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Aurora Universities Celebrate Equity and Empowerment for Women on International Days in 2025

Written by Aniza Pourtauborde on . Posted in News.

This year, universities in Aurora embarked on initiatives that promote equity, equality and empowerment for women on two major international days: the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February and International Women’s Day on 8 March.

These initiatives aim to increase awareness on gender inequality, drive inclusion and inspire action by:

  • Enabling access to equal rights for women in science
  • Highlighting excellence in academia
  • Supporting women’s advancement
  • Celebrating women whose leadership has left a lasting impact.

University of Iceland (UI)

To celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the University of Iceland organised a panel session featuring women researchers and scientists from Iceland, Sweden and Finland, as part of the larger IUPAC Global Women’s Breakfast (GWB) initiative. This year’s GWB theme is “Accelerating Equity in Science”. The IUPAC GWB initiative unites scientists from around the globe in more than 500 locations to foster collaboration and discuss ways to advance diversity and inclusion in science.

More about the event: IUPAC Global Women’s Breakfast 2025 – Reykjavík

 

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam)

From the fundraising initiative launched by women in 1932 until today, women have been catalysing positive impact at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. For International Women’s Day 2025, discover the five women showcased this year and learn how their contributions continue to leave a mark on the university.

Read further: Five important women in the history of VU Amsterdam

    University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE)

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Anke Hinney held a talk on International Women’s Day as part of a larger awareness and empowerment event hosted in Limbecker Platz, Essen. Anke Hinney is a professor at the University Clinic Essen, in the Department of Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy. An active champion in raising awareness on gender and medicine, Prof. Hinney is a founding member and acting director of the Institute of Gender-Sensitive Medicine.

    Università Federico II of Naples (UNINA)

On International Women’s Day, Città della Scienza, in collaboration with Università Federico II of Naples, held the event “Women in Science: Inspiration and Challenges for the Future”. The initiative honored the contributions of women to science, inspired future generations, and promoted gender equality in research and innovation. Distinguished female scientists and experts shared their experiences, highlighting the role of women in shaping scientific progress and addressing the challenges they still face. Special contributions came from UNINA scholars, including experts in mathematics, geophysics, and astrophysics. The event concluded with an open discussion, fostering dialogue on strategies for greater inclusion in science and technology.

 

Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV)

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, SER Tarragona and the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) organised an event called “Amb veu de dona: la perspectiva de gènere a la Universitat” (“With a Woman’s Voice: The Gender Perspective at the University”). This event reflected on the role and empowerment of women at the university. Over the course of two hours, prominent and influential women from the university community shared their experiences and discussed topics such as the Equality Unit, the new Anti-Harassment Protocol, the feminist perspective on architecture, and women’s presence in the STEM field, among others.

  Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC)

March is the perfect month to discuss issues of equality, discrimination and the promotion of an inclusive culture within the university community. The programme includes: a roundtable on women’s rights, the celebration of women writers with FEU Festival, and the screening of the documentary “Les filles de Birkenau”. Also on the agenda is a high-level conference on “Supporting Young Women In, And Toward, Scientific Careers” with Anne Potter, President of the Anne and Frédéric Potter Endowment Fund, and Sylvie Retailleau, former Minister for Higher Education and Research.

Find out more: Mois Égalité et Inclusion à l’UPEC

 

Palacký University Olomouc (UP)

For the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2025, Palacký University Olomouc held the Breakfast with Science event featuring researcher Michaela Šaradín Lebedíková, recipient of the Masaryk University Rector’s Award for Excellence in Doctoral Studies. Breakfast with Science is an opportunity for researchers to share experiences on how to progress and succeed in the scientific environment.

Learn more: Women’s Science Breakfast

  Copenhagen Business School (CBS)

Female entrepreneurs already face more discrimination against their male counterparts when it comes to securing external funding from banks and investors. This research from CBS professor Vera Rocha shows that women entrepreneurs also face challenges from their own internal employees. Entrepreneurial success does not eliminate gender bias.

Read the research: Female Entrepreneurs Face Discrimination From Their Own Employees

    Karazin Kharkiv National University (KKNU)

Since the 19th century, Karazin University has played a leading role in expanding women’s access to education, science, and professional activities. To honour the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, KKNU’s Central Scientific Library produced a video highlighting women’s contribution to academic excellence at the university.

Watch the video: Intelligence, Grace and Greatness

Read the article on International Women’s Day.

  Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (UPJS)

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science was the occasion for a panel discussion on “Women in Science: Stories, Challenges, Visions”. This exchange between the university management and speakers from research, PhD students, female staff, and employees, covered topics such as stereotypes and gender prejudices in science, work-life balance for women scientists, gender equality in science and the mental health of women researchers. To further honour women on International Women’s Day, two initiatives were organised on “Equality in Diversity” and “Discussions on Women, Men, Sex and Gender”.

 

South-West University “Neofit Rilksi” (SWUNR)

At SWUNR, the university held a “Martenitsa workshop”with its Erasmus+ students. The Martenitsa is a Bulgarian tradition symbolising health, renewal, and the arrival of spring. It consists of red and white threads woven together, representing life, vitality (red), and purity, new beginnings (white). Martenitsa is also a symbol honouring the female beginning and embodies femininity. A perfect event to celebrate women on International Women’s Day 2025.

Aurora Signs Open Letter to EU Leadership Calling for A Strong European Research & Innovation Policy and FP10

Written by Aniza Pourtauborde on . Posted in News.

