This article examines the role of the European Union's Commission in weaving together the Bologna Process and the Lisbon research strategy with its existing educational initiatives to define and disseminate an influential vision of European higher education. The article begins by outlining the Commission's activities in relation to EU education…

The efforts of the European Community and the Council of Europe to organize and encourage international cooperation for academic mobility and recognition of qualifications and degrees are examined, and the apparent divergence in developments and interests is discussed. (MSE)

The evolution of the European Forum for Educational Administration, a network for international exchange of staff and ideas on educational administration, is chronicled. The following aspects of its operation are discussed: a four-year strategic plan, articles of association, financing, growth of national memberships, cooperation with other…

A study of the role of foreign languages in European higher education focused on the influence of institutional culture, including that of the discipline, on quality of professional communication. Findings are discussed, and related issues are examined, including student/professional mobility, interinstitutional cooperation, standards for…

Discussion of problems surrounding "European Standards" for vocational education and training finds that there are no pan-European standards, nor is it likely that such standards, if formulated, would be implemented in European Union (EU) countries. Nevertheless, countries aspiring to join the EU measure themselves against perceived…

The theoretical premise of this article is that policy is constructed and presented discursively. The Bologna process presents us with an example of such a policy construction process where the quality policy goals are set jointly in transnational settings, requiring different kinds of negotiations and discursive strategies. Discourse analysis of…

A variety of mechanisms for academic/industrial cooperation have emerged, including industrial parks, intermediary coordination agencies, industrial liaison offices, industrial education, and university initiative or support in establishing industrial companies. Barriers to cooperation include a variety of attitudinal and administrative…

The relationships between academe and industry in West Germany are examined through the various existing models of cooperation, interactions in continuing education and technology transfer, barriers to cooperation, and prospects for the future. (MSE)

Recent EU social science research programmes have stressed the importance of the "user". Using a study of EU funded social science projects, the article develops a typology of the different forms of user involvement. A case study of a "cluster" of research projects shows that user involvement within projects has significant…

The University of Aberdeen's development, with the petroleum industry, of a group of companies for research and development are discussed, including problems encountered and recommendations for other universities with similar interests. (MSE)

Cooperation in the European community has increased greatly in the years since the first cooperation agreement, and cooperation in education seems to be emerging with the Commission of the European Community, appointed in 1985. Such cooperation should be more firmly placed within the overall strategy for political and economic development than in…

This paper discusses some cultural differences that may affect cooperation in Europe. It maintains that it takes a least one year before a multinational working group begins to be productive, if no special provision is taken to minimize communication problems and to integrate the different cultures involved. (MLW)

To make European higher education systems compatible, several systems of certification are being considered, including the German model of final certification, the English model of accumulative certification, the American "add-on" model, and the French model, which extends the "add-on" model. The influence of business and…

International cooperation among European universities, thanks to the Conference of Rectors and Vice-Chancellors of the European Universities, is illustrated in three forms: special services, special activity cooperation, and general institutional cooperation. Upper-level administrators are entreated to use their influence to encourage such…

Implications of the unification of European Community education in 1992 for articulation between secondary and higher education and between higher education and non-university sectors are discussed, placing emphasis on the need to find a balance between competition and collaboration. (MSE)