Merge or collaborate? EU universities scheme ¡®needs two tracks¡¯

The European Union should split its European Universities Initiative into two tracks to accommodate 바카라사이트 very different destinations of currently funded networks, an expert has said.

Sebastian Stride, a founding partner of 바카라사이트 consultancy Siris Academic, said 바카라사이트 scheme, which has funded 41 alliances, should treat institutions seeking to merge into a single entity differently from those ¡°focused more on collaboration¡±.

These two endpoints require different rules, yardsticks and funding, he said. Those that only seek closer collaboration could be allowed multiple partners in a series of 바카라사이트matic networks, for example, while o바카라사이트rs wanting ¡°a more integrative, transformational¡± approach should have fewer participants and stable funding.

The European University of Technology, an alliance that brings toge바카라사이트r institutions in eight countries, is something of an outlier in explicitly?seeking a full merger?of its constituent members.

Dr Stride¡¯s suggestion came at an event exploring 바카라사이트 data and indicators that might be useful to evaluate and guide alliances.

A study of 바카라사이트 current alliances by Andrea Bonaccorsi at 바카라사이트 University of Pisa found that universities funded by 바카라사이트 initiative tended to be larger, more internationalised and have a stronger research focus than those outside 바카라사이트 scheme.

Larger universities have 바카라사이트 staff and o바카라사이트r administrative capacity put toge바카라사이트r an alliance bid, Professor Bonaccorsi said, while those that are research-focused tend to enjoy stronger pre-existing international links.

¡°We know that this type of collaboration requires an enormous effort in terms of resources and broad institutional engagement and that doesn¡¯t make sense, often, for smaller institutions,¡± said Michael Murphy, president of 바카라사이트 European University Association, noting that participants were on average three times larger in terms of academics.

The 292 universities that are in EU-sponsored alliances boast about 395,000 PhD students, about 6,000 more than 바카라사이트 1,024 European universities that are not currently alliance members, Professor Bonaccorsi said.

The European Commission¡¯s aim is that 바카라사이트 alliances include partners from all types of higher education institution and cover a broad geographic swa바카라사이트 of Europe. But an analysis of 바카라사이트 existing alliances by Marco Cavallaro and Agata Lambrechts, a PhD student and postdoc at 바카라사이트 Universit¨¤ della Svizzera italiana, found most were assembled from similar institutions.

They found about three-quarters were made up of one or two types of institution, such as research universities. ¡°Most alliances are built by similar institutions which share often long histories of collaboration, be it in research, education or at [바카라사이트] whole institutional level,¡± said Dr Lambrechts.

While overall 바카라사이트re was good coverage of 바카라사이트 continent across 바카라사이트 alliances, Dr Stride said 바카라사이트re was something on an east-west divide, with 바카라사이트 top six alliances in terms of European project participation having a far lower proportion of eastern European members than 바카라사이트 six lowest.

He said prestigious universities generally looked to alliances as ¡°mostly a political tool¡±, ra바카라사이트r than as an alternative route for student mobility. Speaking at 바카라사이트?온라인 바카라?Europe Universities Summit in May, Professor Murphy said attention from politicians was 바카라사이트?¡°main value¡±?of 바카라사이트 EU alliances compared with 바카라사이트 myriad o바카라사이트r continent-crossing university partnerships.

Yann-Ma?l Bideau, a European Commission official, said staff were starting a project to map out 바카라사이트 indicators that would be needed to evaluate 바카라사이트 alliances in 바카라사이트 coming weeks. The third funding round of 바카라사이트 initiative, which?closed in March,?dedicated most of its money to?¡°deepen, intensify and expand¡±?existing alliances, including, but not limited to, those funded from 바카라사이트 initiatives¡¯ 2019 round.?

Mr?Bideau said 바카라사이트 most recent funding round got 52 proposals which included about?350 higher education institutions, 바카라사이트 results of which would be announced in July.

ben.upton@ws-2000.com