Aurora is co-signatory of the Open Letter on the next research and innovation (R&I) policy and programming period to European Commission President von der Leyen, European Parliament President Metsola, European Council President Costa, and Polish Prime Minister Tusk. As such, Aurora strongly supports the call for a powerful and ambitious R&I policy and R&I programme FP10. We emphasise the critical role of scientific excellence in Europe’s future competitiveness and call for increased investments in FP10. No national R&I programme can replace or match EU’s scientific excellence that is needed for Europe’s prosperity, economic growth and competitiveness, health, addressing societal challenges and geopolitical strength. Main points in this Open Letter include:
  1. Strengthening Europe’s capacity in complex technologies, health and life sciences, advanced materials, and democratic resilience through sustained research funding;
  2. Maintaining the excellence principle at the core of FP10, ensuring the integrity of the programme and fostering groundbreaking ideas;
  3. Expanding and safeguarding key research funding mechanisms such as the European Research Council (ERC) and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) while reinforcing the autonomy of their governance structures;
  4. Supporting an autonomous European Innovation Council (EIC) to help translate breakthrough knowledge into innovation and valorisation;
  5. Enhancing international collaboration and science diplomacy, leveraging partnerships with closely associated countries and global allies to strengthen Europe’s research ecosystem; and
  6. To achieve this, a substantially increased and ring-fenced budget for FP10 to support scientific excellence and societal advancement is needed.
Led by LERU and The Guild, this Open Letter is signed by more than 100 Presidents of European universities, and over 20 networks and national rectors conferences. Read the full Open Letter and support the call for a strong European Research & Innovation policy and FP10.

A Conversation with Rina Alluri: Peace and Peacebuilding In An Era of Global Incertitude

Written by Aniza Pourtauborde on . Posted in News.

During the Aurora International Peace Conference 2025 hosted by Universität Innsbruck, academic and researcher Rina Alluri unpacked the meaning of peace and peacebuilding in today’s global context. She further showcased how higher education institutions can play a significant role in writing the narrative in promoting the culture of peace through educational initiatives, activities and policies.

This conversation was led by Niels Hexspoor, Aurora Sustainability and Impact Leader at Palacký University Olomouc and Lead for Aurora 2030 Work Package 7 (WP7) Capacity Building and Community Engagement. He interviewed Rina Alluri, Assistant Professor in Peace and Conflict Studies at the Universität Innsbruck, and UNESCO Chair for Peace Studies. She was also part of the organising committee for the Aurora International Peace Conference 2025, an event coordinated under the Aurora Karazin University Peace Education Hub.

Setting the Stage: The Meaning of Peace

Niels: We are here today at the Aurora International Peace Conference on “The Role Of Higher Education And Peace Building” hosted by the University of Innsbruck as part of the Aurora Karazin University Peace Education Hub. Peace is a very loaded and concurrent topic. Could you give some examples of the meaning of peace, especially in the context of today’s world?

Rina:  We often think that peace is a sort of this end goal, a destination, this utopian place that we are all supposed to be somewhat striving for, or moving towards. While I do believe that there is something to strive for and move towards, we need to understand peace and peacebuilding as an ongoing lifelong learning process. As individuals, but also as societies, institutions, universities, we must think about how we’re building different forms of peace everyday.

Unfortunately, we are living in turbulent times. I try not to be a pessimist, but we need to be aware of the different realities: at the moment, there are a number of countries, contexts, and communities around the world that are facing threat, risks, insecurity, and that are fearful for their everyday lives.

So when we look at peace and peacebuilding, it’s a matter of acknowledging the reality of war, conflict, genocide, mass atrocities, and humanitarian crises, but also always keeping in mind the opportunities for building everyday forms of peace.

The Role of Higher Education in Peacebuilding

Niels: How do you think universities in higher education institutions, such as those within Aurora, play a role in creating academics and students that can positively contribute to raising this awareness and this sense of peacebuilding?

Rina: There’s an element of also being aware of the possible negative role that education has played historically in some cases. This is something that I feel is very important when we speak about our students. I co-lead a Master’s programme in Peace and Conflict Studies. Although I’m not a historian, I’m a political scientist, and I think that political histories are important to be aware of. In order to find ways for universities to contribute to peace and peacebuilding, we must also be aware of how they have contributed to conflict, and how often education has been part of colonisation, imperialism, et cetera.

Finding the way for universities is also being very aware of the potential of education, how it can be used as a tool – and is being used as a tool in some contexts today – for oppression, manipulation, indoctrination, erasure, and revisionist policies and approaches. When we begin from that starting point of how education and universities have been used as negative tools, and we come into the conversation with that absolute clear awareness, we can then begin to consider the potential opportunities.

We see examples of this all around the world. For little girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan historically, education has been a tool for resistance. We see in the cases of higher education institutions that offer scholarships to students from the global south and conflict-affected context in the global north, how these opportunities would only exist through scholarships and educational spaces.

We can also see today, being together in a conference that gathers scholars, activists, practitioners, students, to talk about the role of higher education and peace building. Through this contact and meeting with each other, we speak a common language of cooperation, community, and how to find ways to work together. Developing peace hubs, Erasmus exchanges in the context of Europe, but also being aware of the challenges that students and scholars at risk face around the world and trying to identify ways to support each other through it.

Full house at the Aurora International Peace Conference 2025 for the plenary session on “Universities’ Peacebuilding Practices and Knowledge Diplomacy”

The Transformative Power of Education

Niels: You’d mentioned some of the more practical ways that were touched upon in this conference and, ways in which universities can use this transformative power for good rather than for bad. Could you perhaps give some concrete and practical examples to how this can translate to everyday life?

Rina: As I mentioned, I co-lead a Master’s programme in Peace and Conflict Studies. One of the challenges that we often face is students from conflict-affected contexts or from global south contexts, look to opportunities for education.

Here we need to be better. We need to be better at ensuring that not only are we offering scholarships for students to come here, but also how we are supporting them once they are here. How are we ensuring that they have – from a technical level – access to visas, housing, communities? How are we offering a sense of belonging?

Peacebuilding is that step: how are we offering spaces of belonging that people are not just studying in a room together or in a big institution, but that they are also having meaningful – sometimes difficult – conversations, and allowing those conversations to be had.

In the last few days, we’ve been inspired with some incredible keynote speakers. One of them spoke about bringing ourselves into the classroom. As an educator and professor, we have a responsibility to bring ourselves into the classroom. So not just expecting students to show up, with vulnerability, ideas, and questions, but also ourselves to show up with vulnerability, ideas, and questions. For us to be aware of, and aim to, dismantle power hierarchies that exist between students and professors.

We should also question our pedagogy. We speak of all different types of pedagogy, whether it’s decolonial, intersectional, anti-racist, democratic, civil-centered, global citizenship, student-focused, et cetera. All these pedagogies are great on paper, but how are we actually bringing them into the classroom and ensuring that classroom spaces can enter into dialogue with one another?

