Guidance and implementation
The Bologna Service Point at the OeAD
- coordinates the national experts for the European higher education area
- supports the Bologna coordinators at the Austrian higher education institutions
- dedicates itself to the continuing implementation of the Bologna goals and the European higher education area in the Austrian higher education landscape
- understands itself as a cross-sectional and independent guidance and information centre for the whole Austrian higher education sector
- provides a discussion platform for cross-sectoral dialogue and exchange
- sees itself as a practical point of contact for questions, concerns and suggestions regarding Bologna and the European higher education area
- has acted as coordinator of the Erasmus+ key initiative 3 “Policy Support to the National Higher Education Authority” since 2014 on behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Educaton, Science and Research (BMBWF).
- assists in the implementation of the National Higher Education Mobility and Internationalization Strategy 2020-2030 (HMIS 2030) through the HMIS 2030 online platform.
A central concern of the Bologna Service Point is to work on a common understanding of the Bologna goals and to strengthen Austria as a location for studying on the whole in this way.
Our tasks:
- Providing support in national and European networking activities
- Organisation and chairing of meetings: conception, organisation of workshops, seminars and expert workshops; preparation and post-processing of meetings
- Media and research monitoring, e.g. monitoring of media coverage in Austria and in the neighbouring countries on a regular basis; monitoring of the results of important research institutes and Bologna-relevant institutions on a regular basis; monitoring of the social media landscape
- Guidance and preparation of information, e.g. low-threshold guidance for interested people and “Bologna beginners” at higher education institutions; preparation of information about the current and expected development of the European higher education area; networking
The Bologna Service Point collaborates closely with the Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy (BMWFW)’s Bologna Contact Point and with the national experts for the European higher education area (former Bologna experts).
Moreover, it is a member of the Austrian Bologna follow-up group (BFUG) and the European BFUG WG Implementation. This one will deal with e.g. the following three key commitments for the 48 members of the European higher education area until the ministerial conference in Paris 2018:
- A three-cycle system compatible with the QF-EHEA and scaled by ECTS
- Compliance with the Lisbon Recognition Convention (LRC)
- Quality assurance in conformity with European Standards and Guidelines (ESG).
An explanation of the work programme and the European main stakeholders for the design of the Bologna communiqués is available on the official website of the European higher education area.
The Bologna coordinators at the Austrian higher education institutions
are nominated by their higher education institution administrations via the Bologna Service Point. They act as an internal information hub at the relevant institution for current topics related to the Bologna Process.
The coordinators understand the Bologna Process as an integrative and thematically comprehensive reform package. This package includes e.g. questions regarding the design of university studies, mobility, recognition and quality assurance. The curriculum development dimension can be the connecting component in this respect. They know the organisational units at their tertiary education institutions that are involved in this and pass on information from the Bologna Service Point on a regular basis.
National experts for the European higher education area
The European Commission, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy (BMBWF) and the OeAD support the Bologna Process in Austria by means of a whole series of activities.
A team of nine national experts for the European higher education area working at higher education institutions will be available for all higher education institutions until December 2024 for strategic and practical guidance for the implementation of the Bologna goals.
