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This European University Association (EUA)-Council for Doctoral Education (CDE) report presents the results of an extensive and unique study on the state of play of doctoral education in Europe. Offering findings gathered from more than 300 institutions across Europe, it provides an overview of the deep transformation that has taken place in doctoral education over the past ten years. The report focuses on the key results of years of doctoral education reform in Europe, which have been marked by the introduction of doctoral schools at many institutions and a significant increase of the number of doctoral candidates and doctoral graduates. More specifically, it examines the balance between institutional responsibility and that of the individual supervisor, as well as the mechanisms that underpin the passage through the doctorate and towards future careers. It also assesses the degree of change, asking how the doctorate today is different from that of a decade or more ago. ["Doctoral Education in Europe Today: Approaches and Institutional Structures. Survey" was written with Freek Van Deynze, Marco Seeber, and Jeroen Huisman. The survey questions were developed by a research team at the Centre for Higher Education Governance (CHEGG) of Ghent University in Belgium and further developed by EUA and the EUA-CDE Steering Committee.]

The European Forum for Enhanced Collaboration in Teaching (EFFECT) project explored how pedagogical staff development and learning and teaching developments in general could be enhanced and supported through European-level action. EFFECT is an Erasmus+ KA3-funded project (2015-2019). It was developed by a diverse consortium of 12 partners, coordinated by the European University Association (EUA). The consortium brought together major European stakeholder organisations, specialised university networks, national organisations representing higher education institutions, individual universities, as well as professional organisations specialised in teaching enhancement. In addition, EFFECT was able to involve representatives from non-university higher education institutions in various activities and meetings, as well as experts who were seconded by partners, or associated with the project during its lifetime. The EFFECT Consortium primarily aimed at assessing the feasibility of a European-level approach to teaching enhancement. Instead of focusing on a brick-and-mortar academy, EFFECT explored ways of facilitating European-level exchange and effective collaboration for the enhancement of learning and teaching. EFFECT approached teaching enhancement as part of a broader change agenda that institutions have to embrace. Teaching enhancement cannot be an isolated measure towards "better teaching", but must be embedded into institutional, strategic and systematic approaches for learning and teaching, linked to other higher education mission goals, in particular to research, and supported by the governance and management system. Hence, EFFECT simultaneously worked on approaches for enhancing teaching staff development and institutional strategies for learning and teaching, with the underlying idea that individual and institutional levels need to be interconnected in order to enhance learning and teaching. Subsequently, the project was structured following three strands: (1) Exploring the feasibility of a European-level offer for teaching enhancement courses; (2) Supporting the development of institutional approaches on learning and teaching; and (3) Developing approaches for a European initiative for teaching enhancement, based on the results from the two previous strands. This publication summarises the main outcomes and lessons learnt from the EFFECT project. [Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.]

Active learning encompasses a broad range of pedagogical approaches involving the learner in every step of the educational process, with the objective of stimulating ownership and critical thinking skills, among others. This paper is the result of the work carried out by the European University Association (EUA) Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group on "Promoting active learning in universities". It presents the group's conclusions concerning the potential of active learning to foster skilled professionals, critical and creative thinkers, and engaged citizens. It also points to the need for a cultural shift in the academic environment, in which teachers would become facilitators of learning and students their active partners, and how such a shift can be implemented in an encompassing way.

Higher education stakeholders are increasingly aware of the need for systematic continuous professional development opportunities for university teachers. This report reflects the outcomes of the work of European University Association's (EUA) Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group on "Continuous development of teaching competences". It presents the group's recommendations for a targeted approach to developing pedagogical competences at the European, national, institutional, programme and individual levels, alongside case studies based on practices and initiatives in group members' institutions.

The evaluation of learning and teaching is one central activity through which universities monitor the fitness-for-purpose of their education provision. This paper represents the outcomes of the work carried out by the European University Association (EUA) Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group on "Evaluation of learning and teaching". It reflects the group's discussions on framework conditions through which institutions ensure the quality of their education. It also highlights the interdependency of this topic with other aspects of learning and teaching in higher education.

Attention to career paths in teaching and staff development, in order to enhance learning and teaching, has gained importance in the European policy arena in recent years. This paper is the result of the work carried out by the European University Association (EUA) Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group on "Career paths in teaching". It reflects the group's discussions on the importance of staff development and better recognising teaching as central to the academic profession. It also points to how teachers' professional career paths can contribute to the overarching goal of continuous improvement in teaching, and what can be done to better promote teaching as an important factor in career progression.

