CONFERENCE REPORT
Innovative Strategies for Higher
Education in Latin America and Europe
International Collaboration and Regional Development
São Paulo, Brazil
11 - 14 November 2012
First Bi-regional
University
Association
Conference
Table of content
Executive Summary
5
Introduction7
Context8
Structure of the conference and themes
9
Conference conclusions
10
Towards a global knowledge society
10
Regional integration and collaboration within the Latin American region
11
Qualifications Frameworks
12
Mobility and recognition
13
Regional collaboration in quality assurance
14
Doctoral education
15
Collaboration
16
An evidence base for decision-making
18
Government investment18
The next conference
19
5
Executive Summary
•The conference Innovative Strategies for Higher Education in Latin America and Europe: International Collaboration and Regional Development, 11–14 November 2012, São Paulo, Brazil,
was the first Europe-Latin America bi-regional conference of university associations, organised
by the Alfa PUENTES project. 28 different national and regional associations were represented
amongst the 200 higher education leaders from 34 countries.
• The conference focused in particular on the processes and initiatives that enhance international collaboration and regional integration in higher education which have gained speed in both
regions, and the roles that university leadership and university associations play.
• When it comes to current trends in regional collaboration and harmonisation, discussions
proved that Latin American and European institutions are increasingly dealing with similar issues — access, quality, excellence and societal responsiveness. While European attempts to face
some of these issues can be embodied by the Bologna Process, Latin American responses have
often occurred through networks, initiatives and projects at national and regional level. For example, the Alfa PUENTES project supports three regional integration projects in Latin America
which seek to enhance regional collaboration in quality assurance (Andean region), study mobility and recognition (Mercosur), and the establishment of a regional qualifications framework
(Central America). University associations are the driving actors in these processes. Considerable practice sharing between European and Latin American associations as well as internal
Latin America collaboration is critical to relevance and quality of the project.
• The conference looked closely at the themes of these respective sub-regional projects: In Latin
America, Qualification Frameworks (QF) are not yet widely known or developed, though some
countries have started to consider sectoral or comprehensive QF (e.g. in Chile, Mexico). As
part of the Alfa PUENTES project, universities in Central America are assessing the prospects
of developing a regional QF for higher education, which would further enhance their efforts to
harmonise degrees and enhance mobility in the region. A clear question is what a Central American regional QF could further contribute with regards to democratisation and inclusiveness of
higher education, knowledge integration, and internal and international mobility. This is in many
ways a question that Europeans are still grappling with as they design and implement national
qualifications frameworks that correspond to a European framework.
6
• Mobility and recognition are two fundamental objectives of regional convergence processes
and bi-regional EU-Latin America higher education cooperation. In Latin America, while some
governments have recently recognised the importance of scaling mobility up (such as Brazil and
Chile who have launched massive programmes to enhance the numbers of degree students
trained abroad), mobility is not necessarily a priority for all institutions and remains a right of a
privileged few. In addition to the need for greater promotion, funding opportunities and institutional preparedness to support student and staff mobility, recognition of studies abroad remains
a problem in Europe and Latin America, though many initiatives have been put in place to enhance it, both at government and institutional level. But more work must be done via networks
and through collaborative/joint programmes to truly advance recognition on a wider level and
promote academic mobility.
• The strategic importance of doctoral education in particular was discussed at the conference,
as a means to link the teaching and research agendas of institutions. With regards to Latin
America, where research capacity is limited to a few major cities and in particular to Brazil and
Mexico, capacity-building partnerships both in a North-South and South-South constellation has
proven to be an effective means for growth. The objective is not simply to train PhD candidates
(whether it be at home or abroad), but to ensure that they have an appropriate career path and
that their skills are utilised in public and private sector and in academia. The collaborative accreditation of doctoral programmes was one positive way forward cited, particularly for SouthSouth cooperation.
• There is already robust collaboration between European and Latin American universities,
however specific means were discussed to enhance it: higher education and research partnerships should include two-way exchanges and greater reciprocity between EU and Latin America.
More innovative approaches should be explored, such as linking cooperation and mobility grants
through consortia comprised of universities from different countries of both regions. In this
framework, a strong focus should be put on the careers of young researchers (post-doctorates,
doctoral candidates, but also Master’s students). Enhancement of joint degrees or collaborative
delivery of programmes, the establishment of research clusters, industry partnerships and joint
labs were other concrete suggestions that have been made.
