Reaching the Lisbon goal through investment and action in knowledge and innovation was the main message concerning higher education and research delivered by the heads of state and government of the EU member states at the last Council meeting in June.

The Council underlined the need for investment in knowledge and innovation and called for the rapid adoption of the 7^th Framework programme. It also reaffirmed that the European Institute of Technology will represent an important step in filling the gap between higher education, research and innovation, and looks forward to receiving the European Commission’s formal proposal for its establishment, to be presented in autumn 2006.

With regard to higher education, the Council called for a follow up to the European Commission’s communication on modernising Europe’s universities (see the May issue of the ACA Newsletter Education Europe), and encouraged member states to modernise and restructure the higher education sector in order to generate growth and jobs.