Knowledge and Learning in the Age of Globalization: What Role Does the University Play?

In the historic processes of the “planetary society of knowledge”, education has always been a current and highly important concern. In the current context of an advanced industrialised society a different social structure is being created which goes beyond international borders and covers the entire planet thanks to information and communication technology. The European Union has stated that the creation of a Knowledge Society is a primary objective in the strategy of Lifelong Learning: from the Memorandum on Education and permanent learning in Lisbon, the Barcelona declaration on “A Competitive Economy based on Knowledge” and the Berlin directive on excellence and the quality of knowledge teaching. We can have a clear idea of how global citizenship may contribute to the long term goal of sustainable world development. This raises two main questions, namely, what are the key competencies needed for people to be able to adapt to this rapidly changing and highly interconnected world and how we can provide people with adequate opportunities to learn these competencies. Education in general, and university programs specifically, are the most effective means of building global citizenship. The relationship between technology and social development has always been central to the political and economic plans of the European Union. There is no development without innovation and without innovation there is no scientific research which then becomes important to determine a strategy in the field of science and technology with clearly defined lines of action and characterized by choices based on reliable surveys and analysis. It is in facing these challenges that universities are playing for the future: knowledge and global expertise will shape the citizens of the new millennium.