1. Aligning higher education in the EU and Russia
Tatiana Babrauskiene, member of the EESC
International Secretary of LETU-FLESTU
7th JOINT SEMINAR OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC & SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE CIVIC CHAMBER OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
27 September 2017, Brussels

2. Educational cooperation between Russia and the EU
quality inclusiveness transparency equality comparability opportunity competitiveness
move freely between HE institutions, jobs, business sectors and countries
resilient people
social cohesion
democratic values
adaptable to changing
labour market demands

3. Common challenges in HE
Policy Trends: improving quality and international standing
modernization and technical innovation
Economic Trends: recession drives a push for a modernized economy
spending on education decreased in recent years (RU 8.5 % )
Demographic Trends: declining birth rates affect the HE system

4. The motivations to establish a Joint Programme HEIs in the EU and in Russia REPORT EC JOINT-PROGRAMMES 2014
PRIORITIES — EU HEI %
PRIORITIES — RU HEI
Develop connections with international partners 90 80
Attract more international students 70
Provide better mobility opportunities for the Russian students 75
Provide better mobility opportunities for EU students 60
Attract more international resources (knowledge, finance) 45
Attract more international re-
sources (knowledge, finance) 25
Improve the image of the HEI
in Russia 40
Develop better reputation in
Russia 20
Attract more international
students 35
Develop relations with Russian employers EU 30
in the EU 15
Develop relations with EU
employers 10

5. Some figures
up to 100 languages, including 35 that are “official” - remain in use
85 “federal subjects,” including “republics,” “oblasts” (provinces), “krais” (districts) and “cities of federal importance”
the largest nation in the world in terms of landmass
54 percent of 25- to 64-year-old Russians held tertiary degrees (2016) - one of the most educated in the world
Member of Bologna Process since 2003
Largest non-EU participant in EU-funded international educational cooperation
Russia's share in EU funding for educational cooperation with partner countries, 2017 (EC)
Expenditure for Russia, (EC)

6. Erasmus+ programme Exchanges since 2014:
4487 (41%) EU students and teachers - to Russia
6367 (59%) Russians - to EU universities RU => EU mobility dominates
EU staff priority over student exchanges -
in Russia staff exchanges increased by 71%
(average cost of mobility: students, €5000; staff, €2000)
Low student number: Excellence or sustainability?
Top ten destination countries for Erasmus students and staff coming from Russia to EU (EC)
Top ten countries of origin for Erasmus students and staff coming from EU to Russia (EC)

7. Success story Between 2014 and 2017 Russians were awarded:
2.4% of all Erasmus Joint Master's scholarships
4.0% of doctoral fellowships
The success rate for Russian students applying for Master's scholarships was 6.5%, comparable to most other countries, whereas for doctoral fellowships it was an impressive 24.5%
Russia is the 6th largest recipient of EU capacity-building grants. In 2015, 72 Russian universities received a total €4.1 million in grants, 3.4% of total EU funding for this purpose.
projects from Russia applied for EU funding, a success rate of 58% -Russia came top out of 72 countries participating in the programme (including EU member states), both in terms of funding awarded (15% of the total) and the number of projects approved (17% of the total).

8. Challenges & opportunities Russian and European HEIs
national legislations, institutional boundaries
lack of clarity in the internationalisation strategy
academic traditions
resources
linguistic and cultural issues
political and economic climate
recognition and quality assurance
stakeholders involvement
career support services, alumni associations or other formal mechanisms to enhance student employability
limited graduate tracking
great Russian distances and high travel costs
differences in teaching and learning styles
bureaucracy