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AQUA-TNET NEWSLETTER

May 2009

This is a free e-mail news service provided by AQUA-TNET for the AQUA-TNET network and its partners. AQUA-TNET is the European Thematic Network in the field of aquaculture, fisheries and aquatic resource management, funded under the European Commission Lifelong Learning Programme, from 2008 - 2011.

In the AQUA-TNET Newsletter you will find an update of AQUA-TNET and its activities, as well as information from the European Commission related to European education matters.

Please forward this newsletter to your colleagues and students. Please submit any relevant information for dissemination in the newsletter to aquatnet@aquatt.ie.

Contents

1. AQUA-TNET News

    Agenda

    Research & Education

    Other

2. AquaTT Training News

3. Bibmail

4. Information of Interest

5. Pisces TT Jobs

6. Other

AQUA-TNET News

1. AQUA-TNET unveils its vision at stakeholder event

On May 18th-19th the first stakeholder meeting of AQUA-TNET 2 took place at Ghent University in Belgium. It was the first time that the work package leaders and representatives of student, industry, research and consumer interests sat together. The meeting was attended by 26 members from all over Europe.

The first day of the meeting was dominated by the stakeholder’s core group meetings. Starting on Monday the participants got a short overview of the network structure and the stakeholder role in AQUA-TNET. After the plenary meeting the different stakeholder groups had their core group meetings. The main objectives of their meeting was to review their expected outcomes and results, agree on working methodology and timetable, work on Strategy for interaction with the core groups, and discuss plans for the Annual Event 2009. The day ended with a group diner in the historical setting of the university restaurant Het Pand.

On Tuesday the stakeholder groups had the opportunity to meet the work package leaders. A Questions and Answer session per core work package gave stakeholder groups the opportunity to ask and answer questions. Activities of most work packages are in the first stages, with most of them having had their first core group meeting. The Work Packages hope to be able to present the first results at the annual meeting later in the year. Demonstration sites of web portals on MSc and PhD courses and mobility are planned to be on public display later this year. Work packages will work together to hold questionnaires and surveys and will incorporate them. An open discussion, based on comments given on the pre-handed out questionnaire, gave a comprehensive general overview of the opinion of AQUA-TNET2.

The meeting ended with discussing the Annual Event 2009. The first annual meeting for AQUA-TNET2 will be held October 5-7, in Sant Feliu de Guixols near Girona in Spain. Further information and an official invitation to all network members will be send out soon.

After closing of the successful first stakeholders’ meeting, interested participants were treated to a tour of the laboratory of Aquaculture.

For more information and the minutes of the meeting, please go to www.aquatnet.com.

2. Latest Bologna Ministerial meeting raises interesting issues for AQUA-TNET

Straight from the Press Room of the Bologna Process Ministerial Meeting Leuven 28-29 April 2009
 
The Ministerial Communiqué from the 5th Bologna Ministerial Meeting raises some issues which will be of interest to AQUA-TNET members. While it 'takes stock of the achievements', it also admits that 'not all the objectives had been achieved and that the full and proper implementation at European, national and institutional level will require increased momentum and commitment beyond 2010'.
 
Its priorities include facing the challenge of "accelerated technological developments with new providers, new learners and new types of learning' (para.2). This is good news for AQUA-TNET members who have been working on these aspects for some years now!
 
There is also recognition that the modernization of higher education must include ' within national contexts, the possibility of intermediate qualifications linked to the first cycle' (para.6).
 
Higher education priorities must include 'the implementation of lifelong learning policies, with strong partnerships between public authorities and higher education institutes', leaning heavily on the European University Association Charter on Lifelong Learning' (para. 11). Here too there is a direct involvement with AQUA-TNET's Work Package on Lifelong Learning.
 
'Doctoral programmes should provide high quality disciplinary research and be complemented by inter-sectoral programmes' (para.15); yet another area where AQUA-TNET has a direct interest.
 
The section on Mobility (paras 18-20) resonates even more with the aims of AQUA-TNET. 'Mobility shall be the hallmark of the European Higher Education Area', because, among other positive values, it 'encourages linguistic pluralism, thus underpinning the multilingual traditional of the EHEA'.
 
