40 people attend the infoday on implementing doctoral programmes through international networks

Written by Blanca Maria Ramirez Miralles on . Posted in News.

The infoday on 22 September about the call for proposals of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN) of the European Commission was attended by 42 people from the URV, the universities of the Aurora network and the Spanish State. It provided the information and the practical tools necessary for applicants to adapt their proposals to the objectives and requirements of this funding programme.

The MSCA Doctoral Networks call consists in implementing doctoral programmes through associations of organisations from different sectors in Europe and beyond to train highly qualified doctoral students, stimulate their creativity, improve their innovation skills and enhance their long-term employability.

Xavier Eekhout, head of the mobility and professional development projects for researchers, EURAXESS Spain and the MSCA National Contact Point in Spain, gave an overview of the call for proposals. Karin Rade of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Netherlands) gave practical advice on what the university believes works best in this call and how they support it. To increase impact and applicability, Hatem Rashwan, researcher at the URV Department of Computer Engineering and Mathematics, presented his success story, the BosomShield project, which won the call for proposals of 2021.

Opportunity for collaboration between the universities of the Aurora network

MSCA Doctoral Networks 2022 are an opportunity to deepen research collaborations among the priority partners of the Aurora network. This alliance of nine European universities, committed to research excellence and the social impact of their actions, has already developed a series of tools for giving visibility to the research of their centres, including the Sustainable Development Goals Panel (SDG Dashboard) to share resources and train doctoral students in transversal skills. Therefore, the proposals presented linked to Aurora will be enhanced by access to this joint infrastructure.

The MSCA Doctoral Networks 2022 call will close on 15 November. The complete information can be consulted on the website of the call.

The URV group that organized this infoday, USPIR, provides support to the research community in the drafting of proposals for obtaining international funding for research projects.

The infoday on MCSA Doctoral Networks can be seen again at this link.

Aurora strengthens bonds with the University of Minnesota

Written by Anna Klas on . Posted in News.

New opportunities will emerge at the Aurora universities with increased participation of the University of Minnesota (UMN) in the network. Jón Atli Benediktsson, rector of the University of Iceland and President of Aurora Network, and Joan T.A. Gabel signed an agreement pertaining to increased collaboration with the Aurora Network to explore new ways for UMN to participate in the network. UMN brings a strong international presence into the European network, adding further to the network’s unique position and thus strengthening the collaboration.

Aurora is a network of ten European research-intensive universities with high research impact, united by a shared commitment to social relevance and a diverse student body. The Network incorporates the Sustainable Development Goals in all its work and emphasises social responsibility and student participation.

In Jón Atli’s address at the signing of the declaration of intent in Minneapolis last week, he talked about the goal of the Aurora collaboration in strengthening education, teaching, research, and innovation at all the network universities. This would be done in line with rapid societal changes.

Jón Atli also mentioned that Aurora created a platform for all the universities involved to further contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He also stressed that the University of Minnesota would be an excellent addition in that regard, as it has a strong focus on the SDGs. It would thus be an important gain for the network to add to the American university.

“The University of Minnesota is a prestigious, broad and dynamic research university. Their approach and emphasis on the same issues as Aurora has focused on will strengthen the foundation of the entire collaboration,” said Jón Atli, on the impact of the entry of the University of Minnesota into the network.

The University of Minnesota is one of the most dynamic universities in the United States and among the best worldwide. Founded in 1851, it currently has over 60 thousand students on several campuses in the state of Minnesota. The largest one is in the twin cities Minneapolis-St. Paul.  The University is a comprehensive research university and is ranked number 86 on the Times Higher Education list of the best universities in the world. It was announced just last week that the University of Minnesota is placed in seat 23 of all the public universities in the United States on a special list published by U.S. News and World Report, which is the highest it has been ranked in over a decade.

Fundamental changes in Aurora

The University of Iceland has been leading in the Aurora collaboration for a while now, with Jón Atli as President. The Aurora Network has grown considerably since 2020, when it was chosen as one of the European University Alliances, receiving a substantial grant from the European Union.  European university networks are one of the European Union’s main emphases in the field of higher education with a view to strengthening European universities, increasing their collaboration, and making them more competitive on the global stage.

