Author: rostanetek

The Martí i Franquès Call 2021

Written by rostanetek on . Posted in Calls.

Applications from master’s graduates (or equivalent) who would like to pursue a doctoral degree at Universitat Rovira i Virgili are welcome. In this call, we will be offering PhD positions under two different editions: STANDARD and MSCA-COFUND.

In 2021, the PhD selected candidates (one position reserved for a researcher with disabilities, under the MSCA-COFUND Edition) will be the beneficiaries of a 3-year employment contract and all the advantages of the Martí i Franquès Programme:

  • Highly competitive and attractive salaries
  • The chance to participate in co-tutorship; that is, in a cotutelle agreement between other universities and the URV
  • An international environment, supported by the endorsement to the European Charter & Code
  • Enrolment in excellent doctoral programmes
  • Access to a comprehensive research training package, together with an attractive transversal skills programme
  • The opportunity to undertake research in one of the top 600 universities in the world (101-150th THE Young Universities Ranking)
  • Access to high-quality facilities and infrastructure for research & innovation
  • Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment
  • Equal opportunities for all

The positions are based on individual projects encompassing all areas of research: Sciences, Health Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Engineering and Architecture, Social and Legal Sciences.

The Martí i Franquès research grants programme, a public-private cooperation designed to attract highly talented doctoral researchers to work on exciting research projects. This programme honours the scientist Antoni Martí i Franquès (Altafulla, 1750 – Tarragona, 1832), who made remarkable contributions not only to the fields of biology, physics and chemistry but also to the economic development of Southern Catalonia. He was the first scientist to accurately establish the composition of air.

The Universitat Rovira i Virgili, in Spain, is a modern public higher education institution, internationally recognised for providing high-quality teaching and top-of-the-line research, as shown in the international rankings.

Applications are open from July 1st, to September 6th. More information on the programme and how to apply here.

Aurora Summer School 2022: Borders and Places. The Spatial Dimension of Culture

Written by rostanetek on . Posted in Calls.

Call for Papers

The interdisciplinary Aurora summer school is a joint project of the following three doctoral programs (DP) located at the University of Innsbruck: “DP Austrian Studies”, “DP Borders, Border Shifts and Border Crossings in Language, Literature, Media”, and “DP Dynamics of Inequality and Difference in the Age of Globalization”. It will focus on the spatial dimension of culture in a wide range of disciplines, such as literature and cultural studies, history, anthropology, or linguistics. The students will discuss theoretical perspectives as well as different methodological approaches to the concept of space and place, including new sub-disciplines, as, for instance, Border Studies.

Furthermore, a part of the Aurora summer school will be dedicated to the research projects of the participants, which will be presented and discussed in small working groups and poster sessions. By creating such a collaborative environment, this summer school’s main objective is to establish networks between early career researchers and give them the opportunity to be part of the development of institutional collaborations between the Aurora partner universities.

Location: The university conference centre Obergurgl in Oetztal (Tyrol) is an ideal location for such an event. Situated in the historical landscape of the Oetztal valley, the venue represents the cultural construction of space in situ on many levels. Different excursions in this unique region (e.g. Oetztaler museums) will be part of the agenda. The centre also allows for a productive atmosphere in which students can network and exchange ideas.

Finances: There is no fee for this Aurora summer school. Organizers will try to find financial support for accommodation and travel costs.

The organizers invite PhD students in the humanities from the Aurora European universities alliance to join the Aurora summer school and to present their research projects in an international and interdisciplinary setting.

Application: Please apply with a cv and a short abstract (max. 2.000 characters) of your doctoral project, outlining its potential for interdisciplinary discussions on the cultural dimension of space. The number of students participating in the summer school is limited. In the case of more students applying than spots available, priority will be given to excellent projects whose research focus is clearly situated within the school’s thematic field. Applications are to be sent to the consultant of the summer school’s organizing team, Sarah Agath: sarah.agath@uibk.ac.at.

The deadline will be on 31 October 2021

Aurora Student Champions and Ambassador End of the Year Event

Written by rostanetek on . Posted in Calls, Trainings.

As you know, the Aurora Student Champions and Ambassadors Scheme has finished for 2020/2021, and we are already looking forward to welcoming returning and new Champions and Ambassadors for the next academic year.

A celebratory event was held on the evening of 16 June and was well attended by Aurora Students, Aurora Staff and the Aurora and University of Iceland President, Jon Atli Benediktsson.

