A quarterly publication of AQU Catalunya

79

October 2015

The Catalan Parliament passed legislation dealing with AQU Catalunya (the AQU Catalunya Act) on 8 July. The bill, which contains twenty-six (26) articles, repealed the seventeen (17) articles in the 2003 Universities in Catalonia Act (LUC) that refer to the Agency. The main new aspects of the legislation governing the Agency are the setting up of a Committee with an advisory capacity in strategies and procedures, and the setting up of the Appeals Committee in charge of dealing with appeals filed against the decisions of review panels in the Agency's QA procedures. Representation on the Agency's Board of Management and its Standing Committee has also been increased so as to now include the rectors from all Catalan universities, student representatives and labour representatives. Under the legislation, the CLiC committee, which deals with tenure-track and collaborating teaching staff, has been made a specific committee and now comes under the Research Assessment Committee (CAR).

The AQU Catalunya Act strengthens the Agency as the primary instrument for quality promotion and assurance of the university system and higher education in Catalonia with the updating of its functions, a more flexible structure and improved compliance with the European standards as regards its independence. It also underpins and reinforces the Agency's international dimension and establishes a system for the appointment of the Agency's director by way of an open and competitive process, amongst other things.