It endorses calls for increased investment in research (3% of GDP) and higher education (2% GDP) already made by the European Commission. It also proposes a long-term agenda for higher education in these countries timed just before the Education Ministerial Summit scheduled for next week.
This is a timely, bold, unified attempt to state what universities can do to improve economic conditions, and how they can use resources from government stimulus packages. Perhaps universities in the US can learn from their experience.
Here's an excerpt provided in this EUA announcement.
Looking ahead to the next decade – the EUA Prague Declaration outlines 10 key success factors for European universities:
• widening opportunities for participation in, and successful completion of, higher education
• improving researcher careers
• providing relevant and innovative study programmes
• developing distinctive institutional research profiles
• shaping, reinforcing and implementing autonomy
• increasing and diversifying income
• enhancing quality and transparency
• promoting internationalisation
• increasing and improving the quality of mobility
• developing partnerships.
In the coming months, the EUA Board and Council will develop a specific action plan for each of these 10 issues with recommendations at the institutional, national and European level.
Please click to download a full version of the Declaration.