A number of Champions and Ambassadors shared personal reflections of their Aurora journey representing their own Universities on areas of importance to the Network and Alliance.

For those of you that were unable to attend, please view the recording of the evenings’ event here:

17 grants for the María Zambrano international talent recruitment programme

Written by rostanetek on . Posted in Calls.

The Universitat Rovira i Virgili has opened the call for 17 postdoctoral grants on the María Zambrano international talent recruitment programme. The application period is between today and September 15th.

This call is for research staff who have been involved in postdoctoral for at least two years at universities or research centres outside Spain. The 17 contracts offered can have a duration of two years and the successful candidates will be paid a net salary of approximately €36,100 a year as well as a single payment of €3,500 to cover any expenses incurred.

The programme is endowed with a budget of €1,691,500 euros, from a direct subsidy provided by the Spanish Ministry of Universities thanks to the European Union and the “NextGenerationEU” funds, in the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

This call is for people who have been involved in postdoctoral research for at least two years at universities or research centres outside Spain. Applications can be made till September 15th.

The Year 2020: Vrije Universiteit, at the heart of society

Written by rostanetek on . Posted in News.

Managing partner of the Aurora European University Alliance, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam has released their Year in review 2020. In their 2020: Year in review and in their 2020 Annual Report, they reflect on some significant and memorable moments. The year 2020 was exceptional for many reasons. Because of the pandemic, they were forced to work and study primarily online, and to transform into a university that operates at a one-and-a-half-meter distance. It also marked the start of their anniversary year, the Kuyper Year.

The Corona Research Fund, the Athena Institute’s COVID-19 platform, Caring Universities and the free COVID -19 search engine from Findest. These are just a few of the many initiatives that the VU community has introduced, along with partners, during the 2020 corona year. In addition, they had to transform their education into a hybrid format, with an online emphasis. Together, they worked hard in difficult circumstances and showed exceptional resilience, adaptability and commitment.

VU Amsterdam turned 140 in the year 2020. With the Opening Academic Year, they kicked off the Kuyper year with the Kuyper Challenge and with many examples of social entrepreneurship. During the Dies Natalis, Her Majesty Queen Máxima also stressed the importance of entrepreneurship and particularly the role of SMEs. In the year review, Mirjam van Praag, President of the Aurora European University Programme and of the VU Executive Board, also emphasized how Aurora is an opportunity for VU students to gain knowledge and skills to foster social entrepreneurship. VU Amsterdam was also named the most sustainable university in the Netherlands in 2020 and they declared their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2020, VU once again demonstrated its position at the heart of society.

Curious about these stories and more inspiring examples from VU in 2020? Read the Year in review ‘VU Amsterdam: at the heart of society 2020’ in English.

Aurora Spring Biannual 21

Written by rostanetek on . Posted in News.

On May 20 – 21st, the tenth Aurora Biannual took place, where Aurora presidents, students and staff met to learn from and with each other.

The first day began with an opening plenary focusing on the future of academic collaboration between British and other European universities following Brexit. Ms Adrienn Kiraly, Head of the Cabinet to Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Education, Culture and Youth, touched upon our collaborations with other universities and said “Your alliance is already well placed to be a role model for other higher education institutions in Europe and beyond: Your association with three other higher education institutions in Bulgaria, Slovakia and North Macedonia as well as your commitment to developing a capacity development support programme for more than 30 Universities from Central Eastern Europe and neighbouring countries testify for this.” She also highlighted our collaborations with our students by saying: “ I am very happy to see that you have put in place the Aurora Student Champions Scheme in order to ensure student representation in each of your activities.”

During the plenary, Paul Boyle (Vice-Chancellor Swansea University and EUA Vice-President) outlined the 7 key points UK universities must address in order to advance in academic collaborations. One of these points is the need for a European wide funding system open to the world. He mentions that universities in the UK feel fortunate to be part of Horizon EU and participate in the vast majority of that scheme. However, there are many other countries from which they could gain value collaborating too. Karine Samuel (Vice President for International Affairs of Université Grenoble Alpes) stressed the importance of international collaboration and how the Aurora collaboration was especially useful in the pandemic by exchanging experiences and best practices with other Aurora universities. Ms Emily Reise from the University of Iceland added a students’ voice and emphasized the accessibility and mobility of students and sees the advantage of short term mobility experiences for students.

