The Bologna Declaration was signed by the ministers of education from 29 European countries in 1999 with the aim of increasing the international competitiveness of European higher education within the concept of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The Bologna Process has led to a ground breaking restructuring of European higher education, with a speed of change that many did not anticipate in 1999. The aims and objectives to be achieved by 2010 have been regularly reviewed by the European education ministers during the last 10 years. The key elements of the Bologna Process have been the adoption of the Bachelor / Master cycles, the establishment of ECTS (European credit transfer and accumulation system), the promotion of students and staff mobility, development of European wide co-operation in quality assurance, the active involvement of students as partners in the establishment and shaping of the EHEA, and the closer linkage of the EHEA and the European Research Area in a Europe of Knowledge. This move towards a common structure and process is made whilst respecting the diversity in our European education systems. Diversity is a strength to be exploited rather than a barrier to cooperation.
The US National Academies’ recent report on Transforming agricultural education for a changing world has highlighted that many of today’s major challenges — food and energy security, human health, and climate change — are closely tied to the global food supply and natural resource enterprises. Higher education in the life sciences in all parts of Europe must attract school leavers to our degree programmes in order to assure the next generation of leaders and professionals needed to address these challenges.
The themes of this conference ask you to reflect on the success and continuing challenges of the Bologna Process in developing graduates in the life sciences who will have the skills and attitudes to play their part in an increasingly global, and rapidly changing and challenging world, and to focus on the challenges still to be addressed by 2020.
You are invited to submit an abstract for a contributed paper by 30 April to Local Organizing Commitee (ica@agr.hr)