What a job I have! Have traveled to Amsterdam and Brussels to meet with our equivalent associations and networks to promote membership in the WFCP and participation in the 2012 World Congress. 

In Amsterdam I met with the recently-formed Network of Universities of Applied Sciences (UASNet). This is a network of thirteen associations of polytechnics and professional universities which offer applied diplomas and bachelors mostly, and which also focus on applied research. 

They have come together to advocate on behalf of the great value and relevancy of “professional” and “non-traditional” universities and polytechnics, and to promote collaboration in the growing field of applied research. Sound familiar?

The institutional and association names vary from continent to continent, from country to country, but the challenges and unique contributions of our applied education and applied research sector are very similar.

Perhaps by coming together as a World Federation we can help each other become more effective in our advocacy and move ahead much faster by sharing ideas and resources and even co-creating new ones!

And with a story-telling, semi-retired Irishman, Tim Creedon, at the helm of the network, progress is being made towards collaboration and advocacy at the EU for more support.

On to Brussels, EU capital and beautiful historic city, to meet with Stefan Delplace, Secretary-General of EURASHE, the European Association for Professional Higher Education, with 1200 association and institutional members from 40 countries stretching Ireland to Russia.

EURASHE is funded in part by the EU and takes on some of the responsibilities for implementing the Bologna-Copenhagen processes. It organizes working groups dealing with the priority issues of Applied Research (with UASNet), the European Qualification Framework, International Mobility, Quality Assurance, Lifelong Learning and Employability. UASNet group also  contributes  to the discussion on Research and Innovation in the bologna Process, through their active cooperation with EURASHE.

The WFCP plans are to set up such international working groups on common issues for us all. Our first one has been in Environmental Citizenship and Renewable Energy training. The European EURASHE working groups could expand and add another circle of reach and exchange as they join the new global working groups of the World Federation.

We will work closely with Stefan Delplace, who has kept EURASHE going for many years to make the World Federation and the World Congress known in this huge and critical region of the world.

Hopefully the theme of our Congress, Driving the Global Economy, will give some sense of hope and new ideas in a Europe hard hit by bad news on the economic front recently.

Paul Brennan, VP-International Partnerships – ACCC