THE NUCE (2nd Year)
Outcomes of Working Group 12: UCE and Interface with Society
Convenor: Pau Verrié, IDEC-UPF
Preliminary remarks:
After the meeting in Brussels (December, 1997), where some Critical Points were detected,
a document based on the experience of Barcelona was used to launch the discussion. It
allowed to examine experiences of the different forms of liaison between the University and
Society in terms of UCE from a European dimension. The identification of good practices
in the group cannot be considered as solutions, because of the diversity of national
traditions. Nevertheless some initiatives to disseminate them at a European level can be
proposed.
Outcomes of the discussion:
1.
Identification of some critical points to be analysed
 How universities can adapt their offer and their structure to social needs through
Continuing Education?
 How universities can stimulate the promotion of economic development?
 How the innovations can be integrated in the current development of our
institutions?
 How the outside decisions -laws, local government projects, and others- have an
effect on universities and how can they offer an opportunity of change?
 Can the University be pro-active or is it condemned to be re-active?
 Which are the different forms of liaison between the University and Society in
terms of UCE?
 What does Society means?
2.
To identify different forms of relationship between University and Society. Case
studies. Examples of good practices.
The WG has detected and analysed different cases:
a)
b)
c)
3.
National references about models and experiences in the development of
the liaison between University and Society. References about the cases of
Finland, United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden, Poland and Latin America
have been introduced. The cases of Barcelona (through the experience of
the University of Barcelona, Pompeu Fabra University and Polytechnic
University),
Örebro (Unikum Development Centre) and London
(Goldsmiths College) were especially analysed.
Experiences related to specific professional sectors: technology, finances,
audio-visual communication.
Experiences related to Local development initiatives: the University, as
institution, has a key role in the local community and it’s frequently asked
to participate in tasks of planning. Furthermore, at an individual level,
it’s not strange to find members of the University on the board of public
administration or private companies.
Obstacles and opportunities to improve the role of interface between UCE and
Society
3.1.
Internal aspects:
3.1.1.
Taking seriously the CE in the University, the relationship with the
society can be promoted.
UCE has different ways to be organised and it generates different forms of
liaison with Society. In the case of external units (foundations, especial
departments, for ex.), there are more possibilities that the rest of the
University keeps outside this tendency.
3.1.2.
UCE has switched the reticence of the Academia to get in direct contact
with enterprises and has recognised that in the companies there is also
knowledge (and resources) to find.
3.1.3.
UCE has played a important role in changing the reticence of companies
in contracting research and innovation with University. Offering its results
in a short term, the CE has been a good way to test the capacity of
universities to give an answer to the demands of enterprises.
The centres for continuing education and centres for knowledge and
technology transfer must be closely linked within the framework of an
interface body, which must become the university’s sole means of
communicating with social organisations.
3.1.4.
Training programmes must be adapted to suit the needs of society - the
clients - and every means of contact between the university and social
organisations must be used in order to validate the practical application of
the programme contents
3.1.5.
The organisational structures of the universities must be adapted to
optimise their potential and to make this potential available to society.
3.1.6.
UCE has shown to Universities how the competition between different
suppliers can lead to improve the standards of quality and to develop new
strategies of co-operation and partnership. UCE has been a way to
develop partnership that you’d never have found in the University
activities themselves.
3.2.
External aspects:
3.2.1.
Strengthening the role of interface bodies between the university and
society as a key element in the process of innovation, based on the view
that innovation is essential to enabling the needs of society to be better
met and that it is a precondition for long-term survival.
3.2.2.
Increasing tendency to talk about competence and skills as key issues to
be developed.
In front of the traditional contents of education and CE, the new
requirements of competence gives a new profile to CE and UCE where
individuals, with the help of new technologies have to give an answer to
the new requirements of competitiveness in companies.
3.2.3.
When talking about Society, we are not only talking about Business. The
Social aspects have been something rare in the universities. Universities
have an important role to play in the Society from social fields: social
exclusion (initially developed under the umbrella of the European
Commission initiatives) or local initiatives to promote economic
development.
3.3.
UCE in the interface with the Society
3.3.1.
Strengthening the spreading of information from universities to society
and drawing these two parties closer together. Structuring what is offered
from the point of view of the needs of society businesses and the public
sector.
3.3.2.
Strengthening the interface between universities and society in order to
act as a “single window”, gathering and channelling society’s demands
towards the university.
4.
3.3.3.
Stimulating projects undertaken at the end of courses and other studies
and projects allied to the demands of society, with special attention to the
emerging business sectors and new sources of employment.
3.3.4.
Strengthening multidisciplinary projects done through co-operation
between the university and social agents.
To develop tools to disseminate them at a European level.
4.1.
To organise presentations to financial and business associations on the
techniques and knowledge being developed or which may be developed at
the university.
4.2.
To organise forums and debates involving the university and economic
and social agents in order to promote any possible synergy.
4.3.
To establish stable lines of contact between the university and agents
acting in the market, such as consultants, administrators, managers,
presidents of business associations, etc.
4.4.
To elaborate a Check-in List to be distributed among the Universities and
the economic and social agents to evaluate which is the present level of
relationship between University and Society.
4.3.
To organise seminars or conferences to promote among the University
community a institutional link with the society.