RU (Regional University) is a research – development – training program. It aims to

• describe and monitor the birth process and the life cycles of those "bottom-up" institutions (as a phenomena of local educational policy making and regional development);

• forecast the growing local and regional demands for tertiary education (as the results of the politically active local societies);

• support the local and regional educational policy makers by providing them with information and networking in the realm of higher education policy, management and practice.

One of the major trends in the Central and Eastern European education today (as in other transformation societies in the 1990s) is the rapid expansion of social demands for post-secondary and tertiary education. This process is accompanied (or coincide) by another trend: the re-establishing of government controls over higher education (in the forms of accreditation, quality assurance etc.). These trends result in the appearance of various "mushroom" institutions that come into birth and under the pressures of local and regional communities and fight for their life against government controls.

Within this framework new roles of higher education take place in the ethnically mixed region. Community colleges, post-secondary schools and "local universities" serve the populations of their "catchment areas" be them culturally, linguistically or ethnically homogeneous or mixed. They give a broader access to tertiary education. to those who have been unable to participate in higher education, or did not find sufficient programs / jobs. They also contribute to the regional or local identities of the given communities be them homogeneous or mixed in their languages and traditions.

RU has three components: research, development and training (RDT).

• The research component consists of collecting and analysing statistical data (demand and supply sides) of critical areas; building a statistical data base (on the basis of the former National Regional and Local Information System – OTTIR), and applying GIS technics (when and where they prove to be applicable). This component may result in a cartographical analysis of the social demands and the institutional supplies for tertiary education in the crisis areas.

• The development component involves field studies, case analysis and monitoring of the institutional birth of tertiary education. That is: the roles and strategies of the local social forces, the information providers (teaching and academic communities etc.) as well as the political and economic supporters. This component may result in an in-sight view of the educational transformation of the transition societies and new policy initiations.

• The training component aims to familiarise the new policy makers (actors in tertiary education) with the information, knowledge and expertise on higher education. The result may be the expansion of their existing (international) networks.

RU is launched at the University of Debrecen (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences). It is a joined program of various chairs and departments such as:

• Department of Educational Studies (chair: Prof. Tamás Kozma, KozmaT@ella.hu, tel./fax: +36-52/512-922): monitoring and guiding new tertiary institutions;

• Department of Adult Education and Cultural Studies (chair: Dr. Kálmán Rubovszky, Rubov@tigris.klte.hu, tel.: +36-52/512-900/2277, fax: +36-52/512-954): building and disseminating training materials and conducting training courses for national and international experts;

• Department of Regional Geography (chair: Prof. István Süli-Zakar, SuliZI@tigris.klte.hu, tel./fax:+36-52/319-008): regional data gathering and analysis;

• Department of Sociology (chair: Dr. Csaba Béres, BeresCs@tigris.klte.hu, tel.: +36-52/512-900/2349): field studies and case analysis of the expansion of tertiary education (the demand side);

• Department of Political Science (chair: Dr István Hülvely, Hul40@tigris.klte.hu, tel.: +36-52/512-900/2122): studying national and international trends in higher education policy making.

• The PhD Program ("Formal and Informal Education") (secretary: Erika Juhász, JErika@tigris.klte.hu, tel/fax: +36-52/512-922) manages the program and its documentation.

RU is supported both by the University of Debrecen and the National R+D Program. It seeks further supports on behalf of private and government foundations, local and regional investers and individual cooperations.