Presentation by Francesc Xavier Grau i Vidal, Rovira i Virgili University, Spain, on the occasion of the EESC workshop on Universities for Europe (Brussels, 13 June 2014)

1. Universities for Europe – Identifying, enhancing
and promoting their role in city and regional
development
Francesc Xavier Grau
Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Brussels, 20 June 2014

2. University Mission
 To improve regional organisation and widen
participation in higher education.
 To encourage critical thought, freedom and pluralism.
 To provide life-long quality education and training.
 To generate growth.
 To promote responsible and sustainable human
development in southern Catalonia, through
independent research and the transmission and
application of knowledge.
 To emphasise the universality of knowledge and
internationalisation.
To constitute an international pole of knowledge that, from its strategic position at the
meeting of the Mediterranean arch and the Ebro valley and its specialisation in a set of
scientific fields, contributes decisively to the involvement of Catalonia and Spain in the
cultural, social and economical development of the world .
Vision
“to place knowledge at the
service of society so as to
contribute to the social and
economic development of our
environment”

3. The role of engagement with civil society globally and
locally within the mission
KEY ELEMENTS
• Internal evaluation of research groups, based
on outputs (stress on WoS pub) + External
evaluation of individual research
performance, requirement for PI’s, supervision
of thesis, etc.  base financing of research in
departments
• The research and academic staff commitment
agreement
• Measurement and Monitoring
AREA 1
CULTURAL
OUTREACH
AREA 2
SOCIAL,
VOLUNTARY WORK,
COOPERATION AND
SERVICE LEARNING
AREA 5
KNOWLEDGE
AND
TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER
AREA 4
SOCIO ECONOMIC
PROGRESS AND
GOVERNANCE
AREA 3
REGIONAL
INTERNATIO-
NALISATION
SOCIETY AND REGION
TRANSVERSAL
AREA
ORGANISATION
AND RESOURCES
UNIVERSITAT
ROVIRA I VIRGILI
STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE THIRD MISSION OF THE URV
Economic Territorial
2009 3,657 12.00 3.60 0.90
2010 3,994 14.00 4.40 0.80
2011 3,886 15.00 4.50 0.90
2012 3,950 15.00 3.90 0.80
€/M€GDP %municipalitiesinvolved %Population>25involved StudentsLLL%pop(25-65)
Social
IMPACTof3MACTIVITIES
TOTAL Area1 Area2 Area3 Area4 Area5 Trans.Area
53.1% 77% 52% 59% 37% 49% 25%
62.4% 79% 60% 74% 54% 57% 25%
62.3% 61% 60% 77% 58% 60% 25%
69.0% 73% 58% 89% 67% 69% 45%
3MSTRATEGICPLANACHIEVEMENT

4. The internal structure and organisation to support civic
engagement
Social Programes
• Extended campus:
• 17 knowledge antennas and 22
Open Classrooms for Elderly, in >
20 municipalities:
• URV Citizenship: specific program for
people over 55 years of age
• Service-Learning Program
• Extra-mural activities:
• University Choir
• URV Choral and Orchestra
• URV Hiking
• Theatre, Art, Cinema Groups
Transfer of Knowledge
• Center for Transfer of Knowledge & Center
for Continuous Education (URV
Foundation);
• 4 Technological Centers (URV Priority
areas: Nutrition&Health, Chemistry,
Tourism, Oenology), supported by URV-F
• 12 University-Industry Chairs (Sustainable
Development, Entrepreneurship, Industrial
Innovation, Data Privacy, Local and
Regional Economy, Local Legal Studies,
Environmental Law, Social Inclusion…)
• Tarragona Region of Knowledge Office
(Support to industries to raise funds for
research)
All activities are included, and valued, in the Academic Staff Commitment Agreement

5. The internal and external barriers to civic engagement
Internal Barriers/Difficulties
• Governance: Approval procedures for
allocation of resources in a system that is
economically stressed (by definition) and
exceptionally “democratic”
• Academic Staff priorities on research
and, especially now, raising funds for
research
• Adequate balance of resources and
efforts (assure teaching and research
quality; high pressure with funding cuts
of 30% 2010-2014)
External Barriers/Difficulties
• Promotion of Academic Staff driven by
criteria external to URV, homogeneous to
all Spanish universities
• Salaries established also by law, common
to all Spanish universities
•  Difficulties in establishing incentives
and recognition schemes (Overcomed by
the ASCA)
• Complexity of the region governance
(Twin cities, no supra-municipal
structure)
• Diversity of economical sectors that
compete for resources (land, water, air…
Chemistry, Tourism, Viticulture..)

6. How EU policies can help deliver the civic mission
• 280 NUTS2 regions (from pop. 10 M to 10 k, mean 1 M) following RIS3 : Exigency
of engagement of a Civic Research University to apply for structural funds
oriented to innovation and economic development
• Horizon 2020: Introduce the value of regional impact assessment as additional
criteria: synergies with Structural funds
• Synergies between FP7, the CIP and the Cohesion Policy Funds. Final report of
the Expert group (SEG):
Future national/regional Operational Programs related to RTDI, especially in
convergence regions, should have a clear orientation on:
– Promoting local-global connectedness;
– Enhancing cooperation between academia and industry focused on the support of clusters;
– Improving and developing capabilities and skills for research, innovation and
entrepreneurship as well as giving high priority to the advancement of vocational training,
– Promoting the modernization of universities and research and technology organizations,
including professionalization of human resource development for research, upgrading and
renewing advanced research equipment;
– Including Research Infrastructures and Regional Partner Facilities in the regional
development strategies.

7. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
Francesc Xavier Grau i Vidal
Universitat Rovira i Virgili
francescxavier.grau@urv.cat
www.urv.cat