The 3rd Conference of the Vice-Chancellors of Internationalization & Outreach:
A) acknowledges the offer of the Study in Greece organization and considers that its role is a catalyst for the development of the internationalization of Greek Higher Education, while its actions are necessary to strengthen the international visibility of Greek Universities and require constant funding, on annual basis. Therefore, it asks the Synod to take relevant initiatives to find permanent funding for the body, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Religion and Sports and the Synod of Rectors,
B) informs that following the findings of the 2nd Meeting of Vice-Chancellors for Outreach and Internationalization , regarding the creation of a permanent Internationalization Committee, the relevant correspondence has been completed with the response of the bodies (SiG , ETHAAE, and the General Directorate of Higher Education) and the appointment of representatives their. The next step for the formation of the Standing Committee is the definition of the members who will represent the Synod of Chancellors and the Greek HEIs which, according to our proposal, correspond to the three members of each Bureau with the counterpart Vice-Chancellor assuming the role of Presiding.
The role of the Committee, indicatively and not limitingly, is foreseen to be related to advisory work and care for the drafting, training, updating and implementation of a strategic internationalization plan, the supervision and support of international academic collaborations, the recording and management of procedural issues and the finding of financial tools for internationalization. The work of the committee includes the presentation of findings and relevant findings to the plenary session of the Internationalization and Outreach Vice-Chancellors' Meeting and to the plenary session of the Rectors' Meeting. The secretarial support of the Standing Committee is proposed to be undertaken by the Secretariat of the Synod with an alternative scenario of support from the SiG body ,
C) notes the strategic importance of the project to establish a Branch of the University of Patras in Alexandria, Egypt in cooperation with the Greek Community there and with the assistance of the Embassy of Greece in Egypt and the relevant Ministries of Education, Religion and Sports and Foreign Affairs,
D) welcomes the actions of the Member Universities of Scholars at Risk, an international network of academic institutions to support refugee/threatened academics and calls on the Ministry of Education, under whose auspices the Greek section of the network (SAR Greece) operates, to proceed with cooperation with the State Scholarship Foundation in the necessary actions for the implementation of the announced national scholarship mechanism for refugee/threatened researchers,
E) proposes the substantial strengthening of internationalization and extroversion actions through a series of measures, such as:
- Alignment of research, education, internationalization strategies at the national level and coordination with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Development for the national priorities of
- European priorities HigherEducationArea and application in all Greek HEIs of the European Card ( EuropeanStudentcard )
- Ensuring the elimination of discrimination by strengthening equal access for persons with disabilities and persons with special educational needs as well as promoting gender equality
- Staffing, funding support and training of International Relations Office executives in internationalization and digital skills
- Creation of an Office in Brussels of the Greek Public Universities
