Competitiveness of the contemporary small university in Europe

Influenced by the deepening globalization processes on the one hand and by the intensively developing information and communication technologies on the other, the contemporary European higher education system has been obtaining new traits which distinguish it from the previous development paradigms (1.0 and 2.0). The new higher education system 3.0 formed within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) is developing under the conditions of harsh competition both within the national higher education systems and in the global higher education environment. These factors are taken into consideration by supporters of the Bologna Process, trying to strengthen the competitiveness of the European higher education system with all possible means. The authors have researched the phenomenon of the small university and conducted sociological surveys aimed at investigating competitive strategies of European small universities, elaborated to ensure their competitiveness and sustainability in EHEA and on the global market of educational services. The undertaken research has resulted in a preliminary conclusion that the complicated problems of small universities' competitiveness cannot be effectively solved without both cognitive and procedural changes at every level - that of small universities' administration, employers and students. The research has also resulted in identified advantages and effective strategies aimed at increasing competitiveness of small universities in Finland and France. The authors have analyzed the good practices and successful experience of increasing competitiveness of Finnish and French small universities and generalised them as recommendations intended for small universities' administration and other stakeholders.