After lively parallel session presentations and dynamic conversations, we entered the virtual reception building where Jón Atli Benediktsson (Aurora Network President and Rector of the University of Iceland) welcomed the Minister of Education, Science and Culture of Iceland, Lilja Alfredsdottir. Ms Alfredsdottir believes that the strength of Iceland lies in its international collaborations and that these collaborating networks have ensured that Icelandic research is truly global and ambitious. She says: “No single institution can tackle world challenges on its own but collaboration brings a strength that can be greater than the sum of its parts. With that in mind, the European Commission has focused its recent efforts in higher education on forming strong European University networks capable of producing internationally competent European students, European research, and European solutions”. Jón Atli introduced Ms Anne-May Janssen who will take over from Kees Kouwenaar as Secretary-General of Aurora from July 25th of this year. The reception also welcomed a comedy sketch by comedian Ari Eldjarn. Ari enthused the public with his charismatic interpretations of the many European cultures.

The second day continued with open parallel dissemination sessions and a wrap up of the reports and reflections. President of the Alliance Board Mirjam van Praag shared the accomplishments and challenges of the last 6 months. Among the achievements are the many courses that have been identified to be Aurorarized, a 2-year master program, an international traineeship program, a framework for mobility grant allocation, the 32 students engaged in the Aurora Student Champion Scheme and 15 student ambassadors. Next to accomplishments, Ms van Praag also shared a key concern about the involvement of academics in Aurora and integrating Aurorarized course into existing degree programs.

In total, 25 of Aurora’s active working groups and task teams met during the Biannual, and 7 dissemination sessions informed a wider Aurora audience on aspects of the Aurora programme of activities.

In the wrap-up, it was announced that it is the last term of Callum Perry, initiator of the Aurora student Champions Scheme and that his successor will be elected in the following months. And lastly, Maria José Figueras Salvat, Rector of Universitat Rovira i Virgili, announced that the fall biannual 2021 will physically be organized in Tarragona.

Aurora Service Learning Toolbox

Written by rostanetek on . Posted in News, Trainings.

At the core of the Aurora is its cardinal goal to equip students with the right knowledge, skills, mindset, and experience to address societal challenges as agents of change. The Service Learning (SL) and Co-creation approach can help bring this core mission of the Aurora alliance to fruition. Service-learning is an academic teaching/learning method that connects meaningful community service with academic learning, personal growth, and civic responsibility. Co-creation is a form of service-learning that entails the collaboration of diverse stakeholders in the co-production of value/knowledge (concepts, solutions, products, services). Together these two approaches foster engagement of academicians and students with societal stakeholders to address societal challenges.

This toolbox provides relevant tools, resources, and inspiration to foster understanding and application of service-learning and co-creation in Aurora universities. We hope these resources will help interested teachers and students to apply service-learning and co-creation in their academic practice. Information on how to use the toolbox is presented below.

How to use the Aurora Service Learning Toolbox

Please choose from the three modules below what you would like to do. The three modules provide pertinent information, tools, and support to foster service-learning and co-creation in Aurora Universities.

The first module provides information, tools and inspiration on service-learning and co-creation.

The second module provides information on available service-learning programs, courses, and practices in Aurora Universities.

 

The third module helps connect those who seek advice or support on service learning or co-creation to experts and their counsel.

The Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia affirms the commitment to tackling climate emergency

Written by rostanetek on . Posted in News.

More than one hundred businesses and organizations attend the official presentation in Tarragona of a strategic national initiative which has already been working for some time on the transition to the renewable hydrogen economy and society

The Vice-President of the Catalan Government, Pere Aragonès, stated that the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia “is a paradigm of the transformative projects that the country needs and an opportunity to change the energy consumption model”

Enagás and Repsol takes on the commercial leadership of an initiative coordinated by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili which they hope will make the territory a European leader in the hydrogen industry.

Tarragona, 14 May 2021 – The official presentation of the Hydrogen Valley of Tarragona has taken place in the Tarragona Congress Centre. The event has been attended by the more than 100 companies and organisations that form part of the Hydrogen Valley and has been an opportunity for all those involved to reaffirm their commitment to tackling the climate emergency by promoting a society and economy based on renewable hydrogen. This strategic national initiative has already been working for months to consolidate an ecosystem based on the value chain of hydrogen, an energy vector vital to achieving carbon neutrality whilst increasing business competitiveness and improving individual well-being, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The event has been presided over by the Vice-President of the Catalan Government and Minister for the Economy and Revenue, Pere Aragonès, who emphasised the importance of the Hydrogen Valley as “an paradigm of the transformative projects that the country needs and an opportunity to change the energy consumption model”, while the presidents of Repsol and Enagás, Antonio Brufau and Antonio Llardén respectively, have taken on commercial leadership within the Valley as a challenge and commitment to society.