That’s just a classroom space, which is one option, but another is through meaningful exchanges. Aurora universities, and peace hub platforms, offer such exchange between students. I don’t want to diminish contact theory here, as I believe the opportunity for students to meet each other, to meet people who might actually have different backgrounds, opinions, perspectives, to allow for that pluriversal conversation, is really crucial.

Keynote speakers, from left to right: Ian Manzi, Beatrix Austin, Madeleine Rees, Frank Geary, Marko Lehti, Oleksandra Matviichuk, Savo Heleta and Norbert Koppensteiner

Adapting Knowledge Development for Sustainable Peace

Niels: You mentioned bringing oneself into the classroom, both from the perspectives of an educator and a student. Could you elaborate on what that could look like, for example, in relation to the different layers of interaction and lasting impact of peace and conflict?

Rina: One of the biggest challenges that we face in knowledge creation, knowledge development and knowledge extraction at the moment, is that very often we still fall back into that idea that knowledge is supposed to be rational. That it’s supposed to be neutral, void of voice, and void of identity.

While that may be relevant, particularly in certain disciplines, that may also require a certain type of neutrality from a technical point of view. In the social sciences and the humanities, and peace and conflict studies, we cannot pretend that this is the case. If we are engaging in conflicts – whether these might happen at a personal, internal, interpersonal or relational level, but also exposure to actual, armed conflicts and war zones – we can’t pretend that our own identities and ideas are not also entering into that space.

I’ll give you a very concrete example. I’ve been doing my PhD in postdoc research in, and on, Sri Lanka and post-war Sri Lanka, in the immediate place. As a researcher being also from the Asian continent, I have to be aware of how, if I step into a room – in the case of Sri Lanka – how that has relational impact. My identity as an Asian, but also as a woman, as someone who has been raised in the global north and the global south, has an impact on how I’m allowed to ask questions, if I even get an interview at all, and how that person responds to those questions.

We often think that, we can just create a semi-structured interview guide: you email someone, you have an interview, you ask questions, you leave, you analyse your data, you write your academic research. When we’re working in conflict-affected context, when we’re dealing with also vulnerable realities, trauma, we have to be so sensitive to how those interactions actually work, and how access to persons and stories, are also so vulnerable to change.

This is one of the aspects I want to bring in here. As researchers, pedagogues, and educators, we need to be aware of how who we are does have an impact, even if we don’t want it to, even if we would hope that someone enters a room and is neutral of identity, race, gender, class, cast, et cetera, it’s very often not the case.

So this is, for me, an invitation. An invitation to be aware of who we are and how we affect those around us. How that influences how we ask questions, how we engage in conversation, but also how we practice peace.

If we’re not aware of that reality and we assume neutrality and rationality, then we’re also not aware of the impact that that may have on persons that we’re engaging with.

This conversation is part of a series called “A Conversation With…” undertaken within the framework of the Aurora 2030 programme supported by the European Commission. It is an interview format that focuses on a specific topic and is meant to inspire its readers to reflect on and catalyse positive impact. The exchange is available in its original format on the Aurora YouTube channel.

Reflections on EU Developments: Charting the Path To A New MFF and FP10

Written by Aniza Pourtauborde on . Posted in News.

The new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) will begin in 2028, setting the stage for the next seven years of EU financial priorities. The European Union is also expected to introduce its next Research and Innovation (R&I) framework programme (FP), currently referred to as FP10. Pim de Boer, senior policy advisor EU affairs at the Aurora Central Office, reflects on the developments and outlines the opportunities and challenges ahead for Aurora universities.

The Road to FP10

The process of shaping FP10 began nearly two years ago with the midterm review of Horizon Europe (HEU) programme. This review marked the first step in what has become a complex and multi-layered procedure. The European Commission (EC) is responsible for driving this process, and universities have significantly contributed to its direction. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Aurora have provided recommendations for FP10. These inputs were aligned with national and European higher education organizations. Concurrently, the Council of the EU and the EC commissioned expert analyses on key issues. Enrico Letta examined the state of the EU single market, Mario Draghi assessed the European Union’s global competitiveness, and the High-Level Expert Group led by Manuel Heitor evaluated Horizon Europe while proposing recommendations for FP10. Political continuity has also played a role in these technical and policy-oriented efforts. Ursula von der Leyen’s reappointment as Chairwoman of the European Commission brought the new policy brief for 2024–2029. The appointment of commissioners focused on start-ups, R&I, skills and jobs, highlights the importance of research, innovation and education in the coming years.

Key Reflections from Expert Reports

The recently published reports from Letta, Draghi, and Heitor offer valuable insights into the direction FP10 might take. Letta’s report emphasizes the “5th freedom”, which promotes the mobility of knowledge, R&I, and education within the EU. Draghi’s analysis highlights the EU’s lagging competitiveness compared to global powers like the USA and China. His recommendations include stronger R&I efforts, better collaboration between universities and industry, increased private investments, and leveraging European University Alliances (EUNs) as key drivers of innovation. Heitor’s report, which Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam provided input for, focuses on simplifying grant procedures and more strategic steering of collaborative research, mainly through HEU Pillar 2. He proposes the establishment of two new Councils, one for competitiveness and the other for societal challenges, to guide these efforts. All three reports advocate for a higher R&I budget—at least €200 billion—and stress the importance of supporting excellent research through mechanisms like the European Research Council (ERC), Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), and research infrastructures, as well as innovation and application through European Innovation Council (EIC)-like mechanisms.