• Finally, regarding the question of why Europe and Latin America in particular should collaborate (given the emergence of other regions), the point was made that Europe needs to balance its global engagements across different world regions if its internationalisation is to be
truly responsive. While Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries have natural frameworks
to collaborate with Latin America, European countries ranging from the North to the East are
increasingly expanding the scope of their international outreach and should consider strategic
partnerships with this emerging and dynamic continent.
7
Introduction
The conference Innovative Strategies for Higher Education in Latin America and Europe: International Collaboration and Regional Development, 11–14 November 2012, São Paulo, Brazil addressed a broad range of issues related to higher education and research collaboration
between Latin America and Europe. It targeted representatives of university associations and
university leadership from European and Latin America, bringing together 200 participants, from
34 countries, 90 of whom were university rectors and vice-rectors. Among the participants were
also government representatives from Brazil, Argentina, Honduras, Germany, and the European
Commission, as well as international higher education organisations. The event was an initiative
of the Alfa PUENTES project, an EU co-financed project led by the European University Association (EUA), in collaboration with 22 national and regional university associations of Latin America
and Europe. The project puts a strong focus on higher education internationalisation in both
regions and in particular Latin American regional integration, and explores the specific role of
university associations in driving these processes. The conference, organised by EUA, the Association of Universities “Grupo Montevideo”, OBREAL and four of its members in São Paulo, was
the first of a series of two under Alfa PUENTES, to be followed up in December 2013. This report
summarises the major themes, content and conclusions from the event.
8
Context
Over the past decades, higher education has become an important driver for social and economic
innovation and development, and a priority for national development agendas. Higher education
sectors have thus expanded and diversified considerably, taking on new missions. In this context,
higher education has also become much more globally oriented and international. Beyond international research collaboration and teaching exchanges, universities today engage in partnerships that range from local community projects to global enterprise collaboration.
When it comes to Latin America and Europe, historic and cultural ties in higher education are
strong, yet the dynamics and prospects for global partnerships are changing rapidly. This has
been accelerated by the economic emergence of a variety of countries within Latin America and
in other regions and the general understanding that the internationalisation of higher education,
in a more global sense, is critical. Priorities for cooperation between the two regions thus need
to be examined, as well as how bi-regional higher education policy agendas/frameworks can
support this.
The conference was planned in this context, and aspired to present and compare some of these
development trends in Latin America and Europe. Focus was placed on the processes and initiatives that enhance international collaboration and regional integration, which have gained speed
in both regions, and the roles that university leadership and university associations play. While
Brazil, an important emerging economy and global higher education actor, was certainly featured, the conference was centred around regional cooperation dynamics, and aimed to examine
both continents with regards to their diversity and convergence trends.
9
Structure of the conference and themes
The conference was structured around two key themes: “Modernising higher ed¬ucation – institutional, national and regional strategies” and “Local, regional and international collaboration”.
In particular, several topics that are integral to higher education convergence and cooperation
and to Alfa PUENTES (both the survey and the project activities in three sub-regions) were examined in break-out sessions: the development of qualifications frameworks and their impact
on teaching and learning (the project theme in Central America), international collaboration in
quality assurance (the project theme of the Andean Community), mobility of degree-seeking students and recognition (the project theme of the Mercosur countries), and the growth and change
in doctoral education (a transversal topic).
Ample opportunity was also provided for networking, smaller group discussion on specific topics,
and information sessions on relevant initiatives and programmes. On 11 November, a series of optional pre-conference meetings took place, including an invitation-only round table for leadership
of university associ¬ations in Latin America and Europe, as well as an information session on the
implications of the Brazilian “Science without Borders” programme in Europe. In addition, an official opening of the event on the evening of 11 November featured the Secretary of University Policy
of Brazil, who outlined the growth and development of the Brazilian higher education system.
The event concluded with a series of messages and considerations for deepening university association and leadership partnership from both regions, highlighted in this summary, and an announcement of the forthcoming conference at the end of 2013, where the dialogue may be continued.
