1. Meet the University of the Greater Region
Meet the University of the Greater Region. Together for the Europe of tomorrow…
Bucharest, 26th October 2011

2. Programme
11:00
Introduction
by Conf. Univ. Dr. Mireille Radoi, General Director of the Central University Library of Bucharest
Welcoming speech
by Prof. Dr. Ioan Panzaru, Rector of the University of Bucharest
11:10
Presentation of the “University of the Greater Region” consortium
by Prof. Dr. Michael Jäckel, President of the University of Trier and Prof. Dr. Helmut J. Schmidt, President of the University of Kaiserslautern
11:30 How to create a European consortium of universities : best practices and governance structures by Prof. Dr. Volker Linneweber, President of Saarland University Best practices in double-degree Masters and PhDs by Prof. Dr. Rolf Tarrach, President of the University of Luxembourg How to create joint research projects with Romanian partners through exchange of young researchers and post-docs by Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Finance, President of the University Henri Poincaré (Nancy I) Closing Speech by Prof. Dr. Bernard Rentier, Rector of the University of Liège

3. The University of the Greater Region
Presentation of the consortium
Bucharest, 26th October 2011

4. The Greater Region: A cross-border region in the heart of Europe
3 languages, 4 countries
Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany
the Belgian Walloon region with its French and German speaking communities
the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
the French region of Lorraine
A historical and cosmopolitan area
A European crossroad of economic, political and cultural life 4

5. The University of the Greater Region:
Members of the University Consortium
Germany
Saarland University
University of Trier
University of Kaiserslautern
Belgium
University of Liège
Luxembourg
University of Luxembourg
France
Universities of Metz and Nancy (= University of Lorraine) 5

6. The University of the Greater Region:
A single higher education area for the future
University of the Greater Region
7 universities
students
6 000 academic and research staff
Teaching and research languages: French, German, English 6 6

7. The University of the Greater Region: Profile
The consortium promotes the higher education, research and innovation area of the Greater Region by
improving mobility among students, researchers and administrative staff
inter-connecting and creating joint study programmes
close cooperation and joint efforts in doctoral education and cross- border research
sharing information with other higher education institutes of the Greater Region for cooperation and best practice
maintaining widespread international relations 7

8. cooperation in research
doctoral studies
international appeal
researchers
RESEARCH
UniGR
common higher education & research area
partnerships
students
GOVERNANCE
OPENING
cross-border studies
EDUCATION
non-academic staff
MOBILITY
transports
recognition
libraries 8

9. The University of the Greater Region: What are the students’ benefits?
coverage of a wide range of fields of study
good support, small study groups and modern technical equipment
high level of internationality and mobility: cross-border studies, numerous double degrees with international partner universities, European and international research programmes
intercultural experience
historical consciousness
openness 9

10. University of Lorraine Univ. of Kaiserslautern
The University of the Greater Region:
Areas of Study
Saarland Univ.
Univ. of Liège
Univ. of Luxembourg
University of Lorraine
Univ. of Kaiserslautern
Univ. of Trier
Education (Teacher training etc.) X
Humanities & Arts
Social Sciences, Business & Law
Science (Life, Physical, Computing, Mathematics)
Engineering, Manufacturing & Construction
Agriculture, Veterinary
Health & Welfare
(Medicine etc.) 10

11. The University of the Greater Region:
Possibilities for cooperation with the UGR Consortium
“How to create a European consortium of universities: best practices and governance structures”
Prof. Dr. Volker Linneweber
“Best practices in double-degree Masters and PhDs”
Prof. Dr. Rolf Tarrach
“How to create joint research projects with Romanian partners through exchange of young researchers and post-docs”
Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Finance
Closing speech
Prof. Dr. Bernard Rentier 11 11

12. How to create a European consortium of universities:
best practices and governance structures
Prof. Dr. Volker Linneweber, President of Saarland University

13. Key questions for a governance strategy: What do we decide to share?
University of the Greater Region How to create a European, cross-border higher education and research area
Key questions for a governance strategy:
What do we decide to share?
Who has to be involved and how? 13

14. UGR Activities – covering all university key areas
Module 4: RESEARCH
(Nancy/Luxembourg)
UGR
Cross-border higher education & research area
Module 1: GOVERNANCE
(Saarbrücken/Liège)
Module 5 : OPENING
(Liège/Nancy)
Module 3: EDUCATION
(Metz/Saarbrücken)
Module 2: MOBILITY
(Luxembourg/ Metz)