“There have been considerable changes within Aurora, especially after the European Union launched the European Universities Initiative. European university networks are a focal point of the EU’s strategy in higher education, and their goal is to strengthen all European Universities. Aurora received a grant from the European Union in 2020, and since then, new European universities have joined the network. There are currently ten universities, with the latest one, Paris-Est Creitel in París.  The universities that have joined the collaboration in recent years are the: Copenhagen Business School – CBS (Denmark), the University of Innsbruck (Austria), the University of Naples Federico II (Italy), Palacký University Olomouc (Czech Republic), and Rovira i Virgili University (Spain),” said Jón Atli.

Strengthens core operations in all Aurora universities

The Aurora Network revolves around core university operations in all these universities, benefitting both students and staff. The network is thus a dynamic, collaborative platform creating new and exciting opportunities in pedagogical development and research. “It is, of course, the goal of the Aurora Universities to better equip their staff to effectively integrate societal innovation and sustainability into study programmes and research.”

“By participating in Aurora projects, academics can learn about new teaching methods, grow in their careers and strengthen their international network. The Aurora collaboration creates diverse opportunities for students to have a meaningful international experience as part of their studies at the University of Iceland as well as taking part in their studies at other Aurora universities. The network furthermore empowers them to participate in societal innovation and contribute to building a sustainable society.  The financial support from the European Union has been vital in this regard. Diverse opportunities in student exchanges, joint degrees, dynamic research work, and shared research infrastructure is, and will become, even more, prominent in the universities’ collaboration,” says the University Rector.

A strong network in the future

When asked about the next steps in the collaboration of these dynamic universities, Jón Atli mentions that they are already preparing an application for continued support from the European Union for the next four years.

“This entails more financing than has already been put into the collaboration, which will strengthen the network considerably if the application is approved. This would benefit students and staff at the University of Iceland and all other universities, of course. The point is to create exciting opportunities and strengthen university operations. The participation of the University of Minnesota is crucial to moving forward.

 

Looking back at the International Summer School: Refugee Law & Rights

Written by Niels Hexspoor on . Posted in News.

In support of our Ukrainian partners at V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, the International Summer School Refugee Law & Rights took place between the 15th and 25th of August, in Olomouc. The hybrid school, co-organized and implemented by Palacký University Olomouc and Karazin University, welcomed 24 participants both online and in person.

The participants came from six countries including United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Italy, Luxemburg, and Ukraine. They comprised both undergraduate and postgraduate students of social sciences, mostly from law studies, sociology, and human rights.

During ten dynamic days, the participants followed lectures, engaged in discussions and participated in an extensive evening program, during which the students had a chance to engage with professionals in the field, UNHCR experts, as well as a plenary sessions on Peace Building and Recovery with Karazin University Staff and Peace Education MA student from the University of Innsbruck.

As part of the ongoing Aurora Universities donations and support campaign for Karazin University, the school was able to provide 5 students from Karazin University free of charge online participation, and to engage another 5 university professors and 2 administrative stuff in its organization and full program implementation, alongside the UP and International experts.

A detailed report of the International Summer School on Refugee Law & Rights can be found here.

The full program of the summer school can be found here.

European Research Area actions and Aurora Universities commitments to implementation

Written by Anna Klas on . Posted in News.

Aurora Universities is engaged in the discussions on developing the twenty European Research Area (ERA) actions, together with 10 university associations, six stakeholder groups, Member States and Associated Countries, and the European Commission in the ERA Forum. After several meetings of the ERA Forum and meetings with university associations, the implementation phase of activities defined under the ERA actions is about to start. Aurora Universities Network is committed to be engaged in several actions.

Further details can be read here.

 

Aurora offers exciting opportunities for students

Written by Anna Klas on . Posted in News.

Aurora offers students a variety of exciting opportunities in the new academic year. Whether students are interested in learning about international collaborative projects, improving their transversal skills or participating in exciting courses abroad, Aurora has something to offer to every student.

Aurora invites students to participate directly in its endeavours through the Aurora Student Champion or Ambassador schemes. By participating, students are simultaneously given the opportunity to participate directly in international projects, improve their skills for their future careers and receive a grant to participate in the Aurora student conference. Students who wish to become an “Aurora Student Champion” or an “Aurora Ambassador” apply to participate by filling out an application form. The application deadline is the 18th of September.