10
Conference conclusions
The following section provides more details on the conference discussions and conclusions
reached, grouped into major themes. These points will be taken up throughout the remaining
Alfa PUENTES project, in the next round of this conference series and hopefully through future
dialogue and cooperation channels.
Towards a global knowledge society
On the first day of the main conference programme, Prof Helena Nazaré, President of the European University Association, and Dr Rodrigo Arocena, Rector of University of the Republic,
Uruguay, set the tone of the event with two keynote presentations, highlighting the present challenges and policy contexts for higher education in Latin America and Europe. Europe, threatened by economic downturn and a demographic slide, is at a critical moment where the role of
the university is being challenged. While regional convergence processes such as Bologna have
transformed the landscape of higher education in Europe, rendering systems more comparable
and compatible, work must still be done to advance student-centred learning, shape university
missions, and ensure that they are locally, regionally and globally responsive. In Latin America,
where higher education has also expanded dramatically, the challenges are similar to Europe,
though systems are confronted with even more polarised social and economic diversity. The need
to create/reinvent socially responsive, inclusive, sustainable institutions with public missions is
shared by all Latin American countries, particularly in light of the dramatic shift towards knowledge societies.
The so-called “knowledge society” has become the dominant policy discourse, but its global
usage disguises a variety of different policy objectives (e.g. competitiveness in the EU, democratisation of knowledge and social inclusion in Latin America). The role played by higher education
in growing “knowledge economies” is context-dependent and not easily quantified. Higher education institutions are likely to adapt it in different ways, according to their missions.
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Regional integration and collaboration within the Latin American region
European participants explained the national reforms that resulted from the Bologna Process,
an intergovernmental European initiative based on voluntary national commitment. In many
countries significant changes occurred over the past 12 years, though reforms in teaching and
learning in particular still require further adjustment and development at national level and wider institutional implementation. But in principal, Bologna succeeded in providing an urgently
needed push both towards modernisation and internationalisation of European higher education
systems, and improved their ability to articulate with each other. This has tangible benefits for
institutional collaboration and staff and student exchanges among European universities. The
Bologna Process and its various actions lines have been widely studied in a global context, and
it remains critical to share European practice with international partners, which is one feature
of Alfa PUENTES. In particular, international collaboration on quality assurance, including the
European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance and European Quality Assurance Register, were noted as receiving international/global interest, as well as the discussions on learning
outcomes and a common credit transfer system.
In Latin America, the Bologna Process was initially met with suspicion as it was believed to
possibly threaten academic freedom and institutional autonomy. However, the process has also
triggered curiosity and expectation, as it seemed to hold some lessons for Latin America with
regards to regional collaboration and internationalisation, and how to address a growing and
diversifying student body.
The discussions proved that Latin American and European institutions are increasingly dealing
with similar issues; while the European attempt to face some of these issues can be equated to
the Bologna Process, Latin American responses have often occurred through networks, initiatives and projects at national and regional level. For example, the European Commission Alfa programme and the projects it has funded have helped to create awareness for European reforms in
Latin America. This has also been manifested in the approach that the Alfa PUENTES project has
taken, as it supports three regional integration projects in Latin America, which seek to enhance
regional collaboration in quality assurance (Andean Community), study mobility and recognition
(Mercosur), and the establishment of a regional qualifications framework (Central America).
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Qualifications Frameworks
In Europe, regional and national Qualification Frameworks (QF) have been developed as part of
the Bologna Process and the European Union Lisbon Agenda. Currently, most European countries have established QF, or are in the process of doing so, but it is still premature to assess
their actual impact. A case study gave an insight to Dublin University College, Ireland, which from
2005 on has gradually referenced its study programmes against the national qualification frameworks, defined learning outcomes and also revising the related marks and standards. While this
met some scepticism in the institution, a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches
as well as joint committees, workshops and clinics ensured participation and commitment of all
members of the institution, including students. It was important to keep a clear view of the actual
goals: to enhance the students’ learning experience, to give them more choice, and to enhance
opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. As a result, learning programmes
and processes have become more transparent for students, and have also enhanced exchange
and collaboration among academic teachers.
