5 September 2023: The SMARTT project team will present the initial results of testing the European degree label criteria

PRESS RELEASE

5 September 2023: The SMARTT project team will present the initial results of testing the European degree label criteria

CIVIS, through the SMARTT project contributes to opening new horizons for students, the academic community, and society as a whole

The SMARTT project team is pleased to announce that on September 5th, 2023, a public dissemination event concerning the presentation of the results from the first phase of the project, which focused on testing the criteria for the European degree label, will take place online and at the University of Bucharest (Bucharest, Romania).

The dissemination event will be organised by the SMARTT team with the participation of representatives from the European Commission and European University Alliances, ministerial officials in the field of higher education, representatives of territorial administrations, quality agencies of various EU Member States, European Universities and academic communities. The dissemination event will be held with the distinguished presence of Mrs. Ligia Deca, the Romanian Minister of Education, Mr. Odysseas-Ioannis Zoras, Secretary General for Higher Education at the Greek Ministry of Education, and Mrs Daniela Cristina Ghițulică, Vice-President of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA). Additionally, an assembly of esteemed ministerial officials and representatives from quality agencies is expected to attend the event online. Moreover, notable presentations will be delivered by Mrs. Vanessa Debiais-Sainton, Head of Unit for Higher Education at the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture (DG EAC), European Commission, as well as Mr. Yann-Maël Bideau, Policy Officer at the European Commission.

The SMARTT project (Screening, mapping, analysing, recommending, transferring and transforming HE international programmes), which is formed by the CIVIS - Europe’s Civic University Alliance in cooperation with the European Universities Alliances EUTOPIA, NEUROTECHEU, and UNITA, alongside higher education institutions, national and regional stakeholders and relevant actors, has been approved by the European Commission as one of the six projects to pilot a joint European degree label. Notably, SMARTT stands takes upon the challenging objective of testing all 20 criteria, including 11 mandatory and 9 optional elements, leading to the establishment of a European label for joint and multiple degree programmes.

Based on significant experience in designing and delivering joint and multiple degree programmes at transnational level, the higher education institutions involved in the SMARTT project propose to expand this experience and draw, based on clear methodologies and thorough analyses, recommendations and proposals both for the European Commission and the member states, to support the development of a European Approach for designing and implementing Joint European Degrees in the future.

The outputs of the first phase of the SMARTT project will be presented and discussed with all partners and relevant stakeholders engaged in this transformative process. Furthermore, a comprehensive discussion will take place on the most significant challenges and opportunities related to the implementation of the European Degree within the member countries.

The SMARTT project paves the way for the development of a joint European degree label, which is a central strategic priority for CIVIS Alliance and a vital contribution to the overall vision of the EU's European Universities Initiative.
The SMARTT team is working towards the “Universities of the Future”, opening new horizons for the student and academic community and contributing to social, cultural, and economic vitality both locally and globally.

Event’s Agenda
09:30-10:00 Opening session

University of Bucharest
European Commission
Romanian Ministry of Education
European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education
European Students Union
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
CIVIS European University Alliance

10:00-10:15 Presentation by European Commission

10:15-11:30 Presentation of SMARTT project, first results & outcomes

SMARTT project
Methodological Approach to the criteria
EUROSUD programme preliminary recommendations
Next steps: selection of SMARTT international programmes
Label scenarios

11:30-11:45 Coffee break (at meeting venue)

11:45-13:30 Roundtable on European Degree pilot process
Short interventions by the participating institutions (online and onsite) followed by moderated discussions and debates

13:30-14:00 Wrap-up and conclusions

Notes for editors
SMARTT is an innovative project aiming at analysing, testing, and piloting the new European Degree label criteria, improving the quality, and increasing the transferability of future developments of European Degrees across Europe and beyond.
SMARTT is formed by the CIVIS - Europe’s Civic University Alliance in cooperation with the European Universities Alliances EUTOPIA, NEUROTECHEU, and UNITA, alongside higher education institutions, national and regional stakeholders and relevant actors. Based on significant experience in designing and delivering joint and multiple degree programmes at transnational level, the higher education institutions involved in the SMARTT project propose to expand this experience and draw, based on clear methodologies and thorough analyses, recommendations and proposals both for the European Commission and the member states, to support the development of a European Approach for designing and implementing Joint European Degrees in the future. The consortium partners possess an extensive history of successful international collaboration and have consistently played a leading role in the co-development of the European Degree policy initiative since its inception.

For further information, please visit the SMARTT project website.

CIVIS, Europe’s Civic University Alliance, is a European University Alliance gathering 11 member universities: Aix-Marseille Université (France), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece), University of Bucharest (Romania), Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain), Sapienza Università di Roma (Italia), Stockholm University (Sweden), Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen (Germany), University of Glasgow (UK), Paris Lodron University of Salzburg (Austria) and University of Lausanne (Switzerland).

Selected by the European Commission as one of the first 17 European Universities pilots, it brings together a community of more than 470,000 students and 58,000 staff members including 35,000 academics and researchers.

CIVIS aims to create a truly unique European interuniversity campus where students, academics, researchers and staff will move and collaborate as freely as within their institution of origin. We will develop a deep level of European integration, involving joint learning pathways, development of complementary research facilities and diverse degree pathways.

We envision our European University as a space for innovative and responsible teaching, research, cultural exchanges and citizen action across Europe and its institutions. Based on the solid and innovative education and scientific activity in each institution, CIVIS will unite efforts and experiences to develop a European University with strong links to its local social and geographical environment and an orientation toward global challenges. It will contribute to the social, cultural and economic dynamism at both a local and global scale.

For further information, please visit the CIVIS website or contact SMARTT Communication Officer.

Learn more about SMARTT