Following the widespread concern and debate provoked by the arrival of ChatGPT and similar artificial intelligence (AI) tools, the European University Association's Learning and Teaching Steering Committee shares key considerations for European universities. Noting the current shortcomings and potential benefits of these technologies, this position states that any attempt to ban AI would be futile and that the higher education sector must adapt its approaches in such a way that AI is used effectively and appropriately. As such, the Association invites universities to consider key factors related to AI tools' immediate consequences on learning and teaching, the ongoing innovation of learning and teaching, and universities' broader role in relation to the impact of such technologies on our societies. In addition, the document states EUA's readiness to support European universities by monitoring developments, consulting its members, and sharing advice and best practice as this issue continues to evolve.

A substantial share of public investment is spent on public procurement in the European Union (EU) (ca. EUR 2 trillion per annum, representing 14% of EU GDP) and quality public services depend on well-managed and efficient modern procurement. Improving public procurement can yield big savings: a 1% efficiency gain could save EUR 20 billion every year. The public sector can use procurement to boost jobs, growth and investment. Public higher education institutions, including university hospitals, are important public procurers. Universities act not only as "buyers" (of goods, services and works), but also as "providers" for other public authorities as well as companies, particularly in the context of research, development and innovation. In this context, it is vital to: understand the procurement needs of higher education institutions, identify enablers of efficient and effective procurement in the higher education sector, and analyse potential hurdles, be they at "system" (EU, national or regional) level, or inherent in "institutional" practices and governance frameworks. The European University Association (EUA) wrote this report for the Portuguese higher education sector. It is designed to provide a comparative overview of the existing public procurement frameworks in selected EU member states and to showcase the procurement systems and good practice at several universities. It also offers general recommendations for policy makers and higher education institutions in Portugal and beyond, highlighting ways to improve existing public procurement frameworks and to develop institutional strategies and implementation practices. At national level, the study covers a sample of seven benchmark countries representing different government, legal and university traditions: Austria, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. Examples of regional public procurement regulations are also featured.

The European University Association (EUA) has continuously supported European universities in the transition towards Open Science and, in particular, to Open Access. Upon recommendation of its Expert Group on Science 2.0/Open Science, EUA has developed a variety of initiatives in this area, as outlined in the "EUA Roadmap on Open Access to Research Publications." That roadmap mainly focused on introducing Open Access as the main model of accessing research publications. Looking ahead to the more global transition towards Open Science, with its broader framework beyond accessing research publications, the Expert Group is starting to address new models of research assessment and evaluation at all levels, as these are instrumental to achieving a fairer, more open and transparent system driven by researchers. The present EUA roadmap addresses a selection of topics related to new approaches in research assessment, including the assessment of research outcomes, researchers and research units and organisations (laboratories, research centers and universities). With this document, EUA aims to raise awareness and support institutions in the development of research assessment approaches that focus on research quality, potential and future impact and that take into account Open Science practices.

Trends 2018 examines how learning and teaching at European higher education institutions evolves in the context of changing demands, technological and societal development, and European- and national-level policies and reforms. This EUA flagship report gathers data from more than 300 higher education institutions in 42 European countries. With dozens of figures and tables, complemented by an in-depth analysis, Trends 2018 offers a wide mapping of the developments in learning and teaching across Europe. It also frames the discussion on this topic and why it is becoming ever more present in higher education institutions and in policy debates across Europe. [This report was co-authored by Luisa Bunescu and Henriette Stoeber.]

The focus of the Transition to University Autonomy in Kazakhstan (TRUNAK) project, supported by the European Union's Erasmus+ programme, is to contribute to the modernisation and restructuring of university governance by promoting and supporting greater university autonomy in Kazakhstan. In particular, it seeks to: (1) Analyse the state of the play and need of university autonomy in Kazakhstan; (2) Review the roles of key stakeholders of academic governance; (3) Engage the stakeholders in a more in-depth debate on autonomy and provide institutional perspective on autonomy; (4) Contribute to a constructive discussion together with the Ministries, about the model of governance to apply in Kazakh universities; and (5) Disseminate the results and achievements of the project and the experiences of other university sectors in Europe. This document is based on the work carried out in the policy analysis phase of the TRUNAK project (2018), in which the higher education system of Kazakhstan has been assessed based on an approach inspired from the scorecard methodology. This document presents the results of this analysis, and as such has informed the development of recommendations for ways in which the system can be reformed to bring about enhanced university autonomy.