In Latin America, Qualification Frameworks (QF) are not yet widely known or developed, though
some countries have started to consider sectoral or comprehensive QF (e.g. in Chile, Mexico). As
part of the Alfa PUENTES project, universities in Central America are assessing the prospects of
developing a regional QF for higher education, which would further enhance their efforts to harmonise degrees and enhance mobility in the region. A presentation from the National University
of Costa Rica explained how already in the 1980s universities in Costa Rica started to seek agreement among each other regarding degree profiles. A national board of rectors was established to
develop a national plan for education, in a process that resembles in some respects the Bologna
Process. A joint platform has been created to coordinate courses development, establish a joint
credit system, and regulate the recognition of foreign degrees. Since a number of years now,
new study programmes are required to be developed by academic teams from at least two universities. A national accreditation system and joint certification and pooling of labs and libraries
have been additional achievements under the process. Among the Costa Rican institutions, this
experience has been a very positive one, and it is felt that this process has contributed to harmonising higher education and to enhancing the transparency and clarity of degrees, which is
both beneficial at the national level, and for international relations.
A clear question for the CSUCA, which coordinates the sub-regional project on QFs, is what a
Central American regional QF could further contribute with regards to democratisation and inclusiveness of higher education, to knowledge integration, and to internal and international mobility.
It was very much felt that higher education should not be overshadowed by economic and social
policies and market realities, as these do not necessarily foster economic and social inclusion.
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Mobility and recognition
Mobility and recognition are two fundamental objectives of regional convergence processes and
of bi-regional EU-Latin America higher education cooperation. Mobility has been a goal of the
Bologna Process, both to enhance the quality of the learning experience and to prepare graduates for an international labour market. The European Union has further identified mobility as
a means to deepen integration and to enhance the strength and cohesiveness of its economic
and research sectors, for which higher education is one of the central drivers. In Latin American
countries, academic exchange with both Europe and North America has a longstanding tradition,
but Latin American countries are not generally receiving countries, and a recent survey of internationalisation by the International Association of Universities shows that Latin America does
not seem to consider itself as a partner for cooperation (unlike the case of Europe). While some
governments have recently recognised the importance of scaling mobility up (such as Brazil and
Chile who have launched massive programmes to enhance the numbers of degree students
trained abroad), mobility is not necessarily a priority for all institutions and remains a right of a
privileged few. Mobility between higher education institutions is still subject to many obstacles
(in Europe as well), including systematic problems with the recognition of qualifications, and the
persistent risk of brain drain that remains a concern for many countries.
A case study from the University of Trento presented the Italian context, both on how recognition
of degrees is done at national level and how the university in particular implements actions
to increase mobility and overcomes obstacles of recognition. At national level, the Italian NARIC (National Academic Recognition Centre) provides information on the recognition of foreign
qualifications. International bilateral recognition agreements also exist between Italy and many
countries, though participants seemed to agree that such agreements are often somewhat random articulations of foreign policy that do not always correspond to university needs nor are they
enforced or implemented. In Italy, as in many European countries, the ultimate competency for
academic recognition lies with the universities, and thus universities need to develop their own
processes and procedures, ideally in line with European commitments. The University of Trento
links this to their international strategy, and attempts to enhance recognition by increasing the
number of joint study programmes and embedding mobility in structured partnerships with other institutions. Erasmus Mundus has been one vehicle to do this.
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In Latin America, some bi-lateral and even sub-regional (Mercusor) academic recognition agreements exist, however it was noted that this does not necessarily imply recognition of the qualification (i.e. the right to work across borders). Recognition of degrees is a public responsibility,
monitored by the ministries or delegated to a public higher education agency or association
(Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, Costa Rica). That is often based on a review process that leaves
little room for innovation. Recently, new agreements and initiatives involving accreditation results
have been developed on a national level in Latin America and there is potential to change this,
though the process is very slow. The work that is being done on regional level/sub-regional level
with regards to joint accreditation (such as in Mercosur as of present and also in the Andean
Community under Alfa PUENTES) also has potential to improve recognition, though in reality
very few students participate in such jointly accredited programmes. More work must be done
via networks and through collaborative/joint programmes to truly advance recognition on a wider
level and promote academic mobility.
