Les inquiétudes planent sur les liens entre industrie et université[en] 

Scarpiello said the education sector should be vigilant in protecting intellectual freedom, particularly when cooperating with industry. 

"Industry should not have direct input into college curricula. This is a task for the state and society at large. There needs to be an open and public debate about what we want education to do and what type of educational provider can best provide the required competences," he said. 

Scarpiello said third-level institutions must be adequately funded in order to avoid becoming dependent on support from businesses. 

"It is imperative that academia keeps its academic freedom and is aware of possible challenges to this when entering into cooperation with industry. Academic institutions therefore need to be funded through public means as they need stable funding to fulfill their educational and fundamental research tasks."

However, he said that if academic freedom is guaranteed, cooperation with industry can improve research and provide new learning opportunities for students through internships. 

"As in vocational education, some things you can only learn in the workplace," he added. 

Asked about the role of for-profit universities, Scarpiello said private colleges can be beneficial if they give value for money to students and society, but it is also important to have "sufficient and strong non-private universities" which can fulfill these roles. 

His comments on university-business links come in the wake of remarks by Professor Soumitra Dutta of INSEAD business school, who said fostering closer ties with industry can help colleges to prepare graduates for the modern workplace. Dutta said the education sector risks becoming too removed from real-world problems if they operate in isolation (EurActiv 19/8/09). 

EU Commissioner for Education and Training Ján Figel' said earlier this year that European universities have significant untapped potential, "especially in their ability to establish links with the business community" (EurActiv 6/2/09). 

Industry has also been pushing the agenda, with a major report on Europe's skills gap launched at the European Business Summit in March. The report, sponsored by Shell and Microsoft, called for the development of "high-level business-university partnerships" (EurActiv 27/3/09).

Luca Scarpiello was speaking to Gary Finnegan.

To read the interview in full, please click here.