
those who leave education without a qualification.  
Building on EU projects to date, including the EU STEM coalition. The evolution from STEM to 
STEAM reflects recognition within higher education of the increased importance of inter-disciplinary 

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subjects  and  modernise  STE(A)M  and  other  curricula,  including  through  more  multi-
disciplinary programmes and cooperation between relevant faculties and HEIs. 

3.  Encourage  the  integration  of  work  placements,  recognised  through  ECTS  points,  into 
higher  education  programmes,  further  strengthen  Erasmus+  business  consortia  to 
increase  the  availability  and  quality  of  work  placements  and  support  Erasmus+  student 
work placements with a particular focus on digital skills20. 

4.  Develop  and  roll  out  a  digital  readiness  model  to  help  HEIs,  their  staff  and  students 
implement  digital  learning  strategies  and  exploit  the  potential  of  state-of-the-art 
technology, including learning analytics. This will be accompanied by guidance on open 
education initiatives.  

5.  Step  up  strategic  support  for  higher  education  teachers,  doctoral  candidates  and 
postdoctoral  graduates  through  Erasmus+  to  help  them  develop  pedagogical  and 
curriculum design skills through targeted opportunities for staff mobility for pedagogical 
training and strengthened cooperation between teacher training centres across the EU. 

2.2.  Building inclusive and connected higher education systems 

Higher  education  must  play  its  part  in  facing  up  to  Europe’s  social  and  democratic 
challenges.  This  means  ensuring  that  higher  education  is  inclusive,  open  to  talent  from  all 
backgrounds21, and that  higher education institutions  are not ivory towers,  but  civic-minded 
learning communities connected to their communities. Academics and students have a crucial 
role to play in defending empirical facts and evidence and in communicating research results 
effectively and widely. 

The  profile  of  the  population  of  students  entering  and  completing  higher  education  should 
reflect  wider  society.  This  requires  intervention  from  government,  schools  and  higher 
education.  The  social  groups  least  represented  in  higher  education  are  more  likely  to  lack 
basic skills (literacy, numeracy and digital competence), experience of learning independently 
and  a  clear  idea  of  what  higher  education  entails.  Systematic  cooperation  between  HEIs, 
schools and VET providers is needed to prepare and guide students based on their talents, 
not their background, and provide flexible pathways between the different types of education 
and training. Adequate career guidance and mentoring are crucial. 

Making higher education systems inclusive also requires the right conditions for students of 
different  backgrounds  to  succeed.  This  goes  beyond  the  question  of  financial  support  for 
disadvantaged  groups,  although  this  is  vital  for  those  from  low-income  backgrounds.  To 
promote  successful  completion  of  studies,  higher  education  providers  should  take  a  holistic 
look at how teaching and assessment are organised, put measures in place to mentor students 
and provide academic and non-academic support22. HEI campuses should be safe places for 

approaches. The interaction between STEM and art and design is driving substantive innovation and 
creativity. 
See COM (2017) 228. An example is the Horizon 2020-funded 'Digital Opportunity pilot project. 
In accordance with UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 on ensuring inclusive and quality education 
for all. 
Including teacher training on dealing with classroom diversity. 

20  
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all students, free from gender-based violence and discrimination. Early detection of problems 
is crucial for identifying the support that students need. Flexible study options (part-time or 
online)  and  more  widespread  recognition  of  prior  learning  are  also  required  to  make  higher 
education  more  accessible,  particularly  for  adult  learners.  Strategies  to  help  disadvantaged 
students  to  access  and  go  on  to  complete  higher  education  are  a  promising  way  to  achieve 
these objectives. 

Breaking down barriers between higher education and the rest of society can help students 
develop their social and civic competences.23 Some institutions are developing their profile 
as  ‘civic  universities’  by  integrating  local,  regional  and  societal  issues  into  curricula, 
involving the local community in teaching and research projects, providing adult learning and 
communicating  and  building  links  with  local  communities.  Well-organised  voluntary  and 
community  work  can  be  a  particularly  effective  way  to  help  students  develop  their  wider 
practical experience and skills. HEIs should be engaged in the development of their cities and 
regions, whether through contributing to development strategies, cooperation with businesses, 
the public and voluntary sectors or supporting public dialogue about societal issues. Outreach 
beyond  the  academic  community  in  local  languages  should  be  incentivised  and  rewarded, 
including as part of career development. 