15. Governance structure UGR Council UGR Steering Committee
University presidents + political stakeholders
UGR Steering Committee
Vice-presidents / university representatives in charge of the project
Students representatives of each university
Advisory Students Council
UGR operational level
Project officers at each university
Experts
committees
Pilot
Activities
Meetings
Council: twice a year
Steering committee: once a month
Expert committees: ~ 4 times per year
Students‘ council: twice per year
Working groups 15

16. Governance structure – involving all university levels
(administrative and academic)
Council: University presidents and political stakeholders
Steering Committee: vice presidents
Students Council: Students
Experts Committees: University Administration
Pilot activities: Scientists, professors, lecturers
Meetings
Council: twice a year
Steering committee: once a month
Expert committees: ~ 4 times per year
Students‘ council: twice per year 16

17. Main results and best practices
MODULE 1 – GOVERNANCE
Main results and best practices
Common strategies
Networking
Bottom-up cooperation
Visibility and communication
Top down: common strategies, networking in administration
Bottom-up: supporting cooperation activities 17

18. Main results and best practices
MODULE 1 – GOVERNANCE
Main results and best practices
Strategic level: Developing common strategies
Operational level:
Setting up networks between the partner universities by creating experts committees and working groups.
Supporting bottom-up cooperation: 19 pilot activities in teaching and research. 18

19. Main results and best practices: Studying
UGR student status (complete realization until beginning of 2012):
Access to the courses of the partner universities
Access to the libraries, cafeterias and other university organizations and student services
UGR mobility fund (complete realization until beginning of 2012):
Results of cooperation within experts’ committees and working groups in the different areas: studying, research, communication
Studying: mobility fund = Students’ proposal  involvement of all groups/levels = very important
Financial support for students attending courses, conferences, etc. at the partner universities
Student council initiative 19

20. Main results and best practices: Research
Scientific cooperation:
Thematic workshops  networking (e.g. biotechnology, virology)
Database “research equipment”
Cross-border doctorate training:
Workshops for PhD students (e.g. European Doctoriales)
Database: research equipment at the universities have been collected  possibility to share equipment (« wissenschaftliche Großgeräte »)
 Researchers’ demand for supporting cooperation and helping to profit from each others’ equipment
European Doctoriales = 5days workshop for PhD students  career planning, business contacts
 Promoting the project among doctorate students = good network with future academic staff and business partners 20

21. Main results and best practices: Communication & visibility
Internet portal
Database containing all the courses on offer (to be published by the end of 2011)
Information on partner universities
UGR as part of communication strategy of each partner university
Common marketing strategy: important for external visibility, but also for internal discussion about what to share and how
Common marketing strategy and material 21

22. From a project to a university network
MODULE 1 – GOVERNANCE
Perspectives:
From a project to a university network
EUA evaluation
Reflection on future UGR network structure, possible creation of an EGTC (European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation)
Evaluation = good means to optimize strategies and organisation for the future 22

23. Timing 2008 - 2012 2013 … 2020 UGR Interreg Project + Extension
UGR NETWORK 23

24. The University of the Greater Region:
Possibilities for cooperation with the UGR Consortium
“How to create a European consortium of universities: best practices and governance structures”
Prof. Dr. Volker Linneweber
“Best practices in double-degree Masters and PhDs”
Prof. Dr. Rolf Tarrach
“How to create joint research projects with Romanian partners through exchange of young researchers and post-docs”
Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Finance
Closing speech
Prof. Dr. Bernard Rentier 24 24

25. Best practices in double-degree Masters and PhDs
Prof. Dr. Rolf Tarrach, President of the University of Luxembourg
“University of the Greater Region”
Bucharest, 26th October 2011
Purpose of the presentation is to share our experience in the Greater Region in the setting up and running of double degrees with the potential bulgarian and romanian partners who asked to have an insight in our way of working in this matter.
One question that might come up and is not really treated here are joint doctoral programs in the meaning of Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctoral programmes.