To read more, please visit the official Bologna website at http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/hogeronderwijs/bologna/conference/
 
 

3. Announcement: AQUA-TNET Annual Event 2009, 5 - 7 October in Spain

AQUA-TNET is pleased to announce the first AQUA-TNET2008-11 Annual Event which will be held October 5 - 7, in Sant Feliu de Guixols, near Girona in Spain. All AQUA-TNET members are invited.
 
Further information and an official invitation to all network members will follow soon.
 
 

4. Introducing the new AQUA-TNET Project Officer from Ghent University

Dear AQUA-TNET colleagues,

I would like to introduce myself as the new AQUA-TNET project officer from Ghent University, Laboratory of Aquaculture and the Artemia Reference Center. My name is Caroline van Geeteruyen, and I work together with Marieke on servicing the AQUA-TNET project. Besides the practical organization of meetings held in Ghent and assisting Marieke, my main function will be dealing with the financial side of the project. All your reclamations of costs will be handled by me, so when sending your Expense Claims to Ghent University, would you be so kind to address it to me?
 
Please, do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or problems related to financial issues of this project. Also, could you please cc me in all e-mail correspondence to the AQUA-TNET Secretariat? My e-mail is Caroline.VanGeeteruyen@UGent.be

I am looking forward to hearing from and working with you.
 


Agenda 

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Research & Education 

1. Higher Education in Europe 2009 - developments in the Bologna Process

Eurydice, the information network on Education in Europe, has recently published a publication that presents an objective overview of the progress made in the ten years since the Bologna Declaration was signed and is a valuable contribution to the understanding of the Bologna Process the year before its official culmination. The Commissioner responsible for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, Ján Figel states that “This report clearly shows that we are on track to achieve the central objective of creating the European Higher Education Area by 2010. Greater compatibility of the different national European education degree structures has been achieved through significant reforms, and now the challenge is to work on quality, namely the content and profile of qualifications to ensure that they are meaningful and relevant within and beyond national boundaries. The main Bologna tools – ECTS, Diploma Supplement, and National Qualifications Frameworks – that the European Commission is proud to have helped to develop – are also now becoming well established features of the European higher education landscape. Nevertheless the message is also that we have progress to make in using these tools well, and that we will have to step up our efforts considerably if we are to ensure more widespread mobility in the European Higher Education Area.”

For more information, please read: http://ec.europa.eu/education/higher-education/doc/eurydice09_en.pdf

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2. Bologna Communiqué: The contribution of European higher education to the global public good beyond 2010

In many respects, the Bologna Process has been revolutionary for cooperation in European higher education. Four education ministers participating at the celebration of the 800th anniversary of the University of Paris (Sorbonne Joint Declaration, 1998) shared the view that the segmentation of the European higher education sector in Europe was outdated and harmful and thus signed the Sorbonne Joint Declaration. The decision to engage in a voluntary process to create the EHEA was formalized a year later in Bologna by 29 countries (The Bologna Declaration, 1999). It is now apparent that this was a unique undertaking as the process today includes no fewer than 46 participating countries. No other initiative has mobilized so many people, apart from the creation and development of the EU in 1957. Moreover, the process has aroused growing curiosity in other parts of the world, as well as fear and envy.

This communiqué puts the social dimension of higher education at the top of the priorities, along with wider access, equal opportunities and ensuring the quality and consistency of qualifications. Participating countries should cooperate more closely on lifelong learning so that their citizens can continue learning and adding to their knowledge by means of as many channels as possible. Strong partnerships such as are instanced by the European University Association (EUA) in its Charter on Lifelong Learning, were presented at the same time as a series of key messages during the conference.

For more information, please visit: http://www.bologna.msmt.cz/files/BFUG-beyond-2010-report.pdf

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3. Commission welcomes agreement by the Member States to intensify their cooperation in education and training

The Council of the European Union has adopted the conclusions on "enchancing partnership between education and training institutions and social partners, in particular employers, in the context of lifelong learning.” This is an important signal in the current economic crisis, as common challenges, such as skills deficits, ageing societies and tough global competition need joint responses and countries learning from each other. The conclusions identify both immediate priorities for 2009-11 and long-term challenges for the decade ahead. The tools used to meet them include new education and training benchmarks for monitoring progress across Europe.

