Food for Thoughts - UNICA GA Rome Mobility HH V5... · origin, turn the brain drain into a brain circulation approach • Identification of regional pilot projects - or other concrete

International Mobility and Brain

Circulation

Food for Thoughts

Hany Helal

UNICA GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2013 &

Rectors Seminar "UNICA and the Southern Mediterranean: Sharing, Learning, Cooperating" Rome, 7-9 November 2013

Content

• Mobility, Brain Drain, Brain Gain

• Brain Circulation - Skilled Migration

• Drivers or rationales for mobility

• Types of mobility

• EU Efforts

• National efforts

• EuroMed experience, Obstacles

• Towards a MED Mobility Program (Role of Diaspora)

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Mobility

• Any type of change of country, job, employer,

function, employment status, other types of

transitions of labor or student status.

• Mobility: connecting people and master

minds

• Mobility started early in history: looking for water, trade and ….

• Took several forms and mechanisms; diplomacy is a special type of mobility


Mobility: brain drain, brain gain

The Great Brain Race • Focus of Human Resource Development (Research, Science and

Technology, Education, Training.)

• Mobility of students, early stage researchers, teachers, and staff in higher education.

• Non-researcher HRST (engineers, medical doctors, lawyers, marketing mangers……).

Supporting Global Careers

(global skills and global workforce)

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Brain Circulation

management of the global skills’ • the multi-directional flow of talents, education and research that

benefit multiple countries and regions and the advancement of global knowledge

• a competition to attract and retain the more skilled researchers, where less developed countries suffer an unfair disadvantage

• a cycle of study and work abroad may be followed by a return to the home country to take advantage of high-level opportunities

• Example:

– Germany after 2nd world war, – EU needs 700 000 new scientists and engineers, – U.S. immigrants labor force with doctoral degrees represents almost

40 % in S&E fields of those conducting R&D US.


Drivers or rationales of mobility

• Economic rationales

• Important tool of knowledge accumulation, transfer and building up collaboration

• Academic requirements

• Research and Development

• Social context

• Missing knowledge or opportunity at home organisation or country

Types of Mobility National, Regional, International

• Inward and outward mobility

• Sectoral mobility (Intra-sectoral, Inter-sectoral)

• Diploma and credit mobility

• Physical, virtual and mixed mobility

• Short-term and Long-term mobility

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Relevant Conditions for Mobility

• The mobility is not only a research or education policy matter.

• It requires the collaboration of different polices (labour market, migration, research, innovation, education),

• And the support of national and regional policies.


EU programs

• Tempus

• Erasmus

• Marie Curie


Erasmus Mundus

• Two-way mobility for academic disciplines offered by HEIs ina partnership

• Erasmus Mundus and the Southern Mediterranean

– 33 Erasmus Mundus partnerships, 2007-2012

– From 1 partnership in 2007 to 10 partnerships in 2012

– Mobility (all actions) planned/implemented for over 3100 students and over 600 staff


Mobility for Southern Mediterranean nationals


Building individual capacities

• Unique learning experience in Europe

• Double/multiple/joint degree, or recognition of study abroad

• In-depth knowledge of Europe and European higher education

• Improved linguistic skills, intercultural experience

• Improved employability through recognition of qualifications, study periods abroad (+ placements)

• Exchange of knowledge, ideas, contacts


Erasmus+ Key Action 1 : Learning mobility of individuals

International dimension

• Degree mobility: Higher education mobility for EU and non-EU students and staff through funding of excellent joint Master degrees and related scholarships

• Credit mobility at all levels based on bilateral agreements between universities


Erasmus+ Key action 2:

Cooperation for innovation and good practices

International dimension

• Special action for Neighbouring countries, combining capacity building and mobility. Joint projects based on multilateral partnerships between higher education institutions from the EU and Neighbouring countries.

• Capacity building partnerships with HEI from Asia, Latin America and Africa.


Marie Curie Actions

• EU fellowships programs since 1990

• Marie Curie label since 1996

• Training, mobility and career development

• Implemented through the People Program (2007-2013)


People

Marie Curie Key features

• Bottom-up approach

• Mobility, both transnational and intersectoral

• Main EU programme providing structured doctoral training, including industrial doctorates

• Opening research careers at European and international level

• Enhanced business-academia collaboration and staff exchange

• Excellent employment and working conditions, in line with the EU Charter and Code for Researchers


Europe 2020 Flagship Initiatives

• Innovation Union – 1 million more researchers – Attract and train young people to become researchers – Improve quality of doctoral training – Involve businesses in doctoral training

• Youth On the Move – Promote researchers mobility across sectors, countries

and disciplines – Attractiveness of European universities – Stronger links between education, research and innovation

• Agenda for New Skills and Jobs – Equip researchers with relevant skills that will match

both public and private sector needs – Improve career prospects of doctoral candidates


National Initiatives Egypt

• Egyptian program (ParOwn: short term, PhD program) • Joint programs : • Germany (GERLS: long term, GERSS: short term,

GISP: research) • France (Amenhotep) • Italy (MOU exchange of staff, Tech ed. Misr elkhir) • USA (Cairo initiative, Fulbright, ford) • Japan (JSPS)

• National structure

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EuroMed Experience • Finding the right information • Country-specific/logistical difficulties • Easy and equal access to all through the internet • Administrative support quality depends on program and on university • Visas, visas, visas… • Self preparation is essential • Language barriers at administrative and academic levels • Quick adaptation needed at academic and personal level (“Mediterranean ties”

help!) • Wide international network • Challenging on every level • Amazing life experience • Diversity, diversity, diversity • Experiences, knowledge, discussions, people, … • Education beyond education • Lack of knowledge of the program on the market, especially in the region • The hardest part about EM is getting back to “normal” once it’s over!

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Mobility Obstacles • Financing of mobility, • Portability of grants and loans, • Information on funding possibilities, • Recognition of qualifications and study periods

abroad; • Language issues, • Curricular obstacles, • Motivation, • Legal and administrative obstacles (VISA), • the social dimension of mobility.


What to be done

1. Communicate the value and relevance of the broader concept of “brain circulation”

2. Integrate international experiences and training into graduate degree programs

3. Provide robust support systems, programs and services

4. Respect reciprocity in international collaborations (and recognize both material and non-material contributions)


Towards a Med Mobility Program

• The Southern Mediterranean region is faced with low levels of student mobility, in comparison with those of the European Union.

• Unidirectional from the South to the North and even these figures are notably low.

• A need for dedicated Med program of MED North-South and South-South mobility (UfM)


Towards a Med Mobility Program

• A regional strategy based on a network approach • Bottom-up approach • Multidirectional mobility • Intellectual Diaspora networks to link with their countries of

origin, turn the brain drain into a brain circulation approach • Identification of regional pilot projects - or other concrete

joint actions • Mobility of Skills: Institutional Response • Both receiving and sending countries could take advantage

of networks and knowledge created and accumulated • Involvement of national authorities (national support

structures) • Science and Technology Visa


Thank you...

Hany Helal 24 7/11/2013 UNICA and the Southern Mediterranean

Documents

Food for Thoughts - UNICA GA Rome Mobility HH V5... · origin, turn the brain drain into a brain circulation approach • Identification of regional pilot projects - or other concrete