26. >> our objective : integrated higher education area
Double / Joint degrees
What are the advantages of double / joint degrees? Why are they that desired?
Are double degrees a current trend or an evolution of the higher education offer?
What are the challenges?
What about a stepwise increase of integration?
Introduction in the subject following your point of view.
Questions can of course be changed / adapted
>> our objective : integrated higher education area

27. Levels of educational cooperation
Degrees with joint lectures/seminars
>> informal cooperation
2. Degrees with “mobility windows” / integrated mobility and/or cooperation agreements
>> Erasmus, “UGR” agreement
3. Integrated degrees
>> double or triple degrees, joint degrees, Erasmus Mundus, Co-tutelles
integration
Level of
What are we talking about when we say “double degrees”, it is all about integration of the educational offer…
Joint lectures >> example: compact courses (Blockseminare), not specified by a formal agreement
“mobility windows” and/or integrated mobility >> Erasmus agreements, UGR agreement (cooperation agreements specifically signed between identified degrees of the partner universities >> Lehrerbildung, Philosophie, Psychologie…)
Double oder Triple degree >> example: Physics degree between Nancy, Saarbrücken, Luxembourg
Joint degree (Erasmus Mundus type) example: AMASE Master (advanced material sciences and engineering) between INPL (Nancy), UdS, Lulea technical university and BarcelonaTech, Spain
Joint or double degrees also at PhD level: co-tutelles : UGR work in progress to harmonize procedures for the setting up of co-tutelle between the partners
>> our aim: support all levels and lead to high integration
Seite/Page 27 27

28. Deliverables to provide basis for cooperation in education
Joint online educational offer database (in progress – end 2011)
Comparative academic calendar
UGR student status to facilitate mobility
Mobility handbook (in progress – delivery April 2012)
Mobility funds
Network of university libraries
Charta for the doctoral education and European doctorate label (in progress)
Handbook for cooperation in education (in progress – delivery mid 2012)
Examples of deliverables / tools / structural measures put in place or to be put in place in the frame of the project from the visibility issues up to the set up of cooperations (agreements, double degrees...) in education.
Logical evolution from information (visibility) up to support for evolving of practices. Could also be re-classified in 2 categories: 1. mobility support, 2. practices support
Examples / explanation of statements & tools:
Joint online educational offer database – Course offer at all partner universities at a glance (in progress – end 2011)
Comparative academic calendar – better plan the semester
UGR student status to facilitate mobility – visit lectures and take exams at the partner universities for free
Mobility handbook – be informed about all opportunities (in progress – delivery April 2012)
Mobility funds – Become mobile easily
Network of university libraries – borrow books for free UGR-wide
Charta for the doctoral education and European doctorate label – better coordinate cross border doctoral education (in progress)
Handbook for cooperation in education – find advice and templates to set up cooperations (in progress – delivery mid 2012)
Seite/Page 28 28

29. Way of working
Involve administrative staff: create joint experts committees to analyse issues, and develop and implement sustainable and shared structures and procedures
Support initiatives of academic staff: finance and advise pilot activities to analyse barriers, develop solutions and to identify best practices
UGR combining a top down and bottom up approach : working plan defined at the beginning of the project respective to objectives identified >> as showed in the presentation of Prof. Dr. Linneweber about the UGR governance structure.
Here a few examples of the experts committees involved in activities related to education (also existing but not listed here: marketing & communication, intellectual property management and entrepreneurship, legal departments –last to be put in place)
>> student services (enrolment, central study guidance, recognition)
>> international affairs
>> research and doctoral education
>> e-learning
>> libraries
Also a few examples of pilot activities taking place in the context of the UGR project.
>> integrated compact courses
>> new integrated Masters curricula (education sciences, french language & literature, systems biology, cancer research)
>> scientific and non-scientific seminars for PhDs (control engineering, biotechnology, interoperability of systems, humanities, training in innovation management and career planning…)
Seite/Page 29 29

30. Identified best practices 1/2
FLEXIBILITY
Flexibility in curricula
Flexibility in recognition
JOINT ADMINISTRATION
Involvement of all stakeholders – from students to academic staff to central administration
Joint administrative procedures
Pro-active support and networking of administrative staff and academic staff
Based on our experience accompanying colleagues within our network but also information sharing with other experienced partners and own university experience, here a few very important advices to ensure the best conditions for integration of education offer.
Seite/Page 30 30

31. Identified best practices 2/2
DISSEMINATION AND ONE-STOP-SHOP PRINCIPLE
Visibility of education offer
Global information source
Pro-active internal promotion of added values related to integrated study offer
Pro-active support and promotion of mobility
Based on our experience accompanying colleagues within our network but also information sharing with other experienced partners and own university experience, here a few very important advices to ensure the best conditions for integration of education offer.
>> our statement: promote unity while respecting diversity
Seite/Page 31 31

