Translation of "Bourse d'enseignement " (French → English) :

12. Calls for increased public investment in higher education, especially aimed at countering the economic crisis with growth based on enhanced skills and knowledge and at responding to higher student demand with improved quality of and access to education and services, particularly scholarships; believes that budget reductions have a negative impact on attempts to strengthen the social dimension of education, which is the principle on which the Bologna Process is founded; calls therefore on the Member States and the EU institutions to develop new, targeted and flexible funding mechanisms – and to promote European-wide grants – with a ...[+++]view to supporting growth, excellence and the particular and diverse vocations of universities; stresses the need to develop a multi-fund approach, defined by clear and effective rules, aimed at coping with the future EU financing model and ensuring the independence of universities;

84. Strongly supports the introduction of measures to increase the quality of higher education in Europe, inter alia by further reducing barriers to student mobility, improving the links between academia and business and fostering a more entrepreneurial mindset in society; proposes the introduction of a European innovation scholarship designed to contribute to the fostering of knowledge and skills employed in innovating sectors, while allowing the establishment of EU networks and cooperation; believes that such a scholarship would address youth in vocational educational programmes, established and specifically implemented in each of th ...[+++]e Member States;

8. Notes that the impact on the Erasmus programme will imply a reduction in student mobility grants from 170 000 in 2006 to 140 000 annually for the coming years, and the loss of a number of important measures such as grants for non-teaching staff, long-term teacher mobility and special mobility for joint masters;

The programme has four main Actions. These are: Action 1 - Erasmus Mundus Masters Courses, comprising integrated courses at masters level offered by at least three universities in three different European countries; Action 2 - Erasmus Mundus scholarships for students and scholars from third countries; Action 3 - Partnerships with higher education institutions in third countries, comprising scholarships for students and scholars from EU countries for mobility towards third countries; Action 4 - Projects to enhance the worldwide attractiveness of European higher education.

In terms of improving the accessibility of European higher education, in particular by enabling highly qualified graduates and scholars from all over the world to study and/or teach in the EU, the scholarship scheme (Action 2) has greatly facilitated access to, and increased the attractiveness of, European higher education for high calibre students from third countries.

In the area of higher education, the Universities Act and the implementing legislation have been amended in order to clarify procedures concerning government allocation of study grants, initial medical training and the transition from vocational secondary education to university education.