In recent years, the enhancement of learning and teaching has become a priority, not only for higher education institutions, but also for national governments, the European Union and the Bologna Process. This report aims to map the learning and teaching landscape in 28 higher education systems and to provide insight into how teaching enhancement is organised between public authorities and higher education institutions. The study, conducted through a series of interviews, complements the findings of the 2018 European University Association (EUA) Trends Report and shows, among other things, that the main obstacle for the enhancement of learning and teaching remains the fact that research is valued more than teaching, both in terms of recruitment and career promotion. [This report was co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.]

Increasing attention is being paid to learning and teaching (L&T) in higher education, both at the level of universities and governments. There is also increasing focus on L&T at European level both by the European Commission and the Bologna Process. With this in mind, in 2016 the European University Association (EUA) decided to strengthen its activities on L&T. The first activities launched in this context were setting up thematic peer groups and embarking on preparations for the 1st European Learning & Teaching Forum, which was organised in Paris on September 28-29, 2017 in collaboration with the Conférence des Présidents d'Université (CPU) and hosted by the University Pierre and Marie Curie (UPMC). Thematic peer groups provided the participating universities with opportunities for peer-learning and exchange of experiences while at the same time contributing to European policies on L&T. The four groups were established following a call for participation to all EUA member universities. The groups consisted of 31 universities from 17 countries (see further details in the Appendix). In the course of the first half of 2017, each of the following themes was addressed by one thematic peer group: (1) building a link between research and teaching missions of the university; (2) empowering students for their future professional life and civic engagement; (3) addressing larger and more diverse student bodies ensuring student success; and (4) fostering engagement in developing L&T. This report aims to provide the reader with an insight into the discussions and conclusions of the thematic peer groups with each chapter consisting of the summary of one thematic peer group presenting first the challenges identified, followed by recommendations on how to address them.

In 2017, the European Commission reviewed the EU's Framework of Key Competences for Lifelong Learning. The Framework was designed "to contribute to the development of quality, future-oriented education and training tailored to the needs of European society." Aimed at policymakers, education and training providers, social partners and individual learners, it spelled out eight competences needed by all individuals "for personal fulfilment and development, active citizenship, social inclusion and employment." This document contains EUA's policy input to the review of the Framework.

This paper presents issues which the European University Association (EUA) considers important for universities in addressing the impact of digitalisation and thus which we propose to explore over the coming years in collaboration with members and partners. EUA's objectives in doing this are, as usual, twofold, providing support to individual members, while also contributing to policy discussion at European level.

The European University Association (EUA) agreed at its Council meeting on 23 October 2015 on the development of a roadmap to assist European universities in the transition to Open Access (OA). This initiative follows on from a recommendation made by EUA's Expert Group on Science 2.0/Open Science. The current roadmap focuses primarily on OA to research publications, as in the broader field of Open Science most progress has been accomplished in this area. It is intended as the first step in a series of initiatives that EUA and its Expert Group are developing to address the most pressing implications of Open Science, including, inter alia, OA to research data, copyright, data protection and text and data mining; new models of evaluation and quality assessment; digital literacy and awareness.

Over the past three years, the European University Association (EUA) has been working on a number of initiatives related to higher education learning and teaching. Activities include knowledge building and studies, institutional development and peer learning, as well as a related policy statement and recommendations. The following of these are highlighted in this brief paper: (1) The EU-funded EFFECT (European Forum for Enhanced Cooperation in Teaching) project (2015-2018), coordinated by EUA in partnership with members and organisations--aims at working on both enhancing teaching, and how the institutional context could enable that; (2) EUA's Learning & Teaching Initiative, launched in 2017--consists of two activities: the organisation of four thematic peer groups gathering vice-rectors and senior staff responsible for learning and teaching for a series of meetings on a given topic; and a European Learning & Teaching Forum, organised as a platform to concentrate discussions on and advance higher education learning and teaching; (3) The EUA Council's position paper on learning and teaching, adopted in January 2018--emphasises the importance of institutional strategies; and (4) The TRENDS 2018 report (to be published in autumn 2018)--will be based on survey results from 303 higher education in 43 European countries.

Based on the work of the European University Association (EUA) Learning & Teaching Initiative and the outcomes of the 1st European Learning & Teaching Forum, this paper underlines the importance of learning and teaching (L&T) as a core mission and responsibility of universities. Student learning needs and success must remain at the centre of universities' educational mission. Building on this message, the position paper argues for a creative, active and innovative learning environment that is research-based and open to adapt to the changing needs of students and society. To support such endeavours, the paper emphasises the need to better recognise teaching as central to the academic profession, to institutionalise L&T enhancement through a broad-based and clear institutional strategy, and to further explore European and international cooperation on the topic. Above all, the paper advocates for sufficiently autonomous and funded universities that allow further development and implementation of high-quality L&T.

