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"The biggest challenge institutions face in effectively integrating AI is the lack of clear policy. It is understandable because technology is rapidly changing so government regulations are sometimes vague", declares Claudio Colaiacomo, Vice President of Global Academic Relations at Elsevier BV, in an interview with News Tank on 30/01/20. He comes back on the Elsevier report titled ‘Insights 2024: Attitude towards AI’, released in the summer of 2024 and which required several months to survey recipients from across the globe. If the implementation of AI is not universal yet, "the opportunities are endless, but many of them are not clear yet", according to Claudio Colaiacomo. "Accelerating research productivity and discovery is perhaps the most important one because AI can take up complex and lengthy tasks. Its ability to explore a vast corpus or library of data and content and identify specific information is a game changer." It also entails opportunities in the educational and administrative areas, although ethical questions remain when used to handle data or participate in research. Claudio Colaiacomo recommends that institutions, "while being rightfully cautious, should go outside their comfort zone". Ahead of the AI Summit in Paris on 10 and 11/02/2025, Elsevier's Vice President of Global Aca…
"While the European University initiative is only five years old, it is progressing well. But there is still much to do. I need inspiration and feedback from your experiences to explain the concept better to governments and member states, gain more support, and improve the funding", says Roxana Minzatu, European Executive Vice-president for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, to three students from European universities alliances on 24/01/2025. This day is also an opportunity for the DGEAC to publish its “Report on the outcomes and transformational potential of the European Universities initiative”, to which News Tank will devote an article. As part of International Education Day, the VP invited Enrico Green, a student of EU-Conexus, Itziar Salazar, who graduated from Charm EU, and Diana Radoi from Arqus, to the European Commission to share their experiences with her. News Tank was also invited to follow this exchange. "The concept of European University is unique. What we mean by this is creating multi-campus universities where students can study, access resources, work with professors and peers from different universities, and travel while earning a degree that is European in its entirety". The Commissioner asks the students about their studies, what the all…
"Four years ago, when Trump was in office, the higher education sector was talking doom and gloom, but now I think people are more prepared to look at opportunities", declares Christopher Cripps, Vice-President for Europe & International Affairs at the Institut Polytechnique de Paris (France), during the News Tank Academic live webinar on 03/12/2024. The session explores the latest trends and challenges in international higher education and research, focusing on the impact of the evolving geopolitical landscape and global developments on academia. Circling back on, among other subjects, the US elections, as he is American, Christopher Cripps says: "People are mainly worried about funding for research and programmes such as social sciences, climate change and diversity, about political polarisation and academic free-speech, of being a part of the issues that will arise during a Trump presidency". As a stakeholder in the higher education and research sector, Christopher Cripps reviews the latest international news potentially affecting universities: Donald Trump's election, the UK's return to Horizon Europe and its political and economic situation, and countries across the world capping the number of international students. The Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris) is a public technological university in Palaiseau (France). It is composed…
"We gathered for our annual general meeting around several major themes. One of the most pressing was reflecting on the pivotal moment Europe is experiencing. The changes we are seeing could have lasting implications, and we must ensure Europe’s success for decades to come through a strong research and innovation system", says Orla Feely, President of Cesaer on 20/11/2024. In an interview with News Tank, the woman who is also President of University College Dublin talks about Cesar Annual Meetings 2024, which took place from 16 to 18/10/2024 at the University of Strathclyde (UK). Mattias Björnmalm, Secretary General of Cesaer, mentions a key development that he has been observing over the last few months and which has been highlighted by many of the leaders at the events: "Different initiatives are beginning to converge. We have seen the Letta report, the Draghi report, the Europe’s Choice guidelines of Ursula von der Leyen, and the Heitor report. Together, they provide a narrative on Europe's positioning relative to global partners and competitors. There is a newfound sense of urgency and impetus to act at the European level. We were pleased to see Ursula von der Leyen emphasise putting research, innovation, science, and technology at t…