The Commission will: 

6.  Direct  Erasmus+  support  to  help  HEIs  in  developing  and  implementing  integrated 
institutional  strategies  for  inclusion,  gender  equality  and  study  success  from 
admission to graduation, including through cooperation with schools and VET providers. 

7.  Promote  development  and  testing  of  flexible  and  modular  course  design  to  support 
access to higher learning through specific priorities for Erasmus+ strategic partnerships. 

8.  Support  HEIs  wishing  to  award  ECTS  points  to  students  for  voluntary  and 

community activities, based on existing positive examples. 

9.  Support recognition of qualifications held by refugees to facilitate their access to higher 
education.  Activities  will  build  on  an  ongoing  Erasmus+  project  that  provides  practical 
guidelines  and  includes  peer-counselling  activities  between  NARICs24  and  stakeholders 
and  e-learning  modules,  and  will  complement  the  skills  profile  tool  for  third  country 
nationals. 

2.3   Ensuring higher education institutions contribute to innovation 

Many  higher  education  institutions  are  developing  new  solutions  to  economic,  social  and 
environmental problems. Ensuring these efforts are well-targeted and help solve immediate 
as  well  as  long-term  challenges  is  not  simple.  Innovation  is  the  most  important  driver  of 
economic  growth.  Research  institutes,  research-intensive  universities  and  universities  of 
applied science contribute to innovation in different, inter-related ways; and within and across 
multiple  geographical  boundaries.  Strengthening  the  contribution  of  higher  education  to 

23  
24  

As defined in the European Framework for Key Competences. 
National Academic Recognition Information Centres. 

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innovation  requires  action  across  all  higher  education  institutions’  activities  —  education, 
research and engagement with the wider world. Institutions need to build an outward-looking 
culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. 

New ideas and discoveries stem from human curiosity, creativity and initiative. All forms of 
higher  learning  should  aim  to  equip  students  with  the  ability  to  understand  new  concepts, 
think critically and creatively and act entrepreneurially to develop and apply new ideas. High 
quality  post-graduate  studies  and  doctoral  training  are  critical.  It  produces  researchers, 
developers and ‘innovation managers’ who drive scientific discovery and the promotion and 
adoption of new ideas. In comparison to the US and Japan, too few PhD holders in the EU go 
on  to  work  outside  academia.  HEIs  need  to  promote  this  through  greater  focus  in  doctoral 
programmes on the application of knowledge and interaction with future employers. 

HEIs should also play a wider role in local and regional development. The EU’s investment in 
regional development through innovation is guided by the principle of Smart Specialisation 
—  focusing  regional  investment  and  effort  on  innovation  in  sectors  with  high  growth 
potential. HEIs can do  more to facilitate connections between academics, entrepreneurs and 
public  authorities,  to  align  their  educational  offer  to  needs  identified  in  smart  specialisation 
strategies, seize opportunities for innovation in priority sectors, and help local businesses and 
other  organisations  understand  and  adopt  new  ways  of  thinking.  Making  all  this  happen 
should be part of a wider cultural change, whereby HEIs become ‘entrepreneurial actors'. 
The EU-supported HEInnovate tool25 helps in making innovation and entrepreneurship a core 
part  of  overall  institutional  strategy.  The  Seal  of  Excellence  provides  and  additional 
opportunity for investment in research and innovation26. 

The innovations of tomorrow depend on research undertaken today and on creative talent to 
exploit  the  results.  Governments  and  higher  education  systems  must  invest  intelligently  to 
develop areas of existing strength in ground-breaking research. Achieving research excellence 
is  linked  with  international  cooperation  and  mobility:  a  key  mission  of  the  Horizon  2020 
programme. But the EU can do more to strengthen centres of research excellence in more 
parts  of  Europe  and  to  encourage  the  translation  of  scientific  advances  into  marketable 
innovations.  

The Commission will: 

10. Expand the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) regional innovation 
scheme  (EIT-RIS)  model  and  the  EIT  label27  to  more  universities  and  regions,  to 
strengthen  development  of  entrepreneurship  and  innovation  skills  and  better  prepare 
doctoral candidates and graduates for working in innovative businesses. 

25  
26  

27  

https://heinnovate.eu 
The Seal of Excellence is a European Commission quality label awarded to excellent research and 
innovation project proposals that were submitted and positively evaluated under Horizon 2020, but not 
funded due to limited resources (https://ec.europa.eu/research/soe/index.cfm?pg=opportunities_msca) 
https://eit.europa.eu/activities/education/eit-label 

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11. Support  further  development  and  testing  of  teaching  methods  for  creativity  and 
innovation  in  higher  education,  building  on  joint  work  between  the  OECD  and  the 
European Commission28 in the school sector. 