Open Access (OA) to research publications has received increased attention from the academic community, scientific publishers, research funding agencies and governments. This movement has been growing exponentially in recent years, both in terms of the increasing number of Open Access journals and the proliferation of policies on this topic. The European University Association (EUA), too, has been monitoring developments in Open Access, namely from an institutional perspective. More recently, EUA has published a briefing paper on Open Access to research publications, with an emphasis on European policy developments. The briefing paper also identified some key topics that EUA will continue to monitor and explore, in order to support its membership in the area of Open Access. These topics include business models and costs of Open Access, requirements for self-archiving publications in repositories, peer-review and quality assessment in Open Access, assessing the progress of Open Access and its impact on the advancements of research, as well as implications for key stakeholders (e.g. researchers, institutions, policy-makers, scientific publishers). Following the publication of EUA's briefing paper on Open Access to research publications, a survey addressed to the EUA membership on the topic of Open Access was conducted in the last quarter of 2014. The results of this survey revealed institutions' perceived need for practical guidelines on Open Access implementation. This checklist has therefore been developed with a view to help fulfil this need and to complement EUA's work on Open Access--providing key information on Open Access policies and supporting the development of Open Access in European universities. The Open Access Survey is appended to this report.

The purpose of the report is to document universities' perceptions of the changes that have taken place in European higher education in the past five years particularly in relation to learning and teaching. It is based on a questionnaire to which 451 higher education institutions, from 46 countries (or 48 higher education systems), responded. The respondents represent more than 10 million students or about a quarter of the students enrolled in the institutions of the European Higher Education Area. Specifically, Trends 2015 seeks to answer the following questions: (1) To what extent have learning and teaching moved up as institutional priorities? How extensive has the shift been to student-centred learning across Europe and is this shift supported by national and institutional policies and other measures (e.g. funding, staff development, internal and external quality assurance procedures)?; (2) What are the key changes that have affected institutional developments, particularly in relation to learning and teaching?; and (3) How can the findings of this study inform the future priorities of the Bologna Process?

The modernisation process of universities has historically highlighted the necessity of providing support structures to facilitate contacts and relationships between research groups and the outside environment, with the objective of increasing the quantity and improving the quality of collaborative research activity. The first steps in this direction have been the internal Knowledge Transfer Offices (KTOs). Universities have created these internal technostructures within a typically administrative culture. Whilst the benefit of such structures has been undeniable, a number of cultural issues have emerged which need to be considered within the overall picture of how to develop a KTO system. On the one hand, the existence of a technostructure within a highly traditional administrative culture such as the university administration has created a series of acceptability issues with administrative colleagues. On the other hand, research staff who are not used to accessing expert support from their internal administration have not immediately been prepared to profit from the new opportunities made available. The activities carried out by these structures were initially aimed at pioneering communication with external players. However, as the collaborative culture of research has undergone incremental growth and the quantity of relationships and contracts has increased, so these internal offices have adapted their activities to the immediate requirements of their internal clients (researchers) by providing more routine support such as standard procedures and methodologies. At the same time, the growth of external collaboration has motivated in particular the more active universities to extend their KTO activities and take them closer to the market, as well as to create "Innovation Ecosystems." The authors have found a wide variety of models across the case studies that they have examined and herein provide an overview of these solutions in relation to their regional contexts. These ecosystems range from externalised offices fully owned by the university or, more often, by local institutional partners (including in some cases private partners), to science parks or joint laboratories which all maintain elements of the original university KTO services. Findings also showed that in the case of well-established KTO strategies, many universities had clear mission statements linking their research objectives to economic regional development. Finally, it was found that the development of KTO activity as a whole is linked to: (1) the internal "research culture" of universities and their ability to converse with companies; (2) the external "technology and innovation culture" and its level of confidence in research structures; (3) the KTO's own capacity to invest; and (4) the level of development of the regional KT ecosystem. Where external KTOs (external to universities, science parks, and other joint facilities) were created, these new organisations were generally planned as complementary to existing KTOs, not as a substitute. Examples of this trend are Chalmers University of Technology: Innovation Office and Chalmers Innovation; Hamburg University of Technology: Innovation Office and TuTech Innovation; and Ruhr University Bochum: Internal KTO and Rubitec.

