1) Increasing attainment levels to provide the graduates and researchers Europe needs

Continuing monitoring and improvement of teaching/learning/assessment on the basis of EHEA quality criteria and Tuning methodology will inform our efforts to keep our degree programmes up to date and up to the highest standards. In our view international mobility, whether Erasmus or analogous, truly does 'change lives and open minds' , bringing a richer understanding not only of one's academic/professional area, but also building citizenship. The expansion of mobility in all academic areas (and not only those where it is now most developed) will have strong and positive impact on attainment levels across the University.

2) Improving the quality and relevance of higher education

Again, quality and relevance can be ensured by continuous checking, up-dating of relevant competences and consultation with stakeholders. Our experience in Tuning and CoRe2 and other centralised Erasmus actions, have produced tools for quality improvement and for building quality culture. We intend to continue to collaborate with other key universities to extend and deepen the work already done. We will use the results of those projects to reformulate the Learning Outcomes of our present programmes, which will increase quality of programmes for mobile and non-mobile students.

3) Strengthening quality through mobility and cross-border co-operation

Most of our policy priorities include reinforcing the mobility of students and staff, especially to the less 'popular' destinations and from the departments that have developed mobility to a lesser degree, and the mobility of knowledge and insight through large-scale cooperative projects. In our view, for the reasons mentioned above, reaching our policy goals will impact on relevance and hence on quality.

4) Making the knowledge triangle work: Linking higher education, research and business for excellence and regional Development

The University of Pisa has an international (world/European); national and regional (Tuscany) as well as local role. It is already engaged in projects that link its teaching and research activities and enterprise not only in local incubators but also in the key world regions which it considers strategic, especially China, Central Asia and Latin America. We expect that participation in the new Erasmus programme, emphasizing professional and on-the job training alongside research and academic formation, and offering the bases to consolidate the higher education sides of the triangle with our non-European strategic areas, will give great and welcome impulse to the competiveness of our country, our micro-region and to Europe.

5) Improving governance and funding

As to governance and funding, we have explained above the organisational rationalisations that we have made and are pursuing in order to increase mobility and also to support the creativity of our staff in developing new directions for teaching/learning and research in an international context. The new phase of Erasmus will have impact on our organisational structures, not only for internationalisation – where it will consolidate the ability to act in a world context – but also, through administrative staff mobility and the introduction of new ways of consulting stakeholders, on other aspects of governance as well.