HIGHER EDUCATION IN EUROPE
AND THE DANUBE REGION
Prof. Dr. MIROSLAV VESKOVIC
Rector of the University of Novi Sad
President of the Danube Rectors’ Conference (DRC) 2010
PÉCS, OCTOBER 2010
HIGHER EDUCATION IN EUROPE
AND THE DANUBE REGION
• 2010 is an important date on the European calendar. It not
only marks the first decade of the twentieth century, but in
education policy terms, the first decade of advancement on
the European Lisbon goals, and a significant benchmark for
the European policy Education and Training 2010 and the
Bologna Process.
• What is the future of Education and Training 2010 beyond
2010?
HIGHER EDUCATION IN EUROPE
AND THE DANUBE REGION
• Three major issues are identified as facing higher education
in the years to come:
– the challenges of demography,
– global competitiveness,
– redefinition of the roles and responsibilities of the various
actors in a system defining higher education as a public good.
HIGHER EDUCATION IN EUROPE
AND THE DANUBE REGION
• The first major issue facing Europe in the decade to come is
the demographic challenge of an ageing and increasingly
diverse population in a knowledge society. This challenge is
to be met by reinforcing the social dimension of higher
education, by fully engaging in lifelong learning practices
and by rethinking international mobility.
• Migration as a Counter-Development?
• Scenarios of higher education in 2050
HIGHER EDUCATION IN EUROPE
AND THE DANUBE REGION
 European higher education between cooperation and competition
HIGHER EDUCATION IN EUROPE
AND THE DANUBE REGION
 The roles and responsibilities of the various actors in a
system defining higher education as a public good
HIGHER EDUCATION IN EUROPE
AND THE DANUBE REGION
• The Danube macro region and the Danube strategy
• Regional differences and Danube Region Added Value
• multilateral cooperation structures between universities and
research institutes are missing
• Cooperation could advance building on already existing
structures, like the Danube Rectors Conference, which
however lacks common resources, both financially and
institutionally
• research infrastructure needs to be modernized
• BRAIN CIRCULATION
HIGHER EDUCATION IN EUROPE
AND THE DANUBE REGION
In order to promote policies mentioned one can try:
• To establish a Danube research fund promoting excellence in
research in the Danube Region
• To strengthen university cooperation through a Danube
Region Education, Research and Innovation Platform
• To promote innovation and business' success in new
markets
HIGHER EDUCATION IN EUROPE
AND THE DANUBE REGION
It is time to go from ‘words to actions’!
HIGHER EDUCATION IN EUROPE
AND THE DANUBE REGION