The bill on universities has been submitted – Next Thursday to the Committee on Cultural Affairs

This coming Thursday, July 7, the bill “New Horizons in Higher Education Institutions: Enhancing the quality, functionality, and connection of HEIs with society and other provisions.”.

According to the explanatory memorandum, the first part «reforms and improves the overall legislative framework governing the operation of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through a comprehensive approach that includes the consolidation, codification, and radical reform of existing provisions. The aim of this reform is to upgrade the quality of the educational, research, and scientific work of HEIs in general, as well as their individual academic and research units and structures, strengthen their human resources, link them to the country's development needs, and provide additional tools for the implementation of their strategic plan, the National Strategy for Higher Education, and the National Strategy for Research, Technological Development and Innovation.

It also states that «regulations are being introduced for the new governance model of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)» and that «the new management model and the distribution of responsibilities among administrative bodies aims to enhance efficiency and functionality, to limit over-centralisation, to enhance transparency and accountability, and to effectively promote the autonomy and extroversion of universities, which, among other things, contribute to the country's development and offer multiple benefits to society».

Of particular importance, moreover, are the provisions of the Chapter on «Individual Academic and Research Structures of Academic Units,» which aim to modernize the organization and operation of University Clinics, University Museums, and especially University Laboratories, as it introduces a comprehensive and flexible institutional framework for their establishment, organization, operation, and staffing. Opportunities are provided for the development of academic and research structures that will not only contribute to education and research produced within HEIs, but will also make a real contribution to society through their operation. The proposed regulations fill the legal vacuum that existed on the issue of the provision of services by University Laboratories, as the current framework of Presidential Decree 159/1984 (A' 53) was outdated, did not meet the needs of each university, and had created an obstacle to the development and operation of these units.

With regard to the provisions on the organization and operation of study programs, the explanatory memorandum states that the aim is to modernize the institutional framework for the organization and operation of first, second, and third cycle study programs. These regulations enhance their quality, as they require prior certification by the National Higher Education Authority (N.A.H.E.) prior to their commencement, as well as their periodic certification within the academic unit to which they belong every five (5) years. Of particular importance, as mentioned, are the regulations for strengthening the interdisciplinary nature of study programs through the establishment of joint and double study programs within the framework of cooperation between departments of the same or other HEIs, the introduction of the institution of internal student mobility to study programs at other HEIs for a period of one semester, the possibility of attending courses from other study programs at the HEI, the possibility of completing a one-year minor program, the introduction of new educational activities with greater interaction between professors and students, the establishment and upgrading of the institution of practical training and the use of new technologies in teaching in the organisation of study programmes, drawing on the experience gained during the coronavirus pandemic.

At the same time, the explanatory memorandum points out that provisions are being introduced that aim to:

-the creation of a new framework for the election and promotion of teaching and research staff (TRS) that ensures the principles of meritocracy, objectivity, and transparency in the election and promotion process, promotes excellence, and radically addresses issues that arose during the election process, such as the definition of particularly narrow fields of knowledge and the inadequate composition of electoral bodies. In addition, exclusive deadlines are set in order to speed up the election and promotion process and ensure that the average time does not exceed one year, as it has been observed that the average time can reach 2-3 years. Finally, the institution of legality control is strengthened both internally by the HEI and externally by the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, as legality control is now exercised by a collective body, the Administrative Council, while a special advisory body is being set up at the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs to assist the Minister in legality checks.

-upgrading the human resources of HEIs and attracting young scientists from abroad, contributing to “brain gain.” The introduction of new categories of teaching and research staff, funded mainly from the HEIs' own resources, such as Joint Chairs, Visiting Professors, Visiting Researchers, and Contract Researchers, can contribute significantly to the reform of study programs and the strengthening of research activities, as well as to the development of collaborations with foreign institutions, enhancing the extroversion of HEIs.

-The aim of establishing, organizing, and operating the University Research and Innovation Center and Research Institutes per Higher Education Institution, as well as University Research Institutes (EPI) as separate legal entities, is to provide the necessary tools to HEIs and members of the academic community for the strengthening and methodical and effective promotion of basic and applied research and, in general, the scientific work produced within HEIs, the creation of new research teams and the development of interdisciplinary fields, with the aim of developing the country and producing innovative products and services within the framework of the National Strategy for Research, Technological Development, and Innovation.