The conclusions emphasise that:
1.    Education and training institutions at all levels – from schools through to vocational, adult and higher education institutions should seek greater openness and responsiveness to the wider world and actively communicate with other partners in society at large.
2.    Partnerships between education and training institutions and employers have a particular role to play in enhancing learners’ employability, entrepreneurial potential and familiarity with the working world.
3.    Partnerships based on trust and dialogue can offer mutual benefits for all those involved: greater awareness of trends in the labour market can help to make learning more responsive to future needs and increase student motivation by providing a clear context for learning.

For more information please read: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/748&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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4. EU ministers adopt legal framework for European research infrastructures

European research ministers have agreed on a legal framework for the establishment of European research infrastructures. The decision paves the way for the creation of world class infrastructures that should help Europe to take the lead in a wide range of research fields.

Currently, national and EU laws do not meet the needs of complex research infrastructures with partners in many countries. Under the new legal framework, Member States wishing to host a European research infrastructure will have to declare in their application to the Commission that they recognise the new infrastructure as an international organisation.

EU Commissioner for Science and Research Janez Potocnik welcomed the decision, saying: 'The Council's agreement is excellent news for EU research and for the EU economy. Investing today in the construction of large-scale research infrastructures can certainly contribute to the EU economic recovery and will surely reinforce our competitiveness when we get out of the recession. It will help to create jobs, economic activities, and help produce the cutting-edge scientific knowledge which will be the new engine for the EU's growth and competitiveness.'

For more information, please visit: http://cordis.europa.eu/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.document&N_LANG=EN&N_RCN=30854

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5. A better picture of research infrastructures (RI) in Europe: launch of the European RIS Web portal

Information on the services provided by top level European research infrastructures, in all fields of research, are now closer to European researchers. The European Commission (EC), in collaboration with the European Science Foundation (ESF), launched last month the first ever web portal on European Research Infrastructures.

Europe is home to a wealth of research infrastructure facilities. Despite this abundance, many of these facilities, or the different services provided by them, are sometimes unknown in many parts of Europe. Also, these centres of excellence often fail to reach critical mass due to the absence of adequate networking and cooperation. The new portal allows access to data collected as part of a recent survey undertaken by the European Commission (EC) and the European Science Foundation (ESF) in order to identify the current scenario of infrastructures in Europe. That survey provided a sample of infrastructures which, with the information gathered via the portal, will now grow to provide a better picture of the total RI landscape in Europe. Scientists and policy makers will now be able to access information on a great number of major European facilities, by discipline, by country and or by type of infrastructure.

For more information, please check http://www.riportal.eu/public/index.cfm?fuseaction=ri.search

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Other 

1. EU member states to intensify cooperation in education

The Council of Europe has adopted a new strategic framework for co-operation between EU Member States to reform their education and training systems. This is an important signal in the current economic crisis, as common challenges, such as skills deficits, ageing societies and tough global competition need joint responses and countries learning from each other. The conclusions identify both immediate priorities for 2009-11 and long-term challenges for the decade ahead. The tools used to meet them include new education and training benchmarks for monitoring progress across Europe.

For more information, please check: http://www.eaea.org/news.php?aid=16897&k=2088&%20d=2009-05 

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2. Establishment of a civil society platform to promote multilingualism 

On 2 June 2009 the European Commission organises an information session in Brussels to set out its plans for the establishment of a platform with the media, cultural, non formal and informal education and learning organisations and other civil society stakeholders to promote multilingualism for intercultural dialogue. The platform will aim to integrate independent non-governmental organisations working at European level, and in particular organisations active in the promotion of linguistic diversity and language learning in Europe or in sectors such as culture, media and intercultural dialogue with scope for the promotion of multilingualism.

The European Commission's multilingualism policy focuses on people: their ability to use several languages, to access culture and participate as active citizens, as well as to benefit from better communication, inclusiveness, wider employment and business opportunities. The main objective is therefore to raise awareness of the value and opportunities of the EU's linguistic diversity while breaking down barriers to intercultural dialogue.