"Employers' priorities for recruitment have seen a slight decline in graduate skills, which are fairly dependent on the economic climate. On the other hand, work expertise is on the rise when there is tension in the labour market. Thirdly, there is a digital mindset", says Sandrine Belloc, founder and CEO of Emerging, in an interview with News Tank on 29/10/2024 ahead of the Global Employability University Ranking and Survey (Geurs) 2025, published on 14/11/2024 by the Times Higher Education and conducted by the polling institute Trendence. "What is significant is to see the first three criteria in similar positions (from 16 to 18% of importance), when academic performance comes after, with an importance of 13.1%. Specialisation is fourth, with employers considering that it comes later, on the job." This evolution in skills priorities may have driven changing trends in the ranking: "Over the past decade, we have witnessed a profound shift toward globalisation in higher education, increasing competition among universities worldwide", states Emerging. "The traditional dominance of the U.S. and UK, where experienced managers report declining employability experiences, followed by Australia and Canada, is being challenged by new contenders. Employers now have access to a diverse global talent pool, intensifying…
MIT, Caltech and Stanford University, three American institutions, are toping the Global Employability University Ranking and Survey (Geurs) 2025, published on 14/11/2024 by the Times Higher Education, commissioned by Emerging and conducted by the polling institute Trendence. The University of Cambridge (5th) and the University of Oxford (7th), from the UK, are the first European institutions to appear in the ranking of 250 global HEIs, which counts 102 European universities in total. Following closely are two Asian entries: The University of Tokyo (Japan) and the National University of Singapore. "The top 10 is starting to be challenged. It used to be unchanging, with English and American universities at the top and no new entrants", indicates Sandrine Belloc, founder and CEO of Emerging, in an interview to News Tank. "Five years ago, we started to see the arrival of universities that specialised more in technology and applied sciences. The first disruption came when CalTech made it into the top 20 and appeared first several times. This was specific to employability, as it did not top the other rankings. The second disruptive wave is the Chinese one, which is arriving strongly and shaking up the established order. Today,…
"Our model has led to unprecedented success over 35 years, with no member country ever missing a payment. We've created a niche for those who truly want to showcase their talent without limitations", states Pavel Kabat Secretary-General of the HFSPO (International Human Frontier Science Program Organisation), in an interview with News Tank on 18/07/2024. The Human Frontier Science Program was founded in 1989 to advance international research and training at the frontier of the life sciences. It is supported by 16-member countries and by the European Commission representing 24 additional countries. They "pool their contributions into a single fund without conditions. This allows the organisation to fund the best science without political or geopolitical influence, focusing solely on scientific excellence", indicates Pavel Kabet. "Of our approximately $60 M budget, more than 90% goes directly to supporting research sites", says Guntram Bauer, Chief scientific officer of HFSPO. "The grant program has a total success rate of about 4.5%, and the fellowship programme is around 10%. This shows how competitive our programmes are." In June 2023, the last triennial meeting of members "was quite a breakthrough for several reasons", declares Pavel Kabet. • "First, the board of trustees approved a nine-year strategy, w…
"By combining AI’s strengths with human insight, we can create more effective, innovative, and inclusive educational environments, preparing students for an AI-augmented future. Early adopters of AI in their pedagogy will enable their students to gain a competitive edge and to have a better understanding of today's and tomorrow's world", writes Anthony Hié, chief innovation and digital officer at Excelia business school (France) on 08/07/2024, in an analysis for News Tank. He is exploring the question of the synergy between humans and artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education: "AI's ability to process vast amounts of data complements fundamental aspects of human cognition and behaviour, enhancing our capabilities. This partnership opens new educational possibilities, revolutionising teaching methods and learning experiences." "According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023, employers’ primary skill priorities for 2027 include cognitive skills such as analytical and creative thinking, as well as technology skills such as AI, big data, and technological literacy. Integrating AI into higher education prepares students for future professional environments where human-machine collaboration will be essential", he adds.
