Work programme of the Bologna Follow-Up Group 2005-2007
COPERNICUS conference on Sustainable Development in the European Higher Education Area
How to incorporate the principles of sustainable development into the Bologna Process to follow-up the Bergen Communiqué?
The 9th COPERNICUS conference took place in 11-14 October 2006 at the Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany.
Towards the European Higher Education Area based on the principle of sustainable development?
Consultation on the possible ways and means to incorporate issues of sustainable development into the Bologna Process to follow up the Bergen Communiqué. The purpose of this Consultation Paper is to provide a basis for comments from the signatories to the COPERNICUS University Charter for Sustainable Development and other institutions of higher education.
COPERNICUS consultation on sustainable development into the Bologna Process
COPERNICUS Guidelines for Sustainable Development in the European Higher Education Area
At their last conference in Bergen in May 2005, the European Ministers responsible for Higher Education adopted the Bergen Communiqué, which makes for the first time since 1999 a strong reference that the Bologna Process for establishing a European Higher Education Area by 2010 and promoting the European system of higher education worldwide should be based on the principle of sustainable development. In the light of this decision, COPERNICUS-CAMPUS as the European university network for sustainable development, is taking up leadership in the European Higher Education Area to mobilize universities and academia around the theme of sustainability and to support higher education institutions in the implementation in relation to the Bologna Process. For that reason, COPERNICUS-CAMPUS has developed strategic guidelines for the incorporation of sustainable development into the European Higher Education Area to be presented in due time for the next conference of the European Ministers responsible for Higher Education in May 2007 in London. The elaboration of the COPERNICUS Guidelines has been supported by the European Commission under the Socrates Programme.
The COPERNICUS Guidelines address the challenges higher education institutions face through striving for sustainability and should give them orientation help in implementation in connection with the Bologna Process. Further, they should ensure that the establishment of the Higher Education Area by 2010 will be based on the principles of sustainable development in the Europe of knowledge.
COPERNICUS Guidelines for Sustainable Development in the European Higher Education Area
COPERNICUS Alliance
COPERNICUS Alliance is a European Network of Higher Education Institutions which promotes transformational learning and change for sustainable development within the higher education sector. Through partnership with society, it aims to re-orient higher education programmes and research towards sustainable development as well as promote best practice regarding the sustainable management of university campuses. It seeks to build partnerships with business, government agencies and civil society to progress sustainability at the local and global level.
COPERNICUS Alliance finds its origins in 1993, when the European University Association, acknowledging the critical role of universities in advancing Agenda 21, launched COPERNICUS CAMPUS and the CRE COPERNICUS Charta in Geneva.
In 2007, a group of partner universities re-launched and re-branded the network as the COPERNICUS Alliance. Its official constitution took place in 2010 in Graz, Austria. In 2011, an updated version of the COPERNICUS Charta was also developed: The COPERNICUS Charta 2.0.