Antonia Hamann, a master´s student in Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Iceland, took an active part in the Aurora Student Schemes last academic year as an Aurora Student Champion. She says that participation has had many positive effects on her. “For example, I have learned to use design thinking methodology to develop solutions under the supervision of experts in a workshop in Spain with other students. I gained a lot personally as well from my participation in Aurora by meeting and talking to amazing people from different countries. We both worked together and enjoyed events together; some of these people have become my good friends”.

She says, however, that her participation in a working group developing a new Aurora master’s programme in the field of “digital society” was the highlight of the academic year. There, she shared the student viewpoints and participated in a conference in Amsterdam about the topics the programme will cover. “It was really exciting to see how a master´s programme is developed and to contribute to it. The highlight of this working group was the “Connecting Worlds” conference in Amsterdam which I attended. There, we continued to talk about the programme in person, and I got to meet professors and students who are involved in the project”.

Antonia recommends that students check out the Aurora Student Schemes and consider participating in them. “I would definitely recommend participating in the Aurora schemes because it is a great experience to meet students online or in person who are outside your faculty, university or even country and talk about relevant topics regarding your university. I would advise students who will participate to be proactive in suggesting topics they want to talk about and not to be shy to share their ideas within their working group.

Aurora also offers exciting courses this autumn semester, and students are encouraged to visit the new Aurora Virtual Campus to explore the opportunities. Among other things, you can find courses that students can take online at the University of Innsbruck which cover the topic of sustainability from different perspectives. The application deadline is the 4th of September, and students from all fields of study are encouraged to apply.

Particular attention is drawn to a new course developed by Aurora, Perspectives on Europe in a Global Context, which tackles European matters from various perspectives. “In light of the events that have taken place in Europe this year, it is very important that universities teach students about the history of the continent, the diverse cultures within it, the importance of European cooperation and the main challenges that come with it,” says Guðmundur Hálfdánarson, professor of history, who leads the working group developing a new programme within Aurora that focus on issues relating to cultures, diversities and identities within Europe.

Aurora Student Schemes

Written by Niels Hexspoor on . Posted in Calls, News.

We are pleased to announce that you can now apply for the Aurora Student Schemes for the upcoming Academic year 2022/2023. Become part of an international community of students by taking on one of the following two roles:

Student Ambassador

If you want to be a part of an international community of students, the role of Aurora Student Ambassador will be perfect for you.

In this role, you will be given the opportunity to take part in a variety of online and in-person events, together with students from across all Aurora Universities.

You can participate in several international workshops that will boost you personal and professional development. At the end of the year, we will invite you to participate in the Aurora Student Conference, where you will meet your fellow ambassadors.

Student Champion

This role is created specifically for students that want to go the extra mile.  You will directly work on the key Aurora topics, in addition to the joint activities provided to Aurora Student Ambassadors.

If you get at least 15 hours of combined participation in the program and the working groups, you will receive the certificate of Aurora Student Champion.

Program

The program for the student ambassadors and champions will take place between October 2022 to July 2023. In October, a first joint online session will serve as an introduction to the scheme and Aurora in general and you will be given information on the various working groups and activities you could join.

More detailed information on the program for the academic year 2022/2023 will be announced soon!

Application

The application is open from July 1st to September 18th, 2022.

Applying is simple, just sign up through the application form below.

Aurora Student Schemes – Application Form

If you have any questions, you can contact your local Aurora Office, or aurora.up@upol.cz.

 

Student Schemes – Workshops Concept Program

Aurora Student Schemes 22-23 – Flyer

Aurora Student Schemes 22-23 – Poster

Workshop Outcomes – Peace Education for Karazin University, and GRT inclusion in higher education.

Written by Niels Hexspoor on . Posted in Events, News.

On 30 June 2022, two workshops titled ‘Developing a Peace Education Programme for Karazin Kharkiv National University in Ukraine’ and ‘Removing barriers to Higher Education for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers’, were organised and moderated by Dr Spyros Themelis (UEA) and Dr Selma Porobic (Palacky University Olomouc) at the University of East Anglia (UEA). The two workshops, implemented under the framework of the Culture: Identity and Diversity pilot domain were a great success and will produce concrete outcomes in the future.

‘Developing a Peace Education Programme for Karazin Kharkiv National University in Ukraine’

One of the developing features of Aurora support to Karazin Kharkiv National University is peace education programme. Peace education is an emerging field focusing on peacebuilding efforts through education in situations of collective trauma such as war, mass displacement, and genocide. This pedagogy focuses on the creation of safe environments for teachers and students to foster dialogue and reflection by enabling sharing of their own traumatic (and often conflictual) narratives and supporting perspective-taking.

