EUConsult Information Service
2007 February
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News / Resources
Europe News/Resources
- European Commission Expert Group on University Fund-Raising
The need to improve knowledge on fund-raising of universities from philanthropic sources was notably discussed by the stakeholders at the conference on "Giving more for research in Europe", organised by the European Commission in co-operation with the European Foundation Centre in March 2006. As a result, the Directorate General for Research has launched, on 12 January 2007, an independent expert group, composed of high level representatives from European universities and leading research foundations (view list of members). They will analyse the prevailing situation in Europe and selected third countries (the US, Canada, Australia, some Asian countries, etc) regarding fund-raising of universities from philanthropic sources.
The expert group will identify and review good practices in terms of:
- university fund-raising structures, competence and culture;
- governance, transparency and accountability, necessary to secure donor and institutional community trust;
- diversification of university research funding and the role played by public authorities in supporting fund-raising from philanthropic sources;
- building and managing relations with donors;
- ways of doing research on donors, cultivating motivation and relations, and ethical practices in this regard;
- appropriate institutional communication to encourage giving for university-based research, etc.
The experts are expected to come up with guidelines for the interactions of universities with private donors for research. They will propose concrete strategies and means for successful fun-raising. They will also define the responsibilities of all actors involved and recommend actions to improve the current situation.
The expert group will build on the work of a previous group of experts which was set up in 2005 and delivered the report "Giving more for research in Europe: The role of foundations and the non-profit sector in boosting R&D investment" (view report), and take into account the broad context of the modernisation of the European universities (view Commission Communication on the Modernisation Agenda for Universities) and the reform of funding of the European Educational Systems (view Commission Communication on Efficiency and Equity in European Education and Training Systems).
The group is expected to deliver a report by November 2007, which could be used by the stakeholders as a helpful and relevant reference to improve fund-raising from philanthropic sources, and by the Commission as a basis to help define voluntary guidelines in this area.