Universities as Stakeholders in FP10

FP10 presents both opportunities and challenges. A priority will be to secure maximum funding for research that covers the range from fundamental to applied research and innovation. This means ensuring support for low-TRL (Technology Readiness Level) or (SRL) Societal Readiness Level , collaborative, challenge-driven research while avoiding a widening gap between excellent research and applied, EIC-type projects. Additionally, the link between education and R&I must remain central to FP10. The Directorate-General for Education (DG EAC) has assured stakeholders that Erasmus+ will not be integrated into the competitiveness fund. This offers universities an opportunity to strengthen the connection between education initiatives and research programs at the EU level, creating synergies across funding streams. As mentioned by both Ursula von der Leyen and her Commissioners Minzatu (skills, education) and Zaharieva (R&I) the European University alliances may play an important role in this. Meanwhile, the European Parliament’s ITRE (Industry, Research and Energy) committee published a draft report reflecting on these previously mentioned reports. ITRE supports several ideas recommended by the Heitor report. Informally there is support from ITRE and DG RTD to the higher education sector to avoid splitting HEU Pillar 2 into two under different Councils. Rather, continuation in the chain of research from fundamental to applied research is a necessity to contribute to societal challenges, innovation, valorisation and competitiveness. In addition to this, the European Commission has also published the “Competitiveness Compass”, a strategic document outlined the necessity of Europe being more competitive and how to get there. Among the simplification rules for companies for innovation and scaling up, the several ways to increase public and private funding, focusing on areas like technologies (digital and AI, biotechnology), clean energy, advanced materials, cybersecurity and defence, the Compass also refers to skilling people and lifelong learning (creation of a Union of Skills), as well as reforming the EIC into big programmatic approaches and aligning ERC and EIC to achieve competitiveness results. The latter point is worrying as the independence of the ERC, fundamental and curiosity-driven research, and agility of research are at stake. Furthermore, the Compass has a strong focus on technology leaving out inclusion of social sciences and humanities-driven research and knowledge and also lacks a focus on addressing societal challenges via low TRL/SRL type challenge-driven collaborative research. Referring to the Union of Skills, an emphasis on the relation between (higher) education, research, innovation and collaboration with society should also have been addressed in order to train and skill our students to being able to contribute to the higher level of European competitiveness. Finally, the Compass does not mention any role of university alliances in this. Aurora, in collaboration with umbrella organisations like the European Universities Association (EUA) and universities like Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, are actively shaping FP10 through policy discussions with the EC, European Parliament, and other stakeholders. These efforts include supporting campaigns such as ResearchMatters!, contributing to sector-specific recommendations, and engaging in sector-wide deliberations on the co-creation of FP10.

Looking Ahead

The EC internal timeline suggests that the EC will publish a new regulatory proposal for FP10 in the second half of 2025, after the publication of the draft multiannual financial framework in July. In the meantime, developments remain fluid. Drafts of the new MFF structure suggest the inclusion of a competitiveness fund, though details are still being debated. By continuing to advocate for robust R&I funding, fostering synergies between education and research, and engaging in collaborative policy discussions, universities can help shape FP10 into a framework that drives innovation and competitiveness across Europe. As these efforts progress, our commitment to excellence and collaboration will ensure that we remain at the forefront of these developments.

Aurora in 2025: New Year Message from Ramon Puras, Aurora Secretary General

Written by Aniza Pourtauborde on . Posted in News.

Ramon Puras, Aurora Secretary General, welcomes 2025 with a message centered on the future of Aurora, its vision and the commitment of the Aurora community. 

As 2025 unfolds, two words come to mind: enrichment and transformation.

Aurora is built on European and global collaboration between higher education institutions working collectively toward a shared vision: combining academic excellence with societal relevance. Through high trust and close cooperation, we enrich our experiences, broaden our perspectives, and influence impactful policies in education, research, innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity. Together, we achieve more than any single university could accomplish alone. Aurora universities create opportunities for students, staff and faculty:
  • To enrich teaching, learning, and research across borders and disciplines.
  • To travel abroad, embrace change, and discover new cultures.
  • To foster societal innovation through the power of trust and collaboration.
Aurora is a laboratory for transformation, a space where we cultivate research, leverage technology, and ensure equal access to higher education for all. 2025 marks a pivotal year of transformation for Aurora. Highlights include: Aurora is also stepping up its European engagement, advocating for more Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and highlighting the importance of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) in Horizon Europe’s successor, FP10. We are proud to support initiatives like FOR-EU4All. At the heart of these transformations are the people who make them happen. The shared passion and commitment of our Aurora community to societal impact and transformation is truly inspiring. 2025 promises to be an exciting year – stay tuned! Ramon Puras Aurora Secretary General

SDG-Oriented Research and Education in Transdisciplinary Hubs

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The new millennium is the first “urban millennium”: more people live in cities and towns than in the countryside, and urban settings are now the core sites of economic growth and social interactions. At the same time, too many urban dwellers lack access to public green spaces, public transportation, education, or health care. These are some of the fundamental changes addressed by Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 (U.N., Transforming Our World, 2015). And these are changes that need to be studied by students and researchers alike.

How Can Universities Contribute to SDG 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities?

The SDG 11 calls on academic research and education to help “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.” It lists cultural production, education, sports, and mental and physical health among the factors that improve the livability of cities. Aurora scholars, students, and professionals in the fields of literature, culture, society, and medicine ask: what does it take to intervene in urban change, especially if this intervention comes at the very point at which a concrete city becomes a better or a worse place for its human and non-human inhabitants? There is a new sense that literature and the arts might play a bigger role than previously understood. Novels, poems, pamphlets, films, artwork, music: they all have a special license to connect the past to the present and to the future in fresh and sometimes startling ways. These cultural products explore the uses and consequences of history, they envision a different, formerly untold past, and they imagine a radically new future. And they might be able to change urban planning processes. As Simone d’Antonio, a member of the EU-funded project URBACT suggests, “[s]torytelling is a key tool for improving any urban planning process, both for engaging residents in different dimensions of the spatial regeneration as for helping professionals in better understanding users’ needs”. But how and in what ways has storytelling become crucial to these concise historical, social, and economic interventions? And how can the Aurora European university alliance leverage the power of storytelling to work towards healthy cities? At the invitation of Barbara Buchenau from University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), lead of Aurora 2030 Work Package 2 and director of the City Scripts graduate research group funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, the two-day Scripting Futures for Urban Sustainability symposium pursued two interconnected goals:
  • First, concerning the proclaimed power of storytelling, key findings were presented from the city scripts research concerning the urban impact of a limited set of stories told about postindustrial cities in the United States and Germany. In examining “legacy cities” (Mallach/Brachman, 2013) like those affected by extractive economies of coal and steel, it was found that the narratives surrounding these places have significant implications for the kinds of futures that become possible. Visions of decline and stories of resilience often equally determine how communities engage with the urban transformations to be mastered. These examples illustrate storytelling’s contradictory roles in all attempts to ‘flip the script’ of any given neighborhood.
  • Second, the symposium drew on the expertise of Aurora researchers, students and stakeholders as well as international contributors to explore the potential of concrete changes in urban health management, in urban sports, and planning practice to actually “script” the direction of future social transformations (see Sulimma / Buchenau / Gurr 2023). Together, the task was set to find answers to the following question: What are the chances and the stakes of telling convincing stories about health, sports, and urban planning that allow a fair and equitable contribution to real urban change?
Welcome Address by Barbara Buchenau