Under the guidance of Dr. Selma Porobić, this workshop brought together 14 experts from over 9 different institutions, and aimed to  explore a collaborative model focusing on the development of peace education programme for Karazin Kharkiv University. During the group discussion two set of questions were addressed. Group A focused on how to develop Peace education (PE) as integral part of general competences for academicians at Karazin, while Group B focused on researching PE in the ongoing war situation in the city of Kharkiv and in the Eastern Ukraine.

Among the most significant outcomes of this workshop, are the establishment of the International Expert team for peace education platform at Karazin University and initial planning of peace education programme including timeline for different components, research methods, staff training and COILs.

Thanks to the SPACE Network, represented in the workshop by Elke Kitzelmann (UIBK), an initial donation was made towards the realization of the Peace Education platform and further Aurora collaborations with Karazin University. In addition, collaborations with UIBK’s new MA Peace Studies program, under prof. Andreas Oberprantacher were initiated as well.  As part of International Summer School in Refugee Law and Rights, co-organized by Palacky University and Karazin University, on August 24th, students from UIBK’s Peace studies  program will engage with Karazin University’s MA students in the plenary session ‘ Prospects for Peace Building, Recovery & Reconstruction.’

We look forward to engagement from more Aurora universities. Enquiries about the PE program at Karazin University can be sent to Dr. Selma Porobić, coordinator for Aurora support to Karazin University.

‘Removing barriers to Higher Education for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers’

Gypsy, Roma and Travellers (GRT) are the largest ethnic minority and at the same time the most marginalised in Europe. It is little surprise, therefore, that they are also one of the most, if not the most, underrepresented group in higher education.

This workshop explored the types of barriers facing Gypsy, Roma and Traveller students in accessing Higher Education and experiences of inclusion and exclulsion. In total 15 participants attended the event, including academics, practitioners, reseach students, as well as inclusion leaders in schools and local councils. Participants were of Roma and non-Roma origin and they shared perspectives from a variety of European countries (including Germany, Greece, Iceland,  Sweeden, the Czech Republic, Romania and the UK) and institutional contexts, including, schools, universisties, musuems and local couincils.

One of the outcomes of this workshop, was the decision to create a network of Roma inclusion research in higher education. It was also agreed that this network will aim to map national and international policies of inclusion and examine national and international reports relevant to the topic. Finally, it was agreed that the network will explore the possiblity of setting up courses on Roma education across the Aurora network and more broadly, and work with outreach officers to explore innovative practices on access.

Dr. Spyros Themelis, who led the workshop, will explore options for hosting a face-to-face meeting at the start of the new academic year. If you have any suggestions or would like to get involved, please email Spyros at: s.themelis@uea.ac.uk.

We welcome contributions from across all Aurora universities.

Aurora supports letter to European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel for transparency on R&I budget allocation

Written by Anna Klas on . Posted in News.

Aurora Universities welcomes additional funding to the Horizon Europe (HEU) budget. Aurora Universities also support the letter by EuroTech Universities to the European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel and the Director-General of Research and Innovation Jean-Eric Paquet to provide more transparency on the HEU budget. Horizon Europe is the European Union’s main funding program for Research and Innovation and a vital source of funding for researchers and innovators across Europe.

The letter argues that Horizon Europe’s current budget allocation process lacks transparency and that they are progressively becoming a financial source for other European Commission-led priorities outside of the programme. This covers the European Chips Act, the Health and Emergency Response Agency and lately, the Hydrogen Valley initiative under the REPowerEU Plan. Together, these three initiatives will be financed through HEU with a budget of close to EUR 1bn. This redirection of funds from HEU to other European Commission initiatives gives uncertainty to researchers and innovators across EU member states concerning the availability of funds. In addition, budget allocations are becoming increasingly complex, making it difficult to understand how much money is available for research.

The letter calls on the Commission to improve the transparency of Horizon Europe’s budget by adding a set of indicators to the Horizon Europe Dashboard, which can help assess in real-time how much of the HEU budget has already been committed to which initiative and how much has been paid. This would also provide visibility as to the commitments targeting the original HEU objectives or objectives outside of the programme. Read the full letter here.