Regional collaboration in quality assurance
Quality Assurance (QA) plays an important role in establishing trust and common understanding
between universities in the national and increasingly in the international context. This is also
reflected in recent developments in external QA processes and procedures: one example has
been the push for a “European Dimension in QA”, which has resulted in “European Standards and
Guidelines” that have been adopted by national QA agencies; another case is the establishment
of the European Quality Assurance Agency Register (EQAR). In Latin America, transnational approaches to QA are also high on the agenda, and have been discussed and advanced through a
variety of networks and initiatives. In the political framework of the Mercosur region, a regional
programme accreditation approach has been established, and in Central America a regional
accreditation body supports national agencies and promotes common standards. The university associations and agencies of the Andean Community are undertaking similar efforts in the
framework of the Alfa PUENTES project, as they pilot a joint programme accreditation process,
informed by other regional and international examples.
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Doctoral education
A recent EUA study on doctoral education in Latin America, Southern Africa, South-East Asia and
Europe states broad convergence of the development trends regarding the discourse on doctoral
education, national and institutional agendas, and the growing internationalisation. Despite different environmental conditions, it is an important issue for both Latin American and European
universities, around which dialogue should be enhanced.
Fully in line with the trend stated in the EUA study, the discussions confirmed that doctoral students can no longer be expected to remain in academia – nor should they. The recruitment of
PhDs in state bureaucracies and multi-national corporations is a positive development, insofar
as it guarantees a wider appreciation of the strategic value of research. Professional doctorates
will help reinforce this process. But it also calls for major efforts to increase the number of
doctorates. This in turn raises the issue of diversification of the university system, and the delineation between universities that are more oriented towards preparing “good professionals” for
the market, versus universities that are more clearly oriented towards carrying out world-class
research as part of their mission and seeking to participate actively in main stream science. The
emergence and role of the “Research University”, as well as the role played by the other types of
universities is a current policy debate in many countries in both Latin America in Europe and has
a direct impact on funding patterns. The case of Colombia was cited explicitly.
The need to ensure state support for both doctoral education and research has been stressed,
and there can be no trade-off between them. Higher education institutions and the academic and
research communities at large must lobby accordingly.
It was noted that there are different models of research capacity-building (bilateral, consortial,
regional, etc.); the priority is to avoid relations of dependency. This can be exemplified by the
European Union drive to create an “Innovation Union” and the variety of policy and funding mechanisms that exist on a European level (European Research Area, European Research Council,
European Institute of Technology, etc.). With regards to Latin America, where research capacity
is limited to a few major cities and in particular to Brazil and Mexico, capacity-building partnerships both in a N-S and S-S constellation has proven to be an effective means for growth. The
objective is not simply to train PhD candidates (whether it be at home or abroad), but to ensure
that that they have an appropriate career path and that their skills are utilised in the public and
private sector and in academia.
The collaborative accreditation of doctoral programmes was one positive way forward cited, particularly for South-South cooperation.
16
Collaboration
There was wide agreement that the interest in cooperation and exchange among Latin American
and European higher education institutions has been growing substantially over the past years.
Lessons are to be drawn from successful Erasmus Mundus and Alfa projects, but there was
consensus that collaboration is still far from reaching its full potential, in particular with regards
to research collaboration. The European Commission stressed that research is a high priority on
the EU-Latin America policy agenda. The EU-CELAC Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation
has recently made efforts to scale up collaborations as mandated in the Madrid Summit Action
Plan. Most of the work of the Joint Initiative is carried out in thematic working groups (ICT, food
security, biodiversity) meeting with the political legitimisation of the senior officials from the
different countries in Latin America and the EU. The hope is to expand the reach of this platform
to multiple stakeholders, and ensure university involvement. The European Commission thus
supported that the conference be referenced in the conclusions of the EU-LAC Summit in Santiago in January 2013.
Participants of the conference agreed to the following: In enhancing the possibilities for collaborative research between Latin America and Europe, higher education and research partnerships should include two-way exchanges and greater reciprocity between EU and Latin America. More innovative approaches should be explored, such as linking cooperation and mobility
grants through consortia comprised of universities from different countries of both regions. In
this framework, a strong focus should be put on the careers of young researchers (post-doc,
doctoral candidates, but also Master’s students). Enhancement of joint degrees or collaborative
delivery of programmes, the establishment of research clusters, industry partnerships and joint
labs were other concrete suggestions that were made.
