CoR Plenary (April 2022)

In the context of the revitalised ERA Communication, this study sets out a stakeholder-driven, strategic Vision 2030 for the future of universities in Europe in research and innovation. Recognising Europe’s diverse university landscape, the study considers the extent to which – and how - universities’ ongoing transformations might best be supported through EU support (e.g. policy changes, funding, legal mechanisms). The Vision is underpinned by European values, such as respecting institutional autonomy and academic freedom, scientific and research excellence by exploiting universities’ investments in fundamental research, delivery societally-relevant research, maintaining trust, equality of opportunity and inclusivity, and openness based on reciprocity from third countries (e.g. through open science, open access and open data approaches in which Europe excels).

This ESIR Focus Paper provides a ‘deeper dive’ into the role of European Universities in achieving systemic change in the post-pandemic economy and society. It builds on and complements ESIR’s second Policy Brief, which offers guidance on how a ‘protect-prepare-transform’ approach in the post-pandemic Europe can ensure fast learning from innovation by relying on smart and coherent policies, collaborative efforts across levels of government and decentralisation of governance, and most importantly the courage to direct research and innovation at the transformations Europe is facing.

This analysis focuses on six challenges facing tertiary education in the EU: the need to maintain relevance to current and future aspirations, the impact of digital and disruptive technologies, the way it collaborates with business, global and intra-EU collaboration, quality assurance, financing and barriers to inclusion. It also looks at trends in two of the largest higher education systems outside the European Higher Education Area, those in the United States and China. This provides the backdrop to discuss how the next Multiannual Financial Framework, which is currently under negotiation, will put tools at the EU's disposal to exert some influence on the future trajectory of tertiary education, as well as the European Parliament's role in these negotiations.

In December 2020, the European Parliament Conference of Committee Chairs authorised the launch of an implementation report on the Implementation of inclusion measures within Erasmus+ 2014-2020 by the European Parliament Committee of Culture and Education (CULT) (2021/2009(INI)). The Ex-Post Evaluation Unit (EVAL) of EPRS has been asked to assist in the preparation of the implementation report with a European Implementation Assessment (EIA). The EIA consists of two parts: an in-house desk-research analysis and two external studies that combine desk research and primary data collection. The focus of the EIA is the learning mobility of individuals and the inclusion of young people with special needs or fewer opportunities.

European Union cooperation in the field of education and training has developed in a number of areas that now have well-established roots. The best-known example is possibly the Bologna Process that led to the establishment of the European higher education area. The Copenhagen Declaration lent impetus to a process of cooperation in vocational education and training. This was accompanied by two strategic framework agreements for European cooperation in education and training (ET2010 and ET2020). The debate in the European Parliament is in its initial phase with the rapporteur noting that, while there is agreement on the need for a European education area and ongoing cooperation, the European institutions have yet to adopt a single approach.

The European Commission and the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) put in place several supporting measures. The supporting measures included three surveys carried out by EACEA in May and October 2020 and in October 2021 in order to gather quantitative and qualitative data from Erasmus Mundus consortia on the impact of the sanitary crisis on the programmes and the students.

The EU’s multiannual financial framework and programming period (2021-2027) offers an opportunity for synergies between funding programmes, building on the experience of projects funded under Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020. This is in line with the Commission’s efforts to maximise the impact of EU funding and encourage complementarities. This note looks in detail at possible synergies and complementarities between actions targeting the higher education sector under Horizon Europe - in particular the Marie Skodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) - and Erasmus+, including the European Universities Initiative which draws funds from both programmes