12. Further  roll  out  Higher  Education  for  Smart  Specialisation29,  to  provide  advice  to 
public  authorities  to  involve  HEIs  and,  where  possible,  EIT  Knowledge  and  Innovation 
Communities  (KICs),  closely  in  the  design  and  implementation  of  Smart  Specialisation 
Strategies.  

13. Develop  opportunities  within  the  Marie  Skłodowska-Curie  actions  that  help  close  the 
research and innovation divide between Member States and regions and help address brain 
drain from less developed regions. 

14. Step up EU support for university-business cooperation, making the biannual University 
Business  Forum  a  focal  point  for  exchange  on  HEIs  and  regional  development  at 
European  level  and  promoting  the  establishment  of  regional  and  national  university-
business fora across the EU. 

2.4. 

Supporting effective and efficient higher education systems 

The ability of higher education institutions and systems to deliver what Europe needs relies on 
adequate  human  and  financial  resources,  incentives  and  rewards  efficiently  deployed. 
Governments remain the primary funders of higher education in most EU Member States and, 
in  all cases, play a crucial role  in setting  incentives, objectives and quality standards  for 
the higher education system as a whole. 

As  higher  education  is  called  on  to  do  more,  it  becomes  more  challenging  for  governments 
and  HEIs  to  determine  the  best  ways  to  target  and  balance  investment.  One  question  is 
whether more private money can and  should  be used  to  fund higher education. A  second is 
how to design funding systems that encourage higher education to deliver what society needs 
and reconcile the objectives of effectiveness, equity and efficiency. Many Member States are 
testing  performance-based  funding  and  institutional  agreements  that  set  out  agreed  goals 
individual  HEIs  will  achieve  in  return  for  public  funds.  Although  initial  results  of  these 
activities  are  promising,  defining  appropriately  broad  indicators  to  measure  progress  is  a 
challenge.  

In  addition  to  structural  measures  in  the  overall  funding  system,  some  countries  are 
introducing targeted incentives to improve particular aspects of higher education. To increase 
the prestige and rewards associated with good teaching, some have introduced new forms 
of  teaching  fellowship  and  frameworks  for  teaching  excellence.  Other  initiatives  aim  to 
strengthen  the  relationship  between  teaching  and  research  by  better  integrating  quality 
frameworks  and  funding  systems.30  Funding  initiatives  have  also  been  used  to  build  links 

28  
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30  

The CREASSESS project 
http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/hess . 
Some research funding systems include use of research in teaching as a selection criterion 

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between  HEIs  and  outside  partners,  promote  research-based  teaching,  support  inter-
disciplinary education and research and bring practical innovation into the classroom.  

While  HEIs  operate  in  a  framework  created  by  public  authorities  (funding,  accreditation, 
quality  assurance),  the  allocation  of  resources  and  creation  of  incentives  within  institutions 
has  a  major  impact.  Good  institutional  leadership  and  effective  internal  cooperation  and 
resource  management  become  even  more  important  when  the  institutions’  range  of  tasks 
increases and more emphasis is placed on measuring and demonstrating performance. 

The Commission will: 

15. Launch  a  review  of  funding,  incentive  and  reward  structures  for  higher  education 
systems, in cooperation with the OECD and build on the programme of peer counselling 
for EU Member States on good design of incentives and funding in higher education. 

16. Ensure researchers are encouraged to perform teaching tasks, and/or be trained to do so, as 

an integral part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions. 

3. 

STREAMLINING EU SUPPORT FOR HIGHER EDUCATION 

To achieve progress, EU activities and funding must be better coordinated … 

The  priorities  outlined  here  illustrate  the  extent  to  which  the  roles  of  higher  education  in 
education,  research,  society  and  innovation  —  the  four  elements  of  the  knowledge  helix  — 
are linked31. For higher education systems to work effectively these links must be recognised 
and  strengthened  in  the  strategies  of  individual  HEIs,  in  national  and  regional  higher 
education policy and across the activities the EU undertakes.  

…to support evidence for policy-making and practice 

By  measuring  the  performance  of  higher  education  policies,  systems  and  individual 
institutions in a comparable way, the EU helps to provide insights into what works. This can 
be used to spark discussions within national systems and institutions, and to provide a basis 
for finding better solutions to problems.  

