The Future-proof Criteria for Innovative European Education (FOCI) project is a part of wider policy experimentation initiative with the goal of exploring possibilities and needs for implementation of the European degree label, criteria for awarding this label and compatibility with regulatory frameworks. FOCI project is a joint endeavour of eight universities representing three different European Universities Alliances: YUFE1, ECIU2, EPICUR3 that have synergistic and congruent approaches to the European degree label concept.
D2.1_Report on stakeholder needs analysis and evaluation methodology
D2.2_Analytical report on the procedural, organisational and legal as... label
In Europe, the journey towards enhanced cooperation in higher education dates back 25 years to the Sorbonne and Bologna Declarations. These pivotal agreements laid the foundation for the Bologna process, intergovernmental cooperation involving 49 countries and the European Commission, culminating in the creation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The Bologna process introduced a three-cycle structure of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees, and following the Lisbon Recognition Convention, a mutual recognition of higher education systems. This framework also established a common European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) and a single framework for quality assurance. Overall, the objective of the Bologna process and EHEA is to bring comparability and compatibility to higher education systems across Europe, as well as to promote student and staff mobility, making higher education more inclusive, interconnected, and innovative in Europe.
D3.2_Analytical report of the pilot evaluation process
The Future-proof Criteria for Innovative European Education (FOCI) project is a part of wider policy experimentation initiative with the goal of exploring possibilities and needs for implementation of the European degree label, criteria for awarding this label and compatibility with regulatory frameworks. The European degree (label) initiative is one of the flagship initiatives of the European Commission (EC), aimed at supporting transnational higher education provision and removing potential barriers, strengthening collaboration in delivering joint programmes and generally improving the quality of higher education in Europe.
D4.1_FOCI policy recommendations
The commencement of enhanced cooperation within European higher education was initiated 25 years ago, marked by the Sorbonne and Bologna Declarations, ultimately leading to the establishment of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) under the Bologna process. This initiative introduced a structured framework for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees, accompanied by the mutual recognition of educational systems, the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), and a unified quality assurance mechanism. Nonetheless, variations persist in the implementation of the Bologna process across member states, impeding the offering of joint degrees.
D4.2_European degree roadmap
The fundamental methodology of the FOCI project is based on three key steps: stakeholder needs analysis, legal, procedural and administrative analysis and pilot evaluation of programmes against the draft European degree (label) criteria. These three pillars jointly contribute to the overall FOCI policy recommendations for the European degree (label) (deliverable D4.1) – the document in conjunction with which this roadmap is to be considered.