For more information, please go to http://ec.europa.eu/education/languages/news/news3378/background-doc.pdf

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3. Fisheries: open debate on the future of the European Common Fisheries Policy

The European Commission recently adopted a Green Paper on the future of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy. The paper analyses the shortcomings of the current Policy and launches a broad public consultation on how these shortcomings should be tackled. Fishermen and other interested parties from the sector, but also scientists, civil society and interested citizens, are invited to respond and have their say until 31 December 2009 on the future face of European fisheries. The consultation is the first step of the process which should bring about a radical reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. Read More: http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp/review_en.htm

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4. A new partnership for the modernisation of universities: the University-Business Forum 

University-business cooperation involves two communities with marked differences in culture, values and missions. Within this line, the University-Business Forum was launched by the Commission as a European platform for dialogue between the two worlds.

Co-operation between higher education and business is now widely recognised to have benefits for both sides. It stimulates knowledge transfer in both directions, leads to long-term partnerships that can open opportunities and improve returns and helps prepare students for future employment.

The University-Business platform involves higher education institutions, companies, business associations, intermediaries and public authorities. It enables and stimulates them to exchange good practice, discuss common problems and work together on possible solutions.

For more information please visit: http://ec.europa.eu/education/higher-education/doc1261_en.htm

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AquaTT Training News 

trainingnews sept2007AquaTT's Training News is a free monthly electronic newsletter. With the latest news from the European education community, opportunities for collaboration, announcements and a student corner, Training News is an important dissemination channel for education and training opportunities for the aquaculture and fisheries sectors.

Highlights of the May 2009 issue:   

CLICK HERE for the latest AquaTT Training News (May 2009)

CLICK HERE for the AquaTT Calendar with a comprehensive overview of all Events in the Maritime Sector 

Please email news@aquatt.ie to submit your news which will reach almost 4,500 subscribers interested in aquaculture and related sectors education.

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BibMail 

BibMail is a biweekly updated overview of the content tables of the major aquaculture-relevant scientific journals.

CLICK HERE for the latest BibMail (April 2009)

To go to the BibMail website link on the AQUA-TNET site please CLICK HERE

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Information of Interest

Information of Interest is a biweekly updated overview of interesting publications, reports, and manuals relating to aquaculture in a broad sense, with links to the respective files or information points.

CLICK HERE for the latest Information of Interest (April 2009)

To go to the Information of Interest website link on the AQUA-TNET site please CLICK HERE 

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PiscesTT Jobs

pisces sept.2007

PiscesTT Jobs is a free online recruitment service used by over 200 companies globally. The innovative system, updated daily, lists jobs, PhD vacancies and student placements in Aquaculture, Fisheries and Marine Science worldwide. More than 1,000 job searchers are registered on the site and are sent e-mail alerts every time a new vacancy is posted. This service facilitates human resource development in the industry.

At the moment 19 interesting jobs are listed:

If you are interested in posting a job vacancy or registering for the service, please go to the PiscesTT Jobs website or contact Marieke Reuver at marieke@aquatt.ie

Other 

This update is published by the AQUA-TNET Secretariat. For further information, e-mail: aquatnet@aquatt.ie

If you would like to post a notice, news item or event details on the next issue of the AQUA-TNET Newsletter or on the AQUA-TNET website, please send details to Marieke Reuver at marieke@aquatt.ie 

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About AQUA-TNET

AquaTNET new05All old AQUA-TNET Newsletters and other AQUA-TNET information is archived on the AQUA-TNET website (www.aquatnet.com).

AQUA-TNET welcomes any feedback regarding content, presentation and user-friendliness of the newsletter. Please forward this mail to any colleagues that may be interested. Please submit any relevant information for dissemination in the newsletter to aquatnet@aquatt.ie.

DISCLAIMER: AQUA-TNET provides this newsletter as a free service to its partners. Most of the information is provided by AQUA-TNET. Where it is not, the source of the news is provided in the text of the news brief or else AQUA-TNET attributes the news to the coordinating body as the "Data Source Provider". In no way does this newsletter intend to wrongly or inappropriately claim projects, news, etc. as its own nor is it responsible for incorrect information provided from other sources. The AQUA-TNET Newsletter is a dissemination tool and forum for both AQUA-TNET and its partners.

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