Symposium on Scripting Futures for Urban Sustainability

The symposium “Scripting Futures for Urban Sustainability” took place on June 6-7, 2024, at the University of Duisburg-Essen and the College for Social Sciences and Humanities, Essen. This event, generously funded by the Volkswagen Foundation and UDE’s Förderverein, concluded the work of the City Scripts Graduate Research Group (2018-2024) and it launched the Healthy Cities Initiative of the Aurora Transdisciplinary Educational Hubs Culture: Identities and Diversities, and Health & Well-Being. The symposium brought together 88 participants, including researchers, students, and professionals from the humanities, social sciences, and medical fields, to explore the crucial, yet complex role of storytelling in urban planning and sustainability. The event featured a public lecture by Aurora Fellow for Health and Well-being Marcus Zepf from Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC) on “Adaptable and Healthy Cities: Permanent Autopoietic Process,” presentations by researchers from Università Federico II of Naples, Palacký University Olomouc and UDE, a critical intervention by Deputy Mayor of Essen Simone Raskob, and a comparative perspective provided by two members of UNIC, a European university alliance focusing on industrial cities. Additionally, talks by 19 international researchers, a visit by a student delegation from Johns Hopkins University led by the historian Victoria Harms, a book launch, and networking opportunities offered much food for thought. Students played an active role throughout both days as presenters, interviewers, and critical voices who offered fresh perspectives on the core research question. They directed a poster presentation that showcased their own research in the field, they conducted interviews with participants, and they contributed to discussions with a critical eye, challenging assumptions and proposing new approaches to sustainable urban development. Students as Critics of Academic Writers. Left to Right: Pia Schümmelfelder (MA student UDE), Jens Gurr (editor of City Scripts, 2023, UDE), Barbara Buchenau (editor of City Scripts, 2023, UDE), and Dana Sitnikov (MA student UDE)

Learning and Research for Healthy Cities

After the event, Mona Gutmann and Jacqueline Ruffen, M.A. students of American Studies at the University of Duisburg-Essen, presented an insightful report on the two-day event. They emphasized key themes and discussion points, focusing especially on the transatlantic comparison between the U.S. Rust Belt and Germany’s Ruhr region. Gutmann and Ruffen examined how both areas coped with deindustrialization and urban transformation. They used their own learning experience to explain the role of storytelling in urban planning, providing a poem by Mona Gutmann to show exemplarily how literature, street art, and architecture can help to bring about more sustainable and inclusive futures. Additionally, they stressed the symposium’s alignment with UN SDG 11, showing where concrete paths towards inclusive and sustainable urbanization had been mapped out. Gutmann and Ruffen were particularly impressed by discussions on urban health management, gender sensitivity in medical care, and the role of visual and narrative arts in urban interventions. Their report emphasizes the importance of community involvement in urban planning, asking especially for processes that respect and integrate local histories and identities in redevelopment and revitalization projects. To continue the work begun during the symposium, there will be a student-driven Aurora research workshop titled “Scripting Urban Resilience” hosted by Florian Freitag, Barbara Buchenau, and Zohra Hassan-Pieper in Essen at the College for Social Sciences and Humanities on 15 October 2024. Additionally, Barbara Buchenau (UDE) and Marcus Zepf (UPEC) will conduct an Aurora summer school 2025 called “Scripting Healthy Cities” to further explore sustainable and adaptable urban environments. Brainstorming for Future European Transdisciplinary Research and Education. Left to Right, Anke Hinney (University Hospital Essen), Marcus Zepf (École d’Urbanisme de Paris, UPEC), Petra Günther (International Office, UDE) and Barbara Buchenau (Faculty of the Humanities, UDE)

Seven Innovative Projects Selected After First Aurora Call for Incentive and Collaborative Research Projects

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Launched in February 2024, Aurora’s first Call for Incentive and Collaborative Research Projects received 26 high-quality applications from all institutions within Aurora, gathering the expertise of 87 research groups from diverse disciplines. Seven projects made the final cut and will receive funding over the next two years.  The 2024 Call for Incentive and Collaborative Research Projects has been created under Task 5.2 on Academic Collaboration and Community Building of the Aurora 2030 programme supported through the European Universities Initiative by the European Commission. This annual call aims to offer opportunities for young and established academics to further enhance research cooperation within Aurora universities.   The research proposals funded within the framework of this call have been evaluated on a challenging list of criteria, including their scientific quality, originality and feasibility. Projects also had to demonstrate their added value for the Aurora 2030 programme, in particular their potential to create scientific communities, and, if relevant for their topic, to contribute to the Aurora hubs.

Innovative Projects Make Their Mark 

Following a thorough evaluation process and difficult choices to be made, the Aurora Research Council (ARC) finally selected seven potentially innovative projects for a total available funding of €104,000, counting an average of €15,000 per project. Due to the success of this inaugural call, this amount has indeed been redefined to fund more projects than anticipated. The results of the evaluation have been later confirmed by the Vice-rectors for Research from Aurora universities.     Funded projects will begin in autumn 2024 and run for the next two years. Without a doubt, success of these projects, and that of the researchers’ scientific work, will enrich the Aurora community and further contribute to the progress within the Aurora hubs.  Below is the list of successful projects. Detailed information for each project will be made available soon on this website.The results for the Call for Incentive and Collaborative Research Projects 2024 are an encouraging start to fostering tangible, robust scientific and academic collaboration and communities in Aurora universities. Following this initial success, a second call will be launched in early 2025.  In view of the large number of high-quality projects submitted, Aurora hopes to secure more funding for this action in the future. Get in touch with the office of the Aurora Research Council.

