Research and Innovation and The Social Dimension of HE – Towards a broader interpretation

I am pleased to welcome you at the 17h Annual Conference of EURASHE, which is taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 26 & 27 April 2007. EURASHE is the voice of the professional higher education in important fora like the Bologna Follow-Up Group, towards official bodies such as the European Commission, Council of Europe, Unesco, etc. and also towards a broad range of professional bodies and organisations. But above all we represent a growing and diversified membership of university colleges, higher education institutions, professional schools, next to professional tracks in comprehensive universities.

It is in the first place for these affiliations that we organise our national conference, on themes that reflect their concerns and expectations from the ongoing reform of higher education. However, with less than one month before the next Ministerial Meeting of the Bologna Process in London on 17 & 18 May next, we have an additional and more urgent task to fulfill: the implementation of the Bologna process requires us to take stock of achievements of the process in our member institutions, so that we can formulate their questions and aspirations in preparation of and during the meetings and discussions in London.

We have therefore carefully chosen the two themes of this year’s conference, after thorough consultation among our national member associations. They are “Research and Innovation – towards a broader concept? & The Social Dimension of HE”, precisely two issues that are among the main priorities of professional higher education. We feel confident that the discussion and elaboration of these themes, with keynote speakers and in interactive workshops involving experts and stakeholders will provide our delegates with the information they are looking for on the higher education reform. At the same time the open dialogue with our members should result in constructive recommendations that can be put forward at the coming ministerial conference in London.

Lars Lynge Nielsen, President of EURASHE