32. Motivations, challenges & perspectives
The UGR cooperation in education offers
>> infrastructure to support the development of integrated and broad educational offer at all levels
>> best preparation for a global labour market
>> simple procedures for smooth running of mobility
Our next challenges
>> enlarge curriculum offer
>> increase level of integration
>> open our collaborations to third countries
>> remain pro-active and maintain the current dynamism
The added value of the UGR cooperation in education + the next challenges to face in the coming months/years
Seite/Page 32 32

33. The University of the Greater Region:
Possibilities for cooperation with the UGR Consortium
“How to create a European consortium of universities: best practices and governance structures”
Prof. Dr. Volker Linneweber
“Best practices in double-degree Masters and PhDs”
Prof. Dr. Rolf Tarrach
“How to create joint research projects with Romanian partners through exchange of young researchers and post-docs”
Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Finance
Closing speech
Prof. Dr. Bernard Rentier 33 33

34. How to create joint research projects with Romanian partners through
exchange of young researchers and post-docs
Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Finance President of Henri Poincaré University, Nancy
Provisional President of Lorraine University

35. UGR – Romanian universities : Why to create join research projects?
International research projects interests:
To share knowledge
To add complementary skills
To mix the thinking and culture
 an good way to quickly produce new knowledge and to obtain excellent results

36. What are the difficulties to implement such cooperation ?
Integration in the scientific strategy of each partner
Trust between partners
Lots of travel
Long or medium term stays in the partner’s institution.
 corresponding costs
 high availability of researchers

37. Success conditions?
Choice of topics of common interest
Trust between partners  of long-term partnerships and well negotiated (intellectual property,…)
Financial capacity to support costs
Human resources : motivated and high available researchers

38. Qualities of young researchers?
Availability (few family constrainsts)
Openness to other cultures
Motivation for a research experience abroad
that will enrich their resumes
that will improve their chances of obtaining sustainable and high-level employment in an university or in a large international company

39. Involving young researchers in join projects
In existing collaborative projects
To create new joint projects :
In prospective projects by providing a missing knowledge
By join response to calls for proposals from various European programs

40. UGR offer Broad spectrum of research topics
Possibility of integrating collaborative projects between UGR universities
Access to high performance scientific equipments in all UGR universities
No need to speak neither German nor French, researchers often work in English
Various proposed positions with or without teaching activity : post-docs, visiting researcher-lecturer
Installation assistance – Euraxess centers

41. Exchange procedure
Dissemination of research topics proposed in the partner
Dissemination of information on the intentions of response to calls for proposals in European programs
Dissemination of the available positions
Selection of candidates by the home university
Final selection by the host university

42. Conclusion
UGR universities are open to exchange young researchers
Romanian universities have been selected as preferred partner
UGR universities are ready to discuss a procedure for the exchange to be integrated into a partnership agreement

43. The University of the Greater Region:
Possibilities for cooperation with the UGR Consortium
“How to create a European consortium of universities: best practices and governance structures”
Prof. Dr. Volker Linneweber
“Best practices in double-degree Masters and PhDs”
Prof. Dr. Rolf Tarrach
“How to create joint research projects with Romanian partners through exchange of young researchers and post-docs”
Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Finance
Closing speech
Prof. Dr. Bernard Rentier 43 43

44. As a conclusion…

45. We are… We share … 7 universities 115.000 students
4 countries, 5 regions, 2 languages (+ English)
We share …
A common history and similar development challenges
A European higher education and research area
An ability to build cross border activities

46. We decided to…
Take advantage of our location to work on our similarities and differences
Strenghten our universities in common teaching and research
Search innovation in multilateral collaboration (based on bottom-up proposals)
Contribute to the European knowledge area : be a European lab for university networks; be attractive as a European region; be a strong link with stakeholders

47. We would like to… Make the UGR consortium visible and attractive
Explain that our best practices possess added-value : your university, your exchange students, your researchers
Convince that the UGR facilitates collaboration and is a very good tool for long term relationships
Students’ profile
Collaboration between universities
Study structures

48. We offer… A shared experience in university networking
Mobility within the consortium:
Erasmus studies + internships
doctoral education and multicultural experiences
Experience in research and joint degree development
Multicultural and European experience: languages, soft skills, partnerships within European consortia

49. For further information please visit our website www.uni-gr.eu
Thank you for your attention!
Project supported by the  European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), « INTERREG IVA Grande Région » Programme
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