Education and Research in Health and Well-being: A Conversation with Lina Penagos and Pasquale Maffia

Written by Aniza Pourtauborde on . Posted in News.

During the Aurora Spring Biannual 2024, academics and researchers Barbara Buchenau, Lina Penagos and Pasquale Maffia engaged in a conversation on health and well-being, joint education and how new study programmes can be invented, in which not only students and educators are involved, but also researchers, stakeholders and professionals in the fields for which our students are being trained. They will also discuss how research plays a critical role in creating innovative programmes using a transdisciplinary approach.

This conversation was led by Barbara Buchenau, professor of North American Studies from the University of Duisburg-Essen and Lead for Aurora 2030 Work Package 2 (WP2) for Transdisciplinary European Research-driven Educational Hubs. She interviewed Pasquale Maffia, professor of Cardiovascular Immunology at the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom and professor of Pharmacology at the Università Federico II of Naples (UNINA). Pasquale leads Task 2.3 on Establishing the Hub for Health & Well-Being within WP2, alongside Co-lead Lina Penagos, researcher in the field of Peace and Development, as well as Project Manager of EUR-LIVE project at the Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC).

Transdisciplinarity in Education and Research in Health and Well-being

Barbara: Today, we’re here with Lina Penagos from UPEC and Pasquale Maffia from UNINA. I’m Barbara Buchenau from the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany. What we have here is a sociologist, someone in the medical field, and me in cultural studies. The three of us are trying to do something in the Health and Well-being hub, trying to improve our education in health and well-being, and trying to wrap our minds around the fact that education in health and well-being is always a national affair.

Although health and well-being do not really care for national borders, our educational systems do. What needs to change in our education and in our research? Lina, what would you say is the most pressing element in what you’re doing right now?

Lina: What we’re facing are complex problems, and it is important to educate and train people in transdisciplinary thinking and methodology. To enable this, we need to combine our forces, which is what we’re doing within this hub. This is a very good example: I’m a political scientist, Pasquale is in pharmacology, and you’re in cultural studies.

In Paris, we have many examples of people in medicine and people working on cultural issues, who need to share their work with others to be able to respond to our societal challenges. For instance, we have students from different disciplines – environment, sociology and medicine – who have successfully worked together by trying to solve specific vulnerability issues.

Barbara: So it’s not that we’re trying to unlearn our disciplinary languages, but that we’re trying to learn to use our disciplinary languages across disciplines to allow them to address a problem together, such as urban developments in Paris, for instance.

Another example is cardiovascular health care. It’s a hugely diversified topic in terms of how it affects women and men, how it is visible in people who are dark-skinned or light-skinned. Very often, people are actually suffering from diseases because patients and doctors cannot properly identify these diseases. Pasquale, can you tell us more?

Pasquale: We’re developing some projects in Africa at the moment where we need to face the issue of working together between different disciplines in a multidisciplinary manner. Also, we need to be as inclusive as possible of the diversity present on the ground. For example, when we’re trying to implement a programme for controlling blood pressure in people living in slums, it’s impossible to have only doctors engaging with them because sometimes, people don’t always listen to doctors. So, we need to engage with local stakeholders and social scientists who can explain to us the diversity and priorities for these specific social settings.

Today, working together within different disciplines and in a global environment is fundamental. Translating all of this at the teaching level and interacting with students is crucial. This is what we are trying to do with the Health and Well-being hub in Aurora.

Workshop on Vulnerability

Barbara: At the Aurora Spring Biannual, we held a workshop where many disciplines, students, and stakeholders came together. How are we able to talk together as professionals in cultural studies, humanities, medical field, and social sciences?

Lina: We’re trying to build things. Together. Building things together requires the participation of everyone – stakeholders, researchers and students. Students are at the heart of what we’re doing. During this Workshop on Vulnerability, we had the opportunity to learn from different experiences from researchers, and students who are studying vulnerability and aging, which is also a societal issue.

It was important to share each other’s experiences in these fields during the workshop. It helped us to understand, first from a scientific point of view, and then, how to collaborate and cooperate in pedagogical elements so that we can build joint programmes and courses together, which is the aim of our activities in the Health and Well-being hub in Aurora.

Barbara: During the workshop, we also organised “lunch trains” as a way to connect people across disciplines and across student, researcher, educator, and practitioner levels. That’s just one of the ways we started conversations. For instance, in the 17th century, “vulnerability” as a concept was used to defend slavery. The term itself thus has a long cultural history that has worked well but that has also damaged a lot of human lives. I think it’s an important concept to address neutrally across the disciplines.

Bridging the Gap to Respond to Sustainable Development Goals

Barbara: Our universities are founded in regions in the middle of urban settings where urban planners find that education must be brought in to bring about positive change. That is one of the major questions for us: can education and can universities bring about positive change and contribute to the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

Pasquale: We’re trying to address some of the 17 goals developed by the United Nations to make a better world, like health inequalities, better education, and improving health and well-being.

The Workshop on Vulnerability was held in the new building of the Università Federico II of Naples in Scampia, a socially deprived area. This was an initiative undertaken by the university to interact with areas that are less fortunate than the city of Naples. The workshop brought a lot of exchange with the local people.

Lina: UPEC is at the heart of one of the most vulnerable places in the southeast of Paris. Our philosophy is to be aligned with the SDGs. So, all our pedagogical and scientific activities are aligned with good health and well-being, gender equality, as well as the different partnerships we’re organising together.

It’s a very important contribution of us and the participants in the workshop, hoping to build things together from the experiences we share. If we’re trying to address societal issues, we need to begin from shared experiences. This is exactly what we’re doing in Aurora.

This exchange is part of a series called “A Conversation With…” undertaken within the framework of the Aurora 2030 project supported by the European Commission. It is an interview format that focuses on a specific subject and is meant to inspire its readers to act and catalyse positive impact. This conversation is available in its original format on the Aurora YouTube channel.