"Far-right populism often brings scepticism towards the EU and international collaboration. We must mitigate these negative directions, whether it is around EU scepticism or broader reluctance towards international cooperation. It is essential that these discussions develop positively so that universities can contribute effectively to these areas", states Mattias Björnmalm, Secretary General of Cesaer, the European association of universities of science and technology to News Tank on 31/05/2024. When asked about the messages to be conveyed on the eve of the European elections, he says: "I welcome the example of Maria Leptin, the President of the European Research Council, who has called on the ERC community to vote, emphasising the European Parliament's significant decision-making role." Regarding the messages that deserve to be advocated for before the next European Parliament and Commission, Mattias Björnmalm indicates that "while political leaders acknowledge the importance of advanced technologies, artificial intelligence, and other scientific areas, there have been budget cuts to Horizon Europe. This discrepancy highlights a lack of understanding of how these areas are connected". Moreover, according to him, "research, education, and innovation should not be isolated. It should be on the agenda of the full College of Commissioners and be directly linked to what a…
"Université PSL (Paris Sciences & Lettres, France) and Rice University (U.S.) have great strategic complementary research areas, and we announced that we will collaborate in four of them. The research we do aim to solve challenges that cities like Paris and Houston face", says Reginald DesRoches, President of Rice University to News Tank on 23/05/2024. In this exchange, he looks back at the signing of the strategic partnership for research and innovation between Rice University and Université PSL, which took place in Paris on 13/05. He points out that the two universities are also considering an educational partnership, with student exchanges: "We'd like their students to spend time in Houston on our Rice campus, and we anticipate our students spending time in Paris. This would be for both research and potentially taking classes." Rice University President says Rice is involved worldwide: "We're launching a new campus in India. This is part of our global strategy, which has three strategic areas: Europe (based in Paris), Asia (based in India), and in the future, Latin America." In fact, Rice University is already established in Paris with a campus in the Marais since the summer of 2022. "It’s a great place for us to really embark…
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A look back at the calls for reform of the EIC with its Chairman, Michiel Scheffer; an overview of the work done on European university alliances with Pia Arhenkilde, Director General of DG EAC at the European Commission; an interview with Michael Hengartner, President of the ETH Board... In this selection, you will find around thirty most-read News Tank interviews with leading figures in higher education and R&I from 2024. The subjects that have animated the most News Tank interviews in research and innovation this year are the setting up of the future FP10 and the publication of various reports, such as those by Mario Draghi and Manuel Heitor. In the interviews devoted to higher education, we talked in particular about rankings, leadership, and alliances of European universities, with the creation of a community of practice funded by the European Commission, and a tour of the evolution of the European degree as seen by various alliances... The editorial team was also present at the EAIE in Toulouse and interviewed Mervin Bakker, the incoming EAIE Executive Director, and Laura Rumbley, Director for Knowledge Development and Research. More transversally, we also discussed the European elections and the expectations surrounding them, followed by…
Since the creation of News Tank Academic in May 2024, the editorial team has listed the changes that have taken place in higher education establishments, research bodies and European institutions, as well as the appointments of new ministers in the member states. You can find here a selection of articles tracing these movements, with information on the career paths of those involved. Enjoy your reading!
Employability, academic subjects, executive MBA, Masters in management, impact of publications... All of these criteria were the objects of rankings since 06/2024, in addition to several rankings of global and European universities. The series started with the Leiden 2024 ranking of the most impactful universities in the research field, in which American and Chinese universities arrived on top. In Europe, British universities took the lead. In the QS Executive MBA Ranking 2024, European institutions dominate over American and Asian ones, with the UK being first but France being the most represented European. The US returned to their top 1 position in the Shanghai ranking 2024, with 114 universities over the 500 listed, followed by China with 93. In Europe, the UK and Germany tie as the most represented with 35 universities ranked each. The Swiss University of St Gallen arrives first in the FT Masters in Management ranking 2024 with its Master of Arts in Strategy and International Management. The top ten comprises nine European institutions, including six French, and one Chinese school. The QS MBA Ranking 2025 is led by an American podium, while HEC Paris is leading with the most master's programmes. The Financial Times ranking of Executive…
"How can Europe be competitive while remaining true to its values? How can we fully exploit AI while respecting directives on personal data and a human-based ethic?" Those are the questions asked by Claire Peyratout, President of the CTI (French Commission of Engineering Titles), at the international workshop titled 'Artificial intelligence: what impact for quality assurance in the European higher education area?' held in Lyon (France) on 03/02/2025. She describes the context of the workshop as intense: "Trump's $500 Bn investment in AI, China's DeepSeek, which aims to compete with the US, and Europe hosting a major AI summit on 10 and 11/02/2025, bringing together all the key players." European states are trying to stay in the race when it comes to AI innovations: "Europe's position, guided by the work on AI carried out at the time by Cédric Villani (mathematician, former French Deputy and specialist of AI at the Parliament), is to enter through the human element, through ethics, something that will make the world's population adhere to it by standard, it's what people want to adhere to that makes the market", declares Frédérique Vidal, former French Minister of Higher Education and Research. But EU member states also have to…
Member of the Board @ Conference of Directors of French Management Schools (CDEFM) • Director @ Neoma Business School (Neoma)
Directeur du centre de résultats "Chimie pour l'industrie" @ IFP Énergies Nouvelles (Ifpen)
Professeur associé @ Neoma Business School (Neoma)
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