To consolidate and improve evidence-building on higher education, the Commission will: 

17. Optimise synergies between EU evidence tools by creating a Knowledge Hub on higher 
education.  Incorporating  the  European  Tertiary  Education  Register  (ETER).32  U-
Multirank33 and the proposed pilot phase of the graduate tracking study, this will enhance 
data  quality,  comparability,  data  collection  and  indicators  and  draw  lessons  from 
implementation of EU higher education data tools to date. 

18. Strengthen the work of the Eurydice network and the Commission’s cooperation with 
the  OECD  and  its  Member  countries  in  higher  education,  research  and  innovation  to 
avoid duplication of efforts and benefit from joint work. 

31  
32  
33  

See description of quadruple helix in accompanying Staff Working Document 
https://ec.europa.eu/education/resources/european-tertiary-education-register_en . 
http://www.umultirank.org/#!/home?trackType=home . 

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…ensure available resources are used to invest strategically in higher education 

In addition to Erasmus+ funding, significant European Structural and Investment Funds 
have been allocated to support higher education in many parts of the EU, in particular in less 
developed  regions34.  The  HESS  project35  is  an  important  component  in  the  Commission’s 
ongoing strategy to help HEIs optimise these resources by improving their impact on regional 
economies and innovation capacity. The European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) is 
also starting to be used to attract private investment to specific higher education activities that 
offer good prospects of financial returns but deter traditional private sector lenders. 

…and promote international cooperation, exchange and mobility to boost quality 

Through  its  actions,  the  Commission  seeks  to  ensure  good  practices  and  the  latest 
developments  in  education,  research  and  innovation  are  shared  and  applied  as  widely  as 
possible  in  Europe  and  worldwide.  This  international  circulation  of  ideas  is  driven  by 
cooperation  between  students,  researchers,  staff,  institutions  and  governments;  physical 
mobility of individuals; and support for ‘internationalisation at home’ within European HEIs. 
This in turn helps institutions to become more open to the world and helps stem brain drain.  

EU  higher  education  and  research  programmes  are  increasing  their  focus  on  international 
cooperation, reflecting the range of expertise needed to solve complex global challenges. The 
Commission  will  continue  to  facilitate  student  and  staff  mobility  by  ensuring  that  Member 
States implement the recast directive on students and researchers36 and promoting electronic 
exchange  of  data  between  European  HEIs  and  mobile  students  and  staff.  In  view  of  the 
Bologna  Process  Ministerial  Conference  in  2018,  the  Commission  will  also  convene  EU 
Member  States  to  discuss  the  direction  of  future  cooperation  in  the  European  Higher 
Education Area.  

As  the  Commission  prepares  for  the  next  multiannual  EU  budget,  it  will  explore  with 
Member  States  the  future  of  shared  EU  targets  in  the  fields  of  education,  research  and 
innovation  and  seek  to  strengthen  cooperation  in  these  fields  as  a  basis  for  achieving  the 
objectives set out in this Communication. 

The Commission will: 
19. Simplify student mobility by building on existing Erasmus+ projects37 for the electronic 
exchange of student data and  explore the feasibility of establishing electronic  student 
identification systems to allow cross-border access to student services and data. 

20. Initiate a discussion with Member States and stakeholders, as part of the mid-term review 
of  Erasmus+,  on  efficient  support  to  students,  staff,  institutions  and  higher  education 
systems.   

34  

35  
36  
37  

Up to 2020, almost EUR 13 billion of Structural and Investment Funds have been allocated to higher 
education and public research infrastructures 
Higher Education for Smart Specialisation. 
Directive (EU) 2016/801 
https://www.erasmuswithoutpaper.eu/ ,http://europeanstudentcard.eu/, http://www.emrex.eu  

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4. 

CONCLUSIONS AND NEXT STEPS 

Implementation  of  this  renewed  agenda  will  require  cooperation  among  stakeholders  within 
and outside higher education. The Commission will initiate a dialogue on the implementation 
of these actions and will continue to engage with stakeholders, along with Member States, the 
European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions, the Economic and Social Committee and 
the European Investment Bank Group, to take forward the agenda and ensure alignment with 
priorities in current and future EU funding programmes.  

This renewed agenda for higher education forms part of the Commission's broader strategy to 
support young people and strengthen the European pillar of social rights. Complementing the 
Communication  on  school  development  and  excellent  teaching  and  the  European  Solidarity 
Corps, it recognises the vital role of higher education in laying the foundations of prosperous, 
inclusive, democratic societies. In taking forward this agenda, this is the ultimate goal that the 
Commission, Member States and stakeholders must keep in mind. 

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