Cynon Valley AM Christine Chapman has spoken of the opportunities offered to Welsh universities through collaborative working with universities in Europe.
Mrs Chapman asked the First Minister to make sure Welsh universities continued to benefit from this exchange and didn’t lose out as a result of the European policy being pursued by the UK Government. Mrs Chapman said that collaborative working “builds research capacity by broadening the gene pool, thereby encouraging excellence in the creation of an innovative and entrepreneurial culture. We must foster closer links between Welsh and European universities”.
Mrs Chapman was a key-note speaker at the German rectors’ conference, held in Brussels just before Christmas. The conference, a collaborative event held jointly by Austrian, German and Polish universities, looked at closer partnership working and the opportunities this would give the HE sector in shaping the future of Europe. Mrs Chapman represented Wales and the National Assembly in her role as a member of the Committee of the Regions.
First Minister Carwyn Jones replied: “The Welsh higher education sector has an office in Brussels to further the EU interests of Welsh universities and to enable the sector to engage more fully with EU priorities”.