17
The development and implementation of grant programmes at regional and international level has also been discussed, in particular the example of the Brazilian Science without Border
scheme. Participants discussed the potential added value of such schemes in laying ground for
multinational research and education partnerships between institutions of both regions and for
building research and teaching capacity. It was noted that most large scale national scholarship
schemes are organised bilaterally, Science without Borders being a clear case as different European governments have negotiated their participation bilaterally with the Brazilian authorities.
It was proposed that on the European side, a more European approach could be taken, and such
a scholarship scheme could be implemented by university consortia from different European
countries (as practiced already under the Erasmus Mundus) which would allow to pool research
and training capacities and enable researchers and students to have research and study stays
in several places and countries across Europe, according to academic and linguistic interests.
While the EU does have a role to play in supporting national scholarship schemes of third countries (the EU has helped to encourage a variety of smaller member states to commit to Science
without Borders, for example), European organisations and universities can and should take a
leading role in sharing practice on how the programme is implemented and ensuring quality
exchanges and learning experiences for both Brazilian and European institutions.
Finally, regarding the question of why Europe and Latin America in particular should collaborate (given the emergence of other regions), the point was made that Europe needs to balance
its global engagements across different world regions if its internationalisation is to be truly
responsive. It was noted that while the rectors’ conferences of France, Germany, Portugal and
Spain were strongly represented at the event, the Polish and Hungarian rectors’ conferences
also attended. These countries and others in Europe are not only interested in expanding their
international cooperation and student exchange to LA, but also have valuable lessons to share
under Alfa PUENTES with regards to regional HE integration.
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An evidence base for decision-making
The conference also addressed Latin American higher education reform trends, which were captured by a preliminary analysis of a large cross-regional university leadership, professor and
student survey (TRESAL), carried out by Alfa PUENTES. While EUA and other European level
bodies have conducted such studies in the past decade, little data exists at regional level in Latin
America regarding change processes in universities and perceptions of policy developments.
Alfa PUENTES sought to capture such data with the help of national university associations and
their members, though efforts need to be made to substantiate the data in some countries. A
sub-regional (Andean Community, Central America, Mexico and Mercosur) snap shot of the data
was also highlighted, which would be further elaborated when the complete information will be
published in 2013.
It was noted that there is a need for evidence based decision-making for future programmes and
initiatives. The TRESAL (Transformaciones en la Educación Superior en América Latina) survey
of the Alfa PUENTES project has attempted to do this and can hopefully be continued in the future as a regular exercise.
Government investment
While university leadership perspectives were mostly featured in the conference, one panel presented government priorities and investments in higher education. Examples from France and
Germany highlighted the impact of competitive pressures in Europe to excel in research, as well
as the positive influence of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) in driving national reform. It was stressed that government investment in higher education remains critical, and relies
very much on making the case, from both a social and economic perspective, about the longterm gains of higher education. While Germany has been a successful case of higher education
investment in light of (and to combat) the economic crisis, many European governments have
made cuts or not increased spending sufficiently. Research and development, as well as doctoral
studies were seen as unanimous policy priorities (in Latin America and Europe) and more specifically engineer training was named a specific need for Argentina.
Furthermore, Germany, France and Argentina all pointed to the new policy prioritisation of internationalisation, which has both regional and global dimensions. This topic was further explored
by rectors from countries such as Colombia, Nicaragua and Portugal stressing their present
interdependence, and the need for their higher education systems to be rooted in regional processes (the EHEA in Europe and the Central American HE convergence systems for Nicaragua,
for example), but also to be more open to collaboration and capacity-building with a wider range
of countries.
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The next conference
The second bi-regional university association conference will take place from 2 to 4 December
2013 in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia). The Secretary General of AUGM, the President of EUA
and the Director of OBREAL noted the need to select certain themes around which the next event
could concentrate, and also the suggestion from participants to offer a more workshop-oriented
approach. In general, the value of such a bi-regional event was endorsed, including the robust
networking opportunities provided.
The results of the first bi-regional university association conference were summarised in a policy
statement for the EU-CELAC Summit in January 2013, submitted by the partners of Alfa PUENTES.
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