university–enterprise cooperation

3.1 EU legislation, policies and
strategies
3.1.1. Introduction
The presence and role of European
universities is very important in multiple
directions: higher education, advanced
research and technological innovation.
Such role has increased its relevance
in particular in the last 40 years, with
universities and higher education becoming
accessible to exponentially increased
numbers of people and rising up to the actual
situation: about 4000 institutions, with
about 435.000 researchers and attended by
over 17 millions students. As a consequence,
this relatively fast modification in higher
education scenario has forced university to
modify priorities, research, and, eventually,
its role in society. European university has
then the potential to play the key role as
leading force in knowledge, technological
progress and, ultimately, of economy, but
up to now, such potential still has not been
sufficiently exploited.
Over the same period, also labour markets
have undergone relevant modifications,
moving from industry to services and
from production to research, design
and development. New economical and
production markets have then strongly
influenced higher education, calling for the
need for new competences and profiles.
3.1.2. Knowledge Triangle
An important snap-shot on present situation
has been reported at the recent “EU Forum
for University Business Dialogue” [2]:
“Universities, with their triple roles as
providers of the highest levels of education,
advanced research and path-breaking
innovation, are at the heart of Europe’s
knowledge triangle. They have the potential to
be crucial drivers of Europe’s ambition to be the
world’s leading knowledge-based economy and
society.”
In the field of cooperation between
universities and enterprises, the productive
interaction of the major stakeholder groups,
depends on full awareness of each interest
group and the main stakeholders:
a) Higher Education Institutions;
b) Enterprises;
c) The European Commission.
To exploit its potential, university then need
to reinvent and strengthen its position, in
particular with regard to its relationship
with industry:
• Tuning studies and academic education
according to labour markets;
• Feeding local economies with industry
oriented research;
• Define industrial collaborations to find
private partners as alternative means of
founding.
Throughout Europe and EU programs, exists
successful cooperation between these three
sides, but the problem lies in the level of
cooperation that remains very unequal
across countries, universities and academic
disciplines.
3.1.3. Policies and Strategies
This need for modernization of universities
has been clearly stressed at a political level
by the European Council. Some milestones
can be recognized:
EU’s Lisbon strategy - an important part
of this strategy are Policies for Education
and Training form. This important issue was
asked from Heads of States and Government,
when they asked for more then just a radical
transformation of the European economy, but
they wanted also a challenging program for
modernization of education systems.
To achieve these objectives and demands,
Ministers for Education adopted common
objectives for the improvement of education
and training systems and a work program.
This program was known as the Education &
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State of the art in the area of university-enterprise cooperation - EU level 3