Launch of the Learnovation Stakeholders’ Roundtable
The Learnovation Stakeholders Round Table was launched on the 16th October 2007 in the context of the eLearning Conference organised within the Portuguese Presidency of the EU. This intiative will act as a new interlocutor to help European policy makers at all institutional levels to accelerate and strengthen the impact of innovation policies affecting education, training and lifelong learning as well as the European economy and society according to the renewed Lisbon strategy. The Round table wants to operate as an independent body able to complement the institutional consensus building mechanism and the voice of the most consolidated representative bodies of educational institutions. The nine European networks which decided to take part in the LEARNOVATION Stakeholders Roundtable are: EADL – European Association for Distance Learning, EDEN – European Distance and eLearning Network, EFMD – European Foundation for Management Development, EFQUEL – European Federation for Quality in eLearing, ELIG – European Learning Industry Group, ESU – European Students’ Union, EUCEN – European University Continuing Education Network, EuroPACE and MENON.
During the first Open Session of the Roundtable the Learnovation Manifesto was presented, the policy priorities for action for 2008-2009 were discussed, and the working methods of the Roundtable were shared with the participants.
The interventions of Mr Brian Holmes, Mr André Richier and Mrs Godelieve Van den Brande of the European Commission demonstrated a strong coherence between the Learnovation vision and the EC policy objectives, and the initiative was welcomed as an important and useful exercise to support EU and national policy making.Professor Mirko Zorman, Chair of the Education Committee in the Council of Ministers, opened the Round Table discussion by stating the importance of the theme of innovation and creativity in the agenda of the presidency semester and appreciated the possible role of the Roundtable as a mediator of the dialogue with stakeholders.
In his closing remarks, Professor Jean Claude Burgelman underlined the centrality of the theme addressed by the Learnovation initiative within the present phase of development of the Lisbon process, both as far as innovation of European learning systems and as far as the contribution of learning to broader society innovation are concerned.
To know more about the initiative visit this link.