The agreement by all parties to promote the growth of the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia, with economic development and climate change mitigation as its primary goals, has resulted in the signing of a memorandum of understanding by the principal stakeholders involved in the initiative, represented by Ramon Tremosa, the minister for Business and Knowledge of the Catalan Government; María José Figueras, rector of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili; Noemí Llauradó, president of Tarragona Provincial Council; Josep Maria Cruset, president of the Tarragona Port Authority; Montserrat Ballarín, vice-president of the Social and Economic Development of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, and Rubén Folgado, president of the Chemical Business Association of Tarragona (AEQT), in addition to the aforementioned of Repsol and Enagás, Antonio Brufau and Antonio Llardén.

The event began with a welcome speech by the Mayor of Tarragona, Pau Ricomà, in which he expressed his support for the initiative and stressed “the city’s commitment to the project and to the implementation of renewable hydrogen”. This was followed by María José Figueras, rector of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, the institution coordinating and promoting the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia, who expressed her thanks for the support of all stakeholders and stated that “the knowledge agents and administrations and companies that participate in this initiative seek to consolidate all of their assets and potentialities in order to make the Valley a leader in the transition to a society and economy based on renewable hydrogen, through knowledge, research, production, distribution and use”. In this context, the rector has highlighted that the role played by the URV involves “leading and promoting training, socialization and research into the new value chains of renewable hydrogen”.

Ramon Tremosa has expressed the “total support” of the Catalan Government for the Valley, “a competitive and transformative strategic project with a clear impact on the territory that will contribute to the need for energy transition” and he asked the Spanish Government for “real joint governance in the management of the Next Generation initiatives. We have to play a key role if we want to maximize the resources that Europe makes available to us”, he stated.

Noemí Llauradó, for her part, has stated that the institution that she presides over is committed to making the Tarragona region “lead the implementation of this energy model throughout Catalonia and become a driver of development and a European reference point in this ambit”. According to Llauradó, “the energy transition is a question that can be dealt with particularly well at the local level and in concert and dialogue with fellow stakeholders”. For his part, Josep Maria Cruset has expressed the support of the Port of Tarragona for a project that “brings together the protection of the environment and the sustainable economic development of society”. “It is for this reason that we are making all of the Port’s assets and potentially available for the project”, he concluded.

Montserrat Ballarín has demonstrated the commitment of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area “to the challenges of climate change and sustainability” and has highlighted the BMA’s work both in support of clean energies and in the drastic reduction of emissions from private transport, thus “working towards the carbon neutrality of our territory”. The president of the BMA and the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, was not able to be present in Tarragona but appeared in the opening presentation video of the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia, alongside the other stakeholders. Colau referred to the commitment by Barcelona Metropolitan Transport to incorporate renewable hydrogen as a fuel and thus implement the first public hydrogen station in Spain.

Enagás and Repsol are the two companies that have positioned themselves at the forefront of the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia. The president of Repsol, Antonio Brufau, stated his company will be one of the main actors in the process of transforming the petrochemical hub of Tarragona, “thus helping it to become an industrial leader in Europe”.“All of us who make up the Valley want to tackle the challenge of the energy transition in a way that is engaged with society and we will do so through innovation and technology”, he added. For his part, Antonio Llardén stated that Enagás will contribute its experience in promoting renewable hydrogen projects that are “sustainable in the long term, with innovative technologies that promote a competitive industry and generate wealth and employment”. According to Llardén, “industry is crucial to driving the reconstruction of a strong economy and society”.

Rubén Folgado, president of the Tarragona Port Authority, stated that the chemical industry has a responsibility to play an active part in the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia.“We are taking on a key role in the energy transition, in this process that can no longer be put off, not only because of our obligation to comply with the emissions restrictions that the European Union has established for the 2030 and 2050 horizons, but also because the survival of our activities is at stake and, above all, because of a sense of conviction. We individuals who make up the chemical industry are the first to insist on our own sustainability and the need to protect the planet.”

In the closing speech, Vice-President Pere Aragonès described the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia as “highly exciting” and that it must be “the first step in reducing carbon emissions”. “This initiative has all of the features that we hope to see in the Catalonia of the future, the Catalonia that we have to start building right now”, asserted Aragonès, who also stated that the Next Generation EU funds are an opportunity that must not be missed. In fact, the Hydrogen Valley is one of the 27 projects for driving the economic recovery that the Catalan Government wants to prioritise in order to access European funds.