Martin Procházka Elected as New Aurora President

Written by Niels Hexspoor on . Posted in News.

Martin Procházka, Rector of Palacký University Olomouc, has been elected to be the new Aurora president by the Aurora General Council during the Aurora Spring Biannual 2024. He takes over from Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector of the University of Iceland, who has held the position of Aurora President for the past four years. Following the general council’s decision, Jón Atli Benediktsson passed on the torch in the public handover ceremony during the Biannual.  During this ceremony, Rector Procházka presented his predecessor with a vase made of Bohemian crystal to thank him for his service. “Jón Atli, this gift is not only a token of our friendship, but also a symbol of your excellent work for Aurora. Bohemian crystal, renowned for its exquisite craftsmanship, shines with the combination of tradition and innovation that we strive for at Aurora and reflects our commitment to excellence in education and research,” said Procházka.
In his acceptance speech, he emphasised that in his role as President, he wants to give the universities and all members of the community space for expression and the opportunity to shape the future Aurora and highlighted students as a key element in his vision of Aurora. “The students’ enthusiasm and their ideas are a great inspiration to us all. As President, I will aim to continue working to create a student-oriented and inclusive environment,” underlined Procházka. Martin Procházka is the first Aurora President elected under a new system of rotating Aurora presidency. By unanimous decision of the Aurora General Council, the Aurora Presidency will rotate between the member universities. This system, inspired by the rotating EU-presidency, will allow all Aurora universities to leave their mark on Aurora’s policy and strategic decision-making. In this system, the general council elects a rector  to serve on the Aurora board as  president-elect one year prior to them taking the mantle of Aurora President for a one-year tenure. After this year, they stay on the Aurora Board for one more year as Past President, to ensure continuity of governance.

FOR-EU4All: European Universities Alliances Unite to Create Joint Community of Practice

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European Universities alliances are joining forces in a project called FOR-EU4All. The project brings together all current and future European Universities alliances—numbering over 60—into a unified, cohesive structure. The goal is to foster a collaborative and supportive environment where best practices and experiences can be shared not only among the alliances themselves but also with the broader European Higher Education (HE) sector. As flagships of the European Education Area (EEA) and the European Research Area (ERA), European Universities alliances are leading the way in developing new and innovative concepts for deep transnational institutional cooperation to stimulate long-lasting transformation of European higher education as a whole.

Evolution of the FOR-EU Network

The informal alliance network FORum of European Universities (FOR-EU) has been in place since the start of the European Universities initiative (EUI). Alliance experts have been brought together across countries and institutions to form active communities on strategic topics, such as education cooperation, governance, research & innovation dimension of alliances, or student engagement. FOR-EU has currently 20+ subgroups in place and different parallel fora where the coordinators and alliances’ experts meet. Due to the increasingly large-scale nature and impact of the EUI, a merger of all FOR-EU groups is now necessary, and dedicated resources are required.

Formalising Collaboration

FOR-EU4All will reflect the fruitful collaboration and related extensive expertise that exists in FOR-EU. It will merge, formalise, and scale up the informal processes and structures that naturally developed over the past four years, and focus on supporting efficient administration, coordination, communication and dissemination. Moreover, FOR-EU4All will strongly focus on linkages with the wider HE sector, collaboration with existing networks and stakeholder representatives, as well as engagement with decision-makers on both achievements and challenges related to the EUI. This is also reflected in the project name, we simply are stronger together. Outreach activities and the dissemination of good practices and learnings are expected to help bringing transnational cooperation in HE in Europe to the next level.

Commitment to EEA and ERA Objectives

European Universities alliances are committed to contributing to the realisation of both the EEA and ERA policy objectives. In collaboration with stakeholders, this project will furthermore focus on addressing challenges to transnational collaboration that persist in the EHEA to date – ranging from joint educational provision to mobility as well as digital and R&I collaboration. With FOR-EU4All, alliances are committed to working together with each other, with relevant stakeholders and policy-makers to overcome obstacles to transnational collaboration and to realise the long-lasting transformation of European higher education. The FOR-EU4All project has been awarded 1.8 million euros by the European Commission and should last 48 months, starting on the 1 November 2024. The European University Association – EUA, the European Students’ Union – ESU, the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education – ENQA, the European Association of Institutions in Higher Education – EURASHE and the Erasmus Student Network – ESN are associated partners of the project.

Shaping the Path Forward at the Aurora Spring Biannual 2024

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Between the 27th and 30th of May, the Aurora community gathered in the historic city of Naples for the Aurora Spring Biannual, hosted by the University Federico II of Naples (UNINA). This biannual combined a historic perspective with Aurora’s transition into its exciting new phase.  This year’s biannual event offered the Aurora community a chance to celebrate the 800th anniversary of UNINA, placing Aurora’s ambitions in a grand historical context. The 800th anniversary of UNINA served as a powerful reminder of the importance and transformative potential of our universities. By situating Aurora’s contemporary aims within this historical framework, the biannual meeting in Naples not only celebrated the past but also inspired the Aurora community to continue shaping a better society through collaboration in education and research. The event covered a range of thought-provoking topics. The plenary sessions featured panels on Joint Education Programs, Stakeholder Engagement, and Student Matters. These were complemented by inspiring talks on Citizen Science and Participatory Democracy that sparked new thoughts and initiatives. Aurora also reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable development, with Aurora’s universities signing a Common Footprint Reduction Plan. This joint commitment is key to making our universities greener and more environmentally sustainable.  Another highlight of the event was the Presidency Handover. This was an opportunity to thank the University of Iceland Rector Jón Atli Benediktsson, for his tenure as Aurora President. Jón Atli proceeded to pass the torch to the Rector of Palacký University Olomouc, Martin Procházka. Martin wants to continue working closely with our students during his time at the helm: “It will be my goal to continue working on creating a student-centred and inclusive environment within Aurora, where students are truly heard.”  Work packages and task teams also had time to convene. In these in-depth meetings, our task teams could discuss all our specific activities and develop them further. In addition, the biannual featured workshops on topics such as seizmic, Peer-Learning and Vulnerability.   As the biannual came to a close, we looked forward to next year’s biannual, which will be organised by the Université Paris Est Créteil (UPEC). We also looked back at a great Spring Biannual that allowed us to appreciate all that Aurora has achieved so far, as well as the exciting journey ahead.

