Brussels, 27/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European University Association (EUA) held its annual conference, which was on the theme “Investing today in talent for tomorrow”, in Aarhus, Denmark, on 13-15 April. Europe's future as a dynamic, competitive global region will depend largely on its ability to increase the number of highly trained people. The Aarhus meeting highlighted that developing and nurturing more talented individuals is already central to the role of European universities. One of the most striking developments in recent years in this respect has been the rapid development of doctoral (PhD) education within universities. The establishment of structured doctoral programmes and schools has rapidly become the norm in Europe. Other recent changes have also included improved university-industry partnerships and rapid internationalisation of universities. At the same time, universities face a number of challenges in developing talent, not least because of increasing global competition in attracting and retaining the best researchers and students. Hence the crucial importance of encouraging young researchers beginning their careers, through incentive measures such as supplementary pension schemes, support for international mobility and competitive wages. (I.L./transl.rt)