Aurora workshop on “Digital nomads: living in a society of digital enterprises”

Written by unina on . Posted in News.

Together with the VU Amsterdam Network Institute Aurora universities central office organised the workshop on Digital Nomads – Living in a Society of Digital Employees at the Neth-ER premises in Brussels on 14 June 2022. The workshop addressed how society, employers and employees may deal with the new way of working in the digital society, and how to contribute from a scientific perspective. It has been attended by policy-makers from the European Commission, 12 scientists from Aurora universities and its central office and three people representating employees, policy making and digital nomads.


Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has inspired an increasing number of employees to work from a different country where their organisation is located. There are several structural factors in society that may further spur the number of digital nomads in Europe, such as an increased desire among employees for autonomy and flexibility in balancing professional and private life, and the advent of digital technologies and intermediary companies that enable a nomadic lifestyle. The digital nomads trend provides scientists, strategists and policy-makers with new technological, organisational, legal, ethical, economical and socio-cultural challenges.

 

Question: How can current and future research provide input to strategies and policies, and vice versa?
Aim: The aim of this workshop was to bundle expertise from ambitious and excellent scientists from various disciplines to discuss challenges related to digital nomads with European policy-makers, and provide directions for the European Commission’s Research & Innovation programs.


Results: Certain actions have been identified that are needed from policy-makers and scientists. This will result in a white paper and policy input for the European Commission. The workshop also aimed to foster new contacts between researchers and policy-makers from the European Commission and to provide opportunities for research collaborations. The academic attendees expressed their interest to create an Aurora network of experts related to this topic.

Aurora is growing

Written by Anna Klas on . Posted in News.

It is with great pleasure that we welcome a new university, Université Paris-Est Créteil, to the Aurora European University. At the Aurora 2022 Spring Biannual in Innsbruck, Aurora President Jón Atli Benediktsson and President of the Université Paris-Est Créteil, Jean-Luc Dubois-Randé signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), expressing their mutual intent to establish a strong and deep collaboration through the activities of the Aurora European University Alliance. Additionally, we are also very pleased to announce that, after having been an associate member of the Aurora Network, Palacký University Olomouc will become a full member of the Aurora Network.  

We are delighted that Université Paris-Est Créteil is joining the Aurora Alliance; first, as an associate partner of the current activities and thereafter as a full member in the next funding bid. The objectives and visions of both Aurora and the Université Paris-Est Créteil are closely aligned and we are very much looking forward to working together on common substantive issues, thereby strengthening our institutions, contributing to the local communities we serve, and bringing us closer to achieving the aims of the European Universities Initiative.

After the signing of the MoU, Jean-Luc Dubois-Randé said, “It is a great pleasure, and I am honoured to be with you today. We feel very comfortable with [Aurora], because we have the same values […]. Diversity is not a problem, it is a richness, and [Aurora] has the same perspective. […] We will be on board [in Aurora] very quickly and very seriously.”

At the Biannual, the Aurora Presidents also voted in favour of Palacký University Olomouc (Czech Republic) becoming a full member of the Aurora Network. Palacký, already a full member of the Aurora European University Alliance, was welcomed and congratulated by the Aurora Presidents. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest university in Moravia and the second-oldest university in the Czech Republic, and it is one of the most important Central European centres of education and research. As the Aurora lead on the Capacity Development Support Programme and more recently the lead on the workaround acute aid for Aurora’s Ukrainian partner university, Karazin Kharkiv University, Palacký University Olomouc’s expertise and commitment to Aurora have made it an invaluable member, and we are excited about this opportunity for even closer collaboration, moving forward.

Vice-Rector for Strategy and Regional Affairs and UP’s Aurora Strategic Manager Michal Malacka said, “We are very pleased to have become a full Aurora Network member after one and a half years of intense Aurora Alliance collaboration. We are grateful to all who have paved the way and made this possible, and a personal thank you to all the Aurora Presidents for their vote of confidence. We are keen to deepen our partnership even further and work together on innovative education, research, and sustainable growth.”

Aurora Secretary-General, Anne-May Janssen, Vice-Rector for Strategy and Regional Affairs, Michal Malacka, and Aurora President Jón Atli Benediktsson
President of the Université Paris-Est Créteil, Jean-Luc Dubois-Randé, and Aurora President, Jón Atli Benediktsson, after signing the MoU