Raport România 2009

9 5. Relationship between higher education and research a) Please describe the main trends in the role of higher education institutions in research in your country. HEIs have always played a central role in the research developed in the country. After 2005, the following determinant factors have even fortified the role of universities when comparing with other actors active in academic and/or aplied research: both public and private investments in HE have registered a significant increase, with a focus on investment in research infrastructure; the newly implemented framework for quality assurance in higher education and research, with direct impact on the funding of universities and on their certification for accessing European and national research funds has also had a positive impact on HEIs in terms of research performance (one example: the number of ISI journals produced in Romanian universities is 43 in 2008 compared to only 9 in 2006); partnerships between HEIs and research institutes have brought together individual researchers in clusters which strengthen mainly university research teams; doctoral students recognized as early stage researchers contribute also to the incresed share of the universities in the total scientific output; since 2005 the progression in the academic career is strictly correlated to the research performance of each candidate. b) Please outline any measures to improve co-operation between higher education institutions and other private and public institutions that undertake research. Please include: • percentage of GDP spent on research o from public funds o from private funds • total annual national research expenditure (expressed in national currency) o from public funds o from private funds • percentage of research carried out in higher education institutions (in terms of funding) • details of the funding mechanisms for doctoral students in your country According to commitments assumed by Romania within the Lisbon Agenda, the RDI will benefit of at least 1% of the GDP in 2010 from public funds and another 1% will flow from private funds. Estimates for 2007 show a GERD rate of 0.65% of GDP (as compared to only 0.41% in 2005), which offers a positive perspective for the fullfilment of the assumed target. Lates available data show that private financing represent 48.5% of the total RDI expenditure. 10  The research carried out by public and private HEIs represented 32.7% in the total funding of RDI. To this figure one should add the institutional financing of the doctoral schools representing 11.5% out of the total research budget of the universities. Romanian universities offered in 2008 over 3,000 places for doctoral studies which are fully supported from the state budget. This represent almost the double of the intake for doctoral studies in the previous academic year. According to their teaching and research capacity, fully accredited universities have the freedom to establish a number of study places for doctoral students which pay tuition fees. Doctoral students have various opportunities to get study and or research grants by participating in grant competitions organised by each doctoral school. Grants for doctoral students are financed from the state budget (excellence grants, exploratory research grants, advanced research grants). Most of the doctoral schools offer also excellence grants financed from university incomes originated in research and consultancy activities. Starting with 2008/2009, doctoral students compete also for grants funded from European Social Funds. c) Is there any tracking system to follow the further career of doctoral graduates? Yes No If Yes, please specify: The system covers only that part of doctoral graduates which continue their research in post-doctoral projects or accept to develop a professional career in the higher education system. As incentives targeting this end, in the National Plan for RDI for 2007-2013, several funding schemes have been included for individual post-doc researchers as well as for those interested to get a "first research grant as team leader". A more comprehensive tracking system is curently under development as outcome of a Phare Programme. It aims to cover all the graduates of all the three cycles in higher education. 6. Access6 and admission to the next cycle Describe the arrangements for access between the first and second cycles and between the second and third cycles. 6.1 Access and admission between the first and second cycles Please indicate: a) the percentage of first cycle qualifications that give access to the second cycle 100% - All first cycle qualifications give full access to the second cycle. 6 Access as defined in the Lisbon Recognition Convention: “Access: the right of qualified candidates to apply and be considered for admission to higher education.” 11 b) any first cycle qualifications that do not give access to the second cycle (please specify) No. c) any special requirements for access to a second cycle programme in the same field of studies: please tick whether graduates must: sit entrance exam Yes No In some cases complete additional courses Yes No In some cases have work experience Yes No In some cases If the answer to the last point is yes, please specify what type of work experience is required: d) any further special requirements for access to a second cycle programme in the same field of studies Some second cycle programmes are fully taught in foreign languages (English, French or German) and the applicant should provide a language competence certificate or accept an additional examination. e) to which students the above special requirements apply (please tick): all students Yes No holders of particular first cycle qualifications Yes No students of the same field coming from other HEIs Yes No f) which of the requirements apply to students coming from other fields of studies (please tick): entrance exam Yes No In some cases additional courses Yes No In some cases work experience Yes No In some cases 6.2 Access and admission between the second and third cycles Please indicate: a) the percentage of second cycle qualifications that give access to the third cycle 100% - All second cycle qualifications give access to the third cycle. b) any second cycle qualifications that do not give access to the third cycle (please specify) No. c) any measures planned to remove obstacles between cycles Access depends only on personal academic performance in the previous study cycle and on results of the sitted entrance examination. 12 7. Employability of graduates/ cooperation with employers a) What measures are being taken to enhance the employability of graduates with bachelor qualifications? Please include the most recent statistical data on the employment status of graduates of all cycles. If your higher education institutions also provide professional bachelor programmes, please provide employability data for both types of bachelors separately Romania does not have at the moment official statistical data on employability of graduates of all cycles as 2008 is the year for the first cohort graduating the first cycle. The Bologna type second cycle has just started on 01.10.2008. According to the data gathered in Romania for the EU Labour Force Survey for 2007, the group of high educational attainment level of 15 to 24 year olds shows an employment rate of 63.4% and an activity rate of 80.4%, while the unemployment rate reaches 21.1%. The outcomes of a curently developed Phare-Tvet Project refer to the tracking methodology of graduates of all three study cycles and will be implemented starting with academic year 2008-2009. b) To what extent there is a dialogue in your country between higher education institutions and employers on: ƒ curriculum design, work placements and international experience Significant Some A little None ƒ accreditation/quality assurance Significant Some A little None ƒ university governance Significant Some A little None c) Are first cycle graduates able to pursue careers in the public service on an equal footing with other graduates? Yes No In some cases d) Have you aligned recruitment procedures and career structures in the public service to take account of the Bologna changes? Yes No In some cases If no, or in some cases only, please explain the current situation: Graduates of the first Bologna cycle are recruited in the local public services. The Ministry of Education, Research and Youth in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour will soon take the needed measures to clarify the changes induced by the Bologna Process in terms of structuring university studies into three cycles with clear employability of graduates of each of the cycles. 