The vice-president also explained how the Hydrogen Valley project is much more than an alternative source of clean energy because it “takes advantage of the economic crisis to promote the transformation that country’s manufacturing sector needs”. According to Aragonès, “it is precisely these big, ambitious impact projects that are needed so that the Catalan economy can gain competitiveness, position itself as an international leader, and fight against climate change”.

The event was presented by the journalist Xavier Graset and has also served to formalize the alliance of knowledge, science and technology comprising the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ), the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) and the Eurecat Technology Centre, which is the research and innovation core of the Hydrogen Valley of Catalonia and which has been working for a long time in the ambit of renewable hydrogen.

Open International Webinar Artificial Intelligence in & for the Global South

Written by rostanetek on . Posted in Events.

From June 2nd to June 4th, the master-level “ICT4D in the Field” course kicks off with an Open International Webinar Artificial Intelligence in & for the Global South. The webinar is opened by Prof. Dr Gabriel Ayum Teye, Vice-Chancellor University for Development Studies UDS, Ghana; Prof. Dr Mirjam van Praag, President Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands & Chair Aurora European University Alliance, and Prof. Datuk Dr Mohammad Kadim bin Suaidi, Vice-Chancellor Universiti Malaysia Sarawak UNIMAS, Malaysia.

Many speakers from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, UDS Ghana and Unimas Malaysia will host webinars on topics like Knowledge engineering & management: dealing with specialist knowledge, Data analytics for patient health monitoring, Digital socio-technical innovation and indigenous knowledge in South-East Asia, and many more.

Access the Webinar zoom ID and password by clicking the button below:

Webinar program

The master course ICT4D in the Field is the first course in the Aurora pilot “Digital Society and Global Citizenship”. The course’s central theme will be: “Artificial Intelligence in and for the Global South”. Previously, this course has been carried out in a real-world environment. Students were exposed to complex contexts and real-world challenges. They design and implement practical, user-centred and sustainable socio-technological solutions for disadvantaged communities according to a Community Service Learning (CSL) approach. This year the course has been “Aurorized”, i.e. redesigned as part of the Aurora Alliance educational pilot, into “collaborative online international learning” while maintaining its global and Community Service flavour. A visual preview of the course:

Aurora Ranks in Times Higher Education Impact Rankings

Written by rostanetek on . Posted in News.

Aurora universities have appeared in high positions in the Times Higher Education SDG ranking and excelled in numerous SDGs.

Times Higher Education has ranked universities based on their performance against indicators of global social and economic impact and advancement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings consider all 17 SDGs, and each university is scored for its performance in advancing each goal. A university’s overall ranking is then based on its top three SDG scores plus its score for Goal 17, Partnerships for the Goals.

Aurora member university, the University of Aberdeen, has been placed 57th out of 1,115 institutions worldwide in the newly published Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings. Areas in which the university has excelled include Partnership for the Goals (SDG17) and Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG11), where Aberdeen has been placed 27th globally for both. The University of Iceland has ranked in the SDGs health and wellbeing (SDG3), industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG9), as well as responsible consumption and production (SDG12). The University of Iceland’s overall position in THE Impact Rankings is 301-400. Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) maintains its position, although 347 more institutions have entered this ranking and have high rankings for Climate Action (SDG13), Gender Equality (SDG5) and Quality Education (SDG4).  UEA ranked between 101-200 out of 1,115 institutions in total, placing it in the top 20% for its sustainable development. UEA participated in six of the 17 SDGs, and achieved some other positive results, including 57th place out of a possible 653 for ‘Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions’ (SDG16). Joint 74th out of a possible 871 for ‘Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG3). The four SDGs to which VU Amsterdam connects the most are Climate Action (SDG13), Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9), Gender Equality (SDG 5), Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10). The overarching position of the university in the Impact ranking 2021 is in the range of 101-200. Aurora associate member university, Palacký University Olomouc, has rankings in Good health and wellbeing (SDG3), Decent Work and Economic growth (SDG8), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG11), and Partnerships for the Goal (SDG17). Overall the university is ranked in the 401-600 position.

Aurora congratulates its universities with these outstanding results. Aurora is extremely committed to matching academic excellence with societal impact, and these rankings prove that we are well on our way. The Aurora SDG Bibliometrics tool developed is an exceptional tool that maps the research output by all our universities: please view the tool here. More about Aurora here.