In its ten-year life, Tempus has grown to embrace 41 countries, and it has shown that it has the flexibility and adaptability it needs to remain a relevant tool for educational reform. With the new millennium comes both continuity and change. The key actors and methods remain largely the same, but the programme's scope is to widen. Alongside the established Joint European Projects in curriculum development and university management, there are to be JEPs in networking and dissemination, institution building and mobility. Networking JEPs are designed to increase the impact of Tempus by bringing project outputs to as wide an audience as possible, institution building JEPs aim to speed reform of the national administrative infrastructure, and mobility JEPs aim to increase the opportunities for student mobility.
The contribution of Tempus to higher education reform in Central and Eastern Europe as well as in the New Independent States and Mongolia is widely recognised.
Under the umbrella of the comprehensive Phare and Tacis technical assistance programmes, this European Union initiative successfully supports the revision of the content of teaching and learning in universities, university management reform and the strengthening of links between universities and society at large.
From an EU policy perspective, co-operation in higher education aims to:
reshape international co-operation and mutual understanding with partner
countries;
promote the educational efforts of the partner countries in priority areas
jointly defined by the European Commission and national authorities, thereby
contributing to economic reform, democracy and the rule of law.
The launching of the new phase of the Tempus programme covering the years 2000
to 2006 (Tempus III) will allow for continued co-operation between universities
in East and West. The programme is in particular intended to:
reflect the shifting geographical focus to the three non-associated Phare
countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia) and the 13 countries currently supported through the Tacis programme;
reflect the comprehensive political framework established by the Partnership
and Co-operation agreements which have been signed with each of the New
Independent States (except Tajikistan) and which should almost all have
entered into force before 2000;
adapt to the reorientation of EU assistance with the launching of the new
programme(s) replacing the present Phare and Tacis programmes;
provide for continued co-operation with the associated countries of Central
and Eastern Europe that are no longer eligible for Tempus funding further to
their participation in the Community programmes in the areas of education, training
and youth, in the context of the pre-accession strategy;
provide for the transfer of know-how accumulated by the associated countries
of Central and Eastern Europe, in particular through enhanced dissemination
activities;
provide for regional co-operation among the partner countries, with the
support of the European Union Member States;
enhance co-operation with national authorities so as to ensure that
activities developed under the programme fully correspond to national policy
objectives. In this sense, the programme is intended to link a "top down" with a "bottom-up"
approach, in particular by carefully defining and strictly referring to national
priorities in the project selection;
maximise the contribution of higher education institutions and the academic
world to the development of society at large.
Joint European Projects (JEPs) providing for co-operation between higher
education institutions of the European Union and partner countries will continue
to be the main tool for achieving the objectives of Tempus. University management and
curriculum development JEPs will be the academic pillars of reference for Tempus
projects and will operate along well-established lines. The following new activities will
provide the flexibility needed to achieve the programme's objectives:
Institution building JEPs: In certain partner countries Tempus Institution
Building JEPs would aim at promoting democracy and the rule of law as well as a
functioning socio-economic system by targeting selected non-academic sectors
of society. Tempus Institution Building JEPs involving the NIS might in
particular contribute to the training of officials in ministries and other eligible
bodies directly involved in the implementation of the Partnership and
Co-operation Agreements (PCAs). This training would focus on the objectives and methods of PCA
implementation.
Linking with non-academic sectors of the society: Higher education institutions would not be restricted to making links with non-academic sectors of society by means of Institution Building JEPs alone. Non-academic institutions (public authorities such as ministries, social partners and their training bodies) could participate in all types of JEPs, including those focusing on curriculum development and university management, and therefore benefit from Tempus funding.
Networking activities: New Tempus Networking Projects would link several institutions involved in Tempus JEPs working in the same subject area at national and/or regional level. Networking projects could in particular contribute to the evaluation and dissemination of project outputs, the promotion of mutual recognition and of best practice in project management. They could also maintain contacts with institutions with previous Tempus experience and liaise with organisations and institutions involved in higher education reform.
Mobility: Within JEPs, the mobility of teachers and students will contribute to reaching the programme's objectives as in the past. In addition, Mobility JEPs aiming at increasing student mobility could be implemented in a broader range of countries, in line with national priorities. A limited number of individual mobility grants might also be allocated.