13 8. Implementation of national qualifications framework Please answer the questions below. Please add comments which accurately describe the current situation in your country. a) Has the national qualifications framework been prepared7? Yes No Comment By Government Decision No. 1357/2005 the Agency for Qualifications in Higher Education and Partnership between Universities and representatives of the Social and Economic Environment (ACPART) was empowered as national autority for qualifications in higher education. It has developed during 2007 the methodology aiming at the development of a National Register for Higher Education Qualifications. It has also conducted a pilot project meant to confirm applicability and conformity of the descriptors involved for 17 selected first and second cycle study programmes in 8 different fields of study. After needed adjustments and amendments of the 2007 version, the Methodology is curently under examination in the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth before being aproved by the Romanian Government. Full implementation will start in 2009. b) Does the framework or proposed framework include generic descriptors for each cycle based on learning outcomes and competences? Yes No Comment For each cycle of studies the proposed methodology includes besides the specific descriptors the generic ones, and the link between the 3 cycles was carefully considered in diferentiating higher education qualifications. c) Does it include ECTS credit ranges for the first and second cycle? Yes No Comment The qualifications framework specifies ECTS ranges for each cycle: 180 or 240 ECTS for the first cycle and 120 ECTS for the second cycle. In special cases, the second cycle could have 90 or even 60 ECTS, but the summation of credit points of the first and second cycle should be at least 300 ECTS. d) Has the NQF been nationally discussed with all stakeholders? Yes No Comment The first version of the framework was in public debate in 2007 and the improved NQFHE Methodology has been largely discussed in 2008 in regional 7 A national framework of qualifications compatible with the overarching framework of qualifications of the EHEA 14 meetings and conferences with the main stakeholders (academic staff representatives, students, graduates, main professional associations, diferent categories of employers, here including ministries and other bodies of the public administration) and also with highschools. If the answer to d) is No, please answer question e): e) has a timetable been agreed for consultations with all stakeholders? Yes No Comment If the answer to d) is Yes, please answer the following questions: f) Are all formal arrangementsdecisions for implementing the framework in place and have the necessary formal decisions for establishing the framework been taken? Yes No Comment As mentioned above, the Methodology for NQFHE is curently under examination in the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth before being aproved by the Romanian Government. Full implementation will start in the academic year 2008-2009. 15 g) How far has the implementation of the national qualifications framework progressed (please tick one) - The framework is fully implemented. All qualifications have been added to the NQF through a QA procedure (e.g. accreditation) - There is significant progress on implementing the framework - The work of describing all qualifications in terms of learning outcomes and competencies has been completed - There is a timetable for implementation and the work has started - Work on implementing the framework has not yet started but a timetable for implementation has been agreed - Work on implementing the framework has not yet started and there is no timetable for implementation Comment The good practice acquired during the pilot phase of implementation and the wide debate on methodology and procedures to be followed by universities offer to the national autority for higher education the perspective to complete the work for the three cycle graduates up to the end of 2010. h) What is the stage of progress on the self-certification of compatibility with the EHEA framework ? Completed Started, but not yet completed Not yet started Comment The Methodology contains provisions refering to the self-certification of compatibility of the Romanian NQFHE with the EQF of the EHEA. i) Has the self-certification report been published? Yes No Comment Please add any additional comments if necessary: Comment 16 NATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE IN THE EHEA (ESG)8 9. Reviewing the QA system against the ESG9 and national support for implementation a) Has your national QA system been reviewed against the ESG? Yes No Not yet, but such a review is planned (Please specify time) b) If a review has been undertaken or is planned, please give further details of the review process. The European University Association (EUA) was invited to conduct an audit of ARACIS (Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education). This took place during the academic year 2007-2008, based on a self evaluation exercise conducted in the last trimester of 2007 and an independent evaluation of the Agency developed by an independent group of Romanian academic experts in university management. Citation from the executive summary of the EUA Audit: "ARACIS is contributing substantially to improving the overall quality of higher education in Romania, and should continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, having examined this evidence in conjunction with each of the ESG standards in Part 3, it is the external panel's considered opinion that ARACIS is substantially compliant with ESG. It is recommended that ARACIS should be admited as a full member to the European Quality Assurance Register." The European Student Union (ESU) has been also invited to conduct its own external evaluation. This took place in August and September 2008 with comparable outcomes to those of the EUA audit. c) If a review process has been undertaken, did it result in any of the following: Stakeholder consultation on changes required to the national QA system? Yes No The introduction of specific financial or other incentives aimed at improving the internal quality assurance processes in institutions? Yes No If Yes, please give details of these incentives: Romania has improved the impact of quality related factors influencing the per capita financing of the number of equivalent students from 20% in 2006/2007 to 30% in 2008/2009 as an incentive aimed at improving the internal quality assurance processes in HEIs. • Other measures Yes No 8 http://www