With the rapid development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), the European Union Association (EUA) published an occasional paper in January 2013 on MOOCs for discussion at the EUA Council, and for information for EUA membership. The present paper aims to provide an update on these developments, particularly as they concern European higher education. The main issues described in this update are: (1) International MOOCs facilitators; (2) European reactions to MOOCs; (3) A European dimension; (4) Around the globe; (5) Business models; (6) Learning and teaching; and (7) Higher education institutions. The following Annexes are included: (1) European participation in Coursera; and (2) MOOC directories. [For the original paper, "MOOCs: Massive Open Online Courses. EUA Occasional Papers," see ED571140.]

The present study on e-learning intends to contribute to closing a data gap and to stimulate the discussion on the further development of national and European policies on the issue and to support its systematic institutional take-up. It draws upon a survey conducted by the European University Association between October and December 2013. 249 answers from higher education institutions, in their majority universities, from 38 European systems (European Union and wider Europe), were received. While the sample is self-selected, it represents almost one third of European Union Association's (EUA's) institutional membership. The survey asked about the type of e-learning institutions use, their experiences in this area and their expectations for the future. It considered blended and online learning in various formats. Given the strong interest in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), a large section of the report is dedicated to this issue. The survey also posed questions regarding support structures and services, intra-institutional coordination, quality assurance and recognition. The results of the survey show that practically all higher education institutions of the sample have started to embrace e-learning. Most of the surveyed institutions are using blended learning (91%), integrating e-learning into conventional teaching, but surprisingly 82% of institutions also indicate that they offer online learning courses. Less frequent, but seemingly also on the rise, are other forms of provision such as joint inter-institutional collaboration and online degree courses. Online examinations are likely to become more widely used for all students in all or most disciplines, also for conventionally taught courses. Besides pedagogical and economic motives, the institutions refer to a growing need for flexibility of time and place, and better use of resources, benefiting both residential students and a wider range of professional and other lifelong learners. The following Annexes are included: (1) Participation in the survey by country; (2) Participating institutions; (3) Evidence of national strategies for e-learning; and (4) List of tables and figures.

The "Rankings in Institutional Strategies and Processes" (RISP) project is the first pan-European study of the impact and influence of rankings on European higher education institutions. The project has sought to build understanding of how rankings impact and influence the development of institutional strategies and processes and its results are presented in the publication. The study carried out in the context of the project consisted of three steps: (1) an online survey among European universities and higher education institutions; (2) a series of site visits; and (3) a Roundtable with senior university managers and stakeholders. This report presents the key findings of the project about the impact of rankings on institutional strategies and processes. It also makes some recommendations as to how higher education institutions can thoughtfully, cautiously and strategically use rankings to underpin institutional development while avoiding potential pitfalls. The structure of the publication is as follows: Chapter 1 provides the rationale for the study and describes the project concept and methodology. Chapter 2 gives an overview of trends in terms of rankings and how their impact has been discussed in recent studies. Chapter 3 goes through the main findings from the RISP survey. Chapter 4 further analyses the data presented in the previous section and discusses crosscutting trends observed in terms of impact on institutions. Chapter 5 draws conclusions from the findings, and, in the light of the RISP results, proposes to further reflect on and shape higher education policies. Descriptions of the Key Actors in the RISP Project are appended. A list of references and further reading are included. [RISP is a project coordinated by the European University Association (EUA) in partnership with the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), the French Rectors' Conference (CPU) and the Academic Information Centre (AIC) in Latvia. The project, operating from October 2012 to March 2015, is co-funded by the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission.]

European University Association (EUA) has been an active contributor to the Bologna Process since its start 20 years ago. The present position paper welcomes the recent progress in the development of the European Higher Education Area, on the occasion of the Bologna Process Ministerial Conference on 19 November. EUA leaders will join the European ministers responsible for higher education and other higher education sector representatives and stakeholders at the event. The resulting Communiqué will take stock of accomplishments since the Paris Ministerial Conference in 2018 and set out future goals and work.

Over the past year, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have received a great deal of attention from the academic community and the media. The EUA Secretariat has followed the development of the MOOCs since the beginning of 2012, surveying discussion forums and publications, but also assessing the websites of MOOC providers and participating in several MOOCs in order to gain first-hand experience of this developing phenomenon. The EUA Board discussed this development during its meeting on 30 November 2012. The paper--slightly altered--was presented and discussed at the EUA Council in Istanbul on January 25, 2013. It provides an overview of the literature on this topic and identifies the key issues in order to inform the Council's discussion. A list of universities that partnered up with Coursera is provided in an annex.