30 June 2019  Issue No: 558

The European Commission has announced the first 17 projects that will receive funding for a three-year pilot under the prestigious European Universities Initiative funded by the Erasmus+ programme. The aim is to create inter-university campuses that drive innovation and excellence and help forge a common European identity.

A Danish university has made the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the overarching focus of its strategic plan, while in Sweden 36 universities have created a combined climate framework for developing strategies to reduce their own emissions and contribute to solving societal climate questions.

Global higher education is not just about numbers of students travelling abroad or numbers of foreign students coming to home campuses. It is more about developing the critical thinking skills and emotional intelligence that are necessary to navigate the complex world we live in.

The emergence of a second wave of private universities in the Middle East is a response to a variety of factors, including poor performances in international rankings. Despite challenges with regard to quality and fees, could they promote greater innovation in higher education?

Rapid changes in immigration policies, including new United States government restrictions on research talent, will only hurt global science and retard its associated benefits to society, the president of the California Institute of Technology, Thomas Rosenbaum, told a gathering of university leaders from Pacific Rim countries.

As more and more Chinese universities and institutions are added to United States government lists to control exports and other exchanges, including research, universities are becoming more nervous about falling foul of the rules and some may be deterred from collaborating with listed institutions.