EUA: Join our projects
Join our projects - Benefit more from EUA membership
Dear EUA members,
One of EUA's key objectives is to support the development of its member universities through promoting dialogue and the exchange of good practice on topics of common concern. We believe that this is all the more important in these challenging times and I therefore take great pleasure in informing you of the launch of three new EUA activities in which you are invited to take part. These new projects focus respectively on: the development of lifelong learning strategies, the diversification of funding streams and the nature of internal quality assurance practices.
We very much hope that your university will make use of these opportunities to work together with us and with colleagues from across Europe on these three important themes for universities. Our goal is to ensure that each participating university will benefit from working together with peers and thus also contribute to mutual learning across Europe.
The three projects are:
1. Shaping Inclusive and Responsive University Strategies (SIRUS)
As a response to increasing societal demands and in order to support universities as central pillars of a Europe of Knowledge, EUA launched, in October 2008, the European Universities' Charter on Lifelong Learning. Now we invite universities to apply for participation in the Charter's follow-up project: 'Shaping Inclusive and Responsive University Strategies (SIRUS).' Through this project twenty selected universities with different profiles and interests in lifelong learning (LLL), and at different stages of LLL implementation, will be given an opportunity to develop and enhance their strategic LLL approaches, in interactive discussion with colleagues from all over Europe. Furthermore, this project will allow participating institutions to share their own policies and experience at European level. Applications should be submitted by 11 December 2009, 12.00 CET. More information can be found on the EUA website.
2. European Universities Diversifying Incomes Streams (EUDIS)
Ensuring that universities are adequately funded is a core concern to EUA. In the EUDIS project, EUA tries to bring an institutional perspective on the topic of funding, with a view to informing national and European policy makers on how best to facilitate a sensible diversification of income streams. This project will be particularly interesting for those leaders and administrators facing challenges in the implementation of their funding strategy, or those exploring new avenues to raise funds. EUA is pleased that over 140 institutions participated in the EUDIS online survey and its preliminary findings have already been presented to the EUDIS seminar held in Madrid on 16-17 October 2009. In its second stage, the project is now focusing on the collection of qualitative data on income diversification through institutional site visits.
Universities can get involved in the EUDIS project by hosting a EUDIS site visit, by putting forward their experience in diversifying income streams or by participating in the Experts' Conference in Bologna (22-23 April 2010), for which EUA is looking for instructive examples of income diversification (successes and challenges). Please contact the project team for more information at eudis@eua.be or visit www.eua.be/eudis.
3. Examining Quality Culture in Higher Education Institutions
Enhancing the quality of European higher education is at the heart of the construction of the European Higher Education Area. European countries and universities are committed to supporting the development of quality assurance at institutional, national and European level. Moreover, since the Bologna Ministerial meeting held in Bergen in 2005, there is consensus that "the primary responsibility for quality assurance in higher education lies within higher education institutions". So far, however, there has not been an overarching study on internal quality assurance practices within higher education institutions, and in the public eye it has been external quality assurance that has gained more visibility.
It is in this context that EUA is launching a new project "Examining quality culture in higher education institutions (EQC)." The first phase of the project will be launched in February 2010 via a questionnaire addressed to EUA members. We look forward to your participation in this project. More information on the project aims and activities can be found on the EUA website.
These are just the three latest examples of how EUA seeks to involve members in an increasingly broad range of activities being carried out together with, and on behalf of, its members. We hope very much that you will join us in making these activities a success and thus help us to deliver on our organisational goal of promoting: "Strong universities for Europe."
Yours sincerely,
Lesley Wilson
EUA Secretary General