Relive the biannual below:

Photo Gallery:

              

Join the First Series of Aurora Peace Talks

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Join us from September for the first series of Aurora Peace Talks. This lecture series will feature talks by our colleagues from Kharkiv and beyond, and allows them to share their experiences and expertise. Kharkiv city is one of Ukraine’s most important economic and industrial centres and the second biggest educational center in Ukraine,  known as the city of students and youth.  About 300 000 students (12 000 foreign ones) found their home in one of the Kharkiv’s 11 universities and 38 higher educational institutions, including both public and private universities, academies and specialized institutes. The city and the region have since 2022 come under heavy attack as one of the initial targets of Russia’s invasion. The city and the region have been bravely fighting off the aggression. In the last month the city has been experiencing yet another wave of  heavy attacks, with random bombardments of civilian object causing civilian casualties, evacuations and displacements of several thousand of its residents. Given the location of the city and Khakriv region, the situation for its citizens will remain precarious for a long time ahead. In Aurora, we have been working dedicatedly to provide much needed support, especially to our partners at Karazin Khakriv National University. The speakers in this lecture series come from Karazin University, but also other universities in Khakriv, as we want  to provide platform for their voices to be heard in these most challenging of times. This first series in particular features talks from Kharkiv Scholars at Risk at Copenhagen Business School. The Peace Talks lecture series allows our colleagues to speak out, share their experiences but also their expertise as academics in addressing the devastation and future post-war recovery and peace building needs. Support them by joining the following inspiring Talks, starting form September this year:
  • Between Copenhagen and Kharkiv researching resilience
    • 26th of September 2024, 15.00 CET | Serhii Prokopenko, MSc
    • Zoom Link
  • Energy communities as the key for Ukraine’s energy security
    • 17th of October 2024, 15.00 CET | Albina Dioba, Ph.D.
    • Zoom Link
  • Becoming Part of a Community: The Process of Ukraine’s Accession to the European Union
    • 4th of November 2024, 15.00 CET | Assoc. Prof. Manuele Citi
    • Zoom Link
  • Public Discourse and Academic Research in Representing People Under Occupation: Are war-caused conflicts transformable?
    • 16th of December 2024, 15.00 CET | Prof. Yuliia Soroka, Ph.D.
    • Zoom Link
Aurora Peace Talks – Programme This lecture series is organized by the Aurora Karazin Peace Education Hub of Work Package 7. For more information on the Aurora Peace Talks lecture series, contact Selma Porobic.

European Commission Awards Grant for seizmic Doctoral Network

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Leading academic institutions within Aurora universities, and associated partners from diverse sectors, were recently successful in their grant application to the European Commission’s Call for MSCA Doctoral Networks 2023. Led by Professor Kai Hockerts at the Copenhagen Business School (CBS), the seizmic doctoral network (seizmic DN) is a collaborative effort that aims to research the scaling of social enterprises. Despite the recognized potential of social enterprises to drive significant societal change, their scaling processes – critical for broadening their impact – remain poorly understood. The seizmic DN addresses this gap by developing a coherent interdisciplinary theoretical framework that studies how social entrepreneurship ideas are replicated and imitated. “As we launch the seizmic doctoral network, our aim is not only to fill a critical gap in our understanding of how social enterprises scale but to fundamentally reshape the landscape of social entrepreneurship education,” says Dr. Kai Hockerts, Professor of Social Entrepreneurship at CBS and academic lead of the seizmic doctoral network. “This grant from the European Commission empowers us to pioneer a model that brings robust academic rigor and practical insights together, setting a new standard for doctoral training in Europe.”

seizmic Doctoral Network for Social Entrepreneurship

Central to the mission of seizmic DN is a robust doctoral training programme, designed around three doctoral summer universities. These will be hosted by members of Aurora universities the University Federico II of Naples, Copenhagen Business School, and the University of Iceland, to prepare candidates for leading roles in both academia and practice. The programme offers a dynamic research environment where doctoral candidates study complex real-world examples of social entrepreneurship cases under the guidance of 22 experienced supervisors. The seizmic doctoral trainings span interdisciplinary research methodologies and include significant exposure to the non-academic sector, facilitating a practical understanding of social entrepreneurship. “Being part of the seizmic doctoral network is a unique opportunity to bridge theory and practice in a transformative way,” explains Dr. Anne-Karen Hüske, Aurora Institutional Coordinator at CBS. “Our interdisciplinary approach is designed to equip doctoral candidates with the skills necessary to drive and influence the future of social enterprises. Through this initiative, we are committed to developing leaders who are not only scholars but also change-makers in the social economy.”

Innovation, Social Impact and Sustainability

The doctoral network combines divergent research streams across four disciplinary areas: business model design, finance, education, and digital ecosystems. It seeks to equip a new generation of researchers and practitioners with the innovative tools needed to expand the reach and effectiveness of social enterprises. This effort is particularly pertinent as it aligns with Europe’s sustainability goals and the broader vision of the European Action Plan for the Social Economy. As seizmic DN progresses, it encourages engagement from the academic community, industry stakeholders, and the public. For those interested in the intersection of innovation, social impact, and sustainability, the doctoral network offers numerous opportunities for collaboration and professional development. The seizmic DN is more than just a research initiative: it is a vibrant community of scholars and practitioners dedicated to a better understanding of social entrepreneurship scaling.

Aurora Executive Committee Drives Key Actions for Aurora 2030

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The Aurora Executive Committee convened recently at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam to discuss the strategy and critical actions moving forward in Aurora 2030, the second phase of the Aurora European university alliance.  

Following the European Universities Coordinators’ Meeting in February this year, the Aurora central office organised a three-day seminar for its Executive Committee. The seminar gathered Institutional Coordinators and experts from nine Aurora member universities, as well as representatives from the central office leadership team. On the agenda were important topics marking the way forward for Aurora universities. 

Managing Expectations for the Future 

Recommendations from the DG EAC (Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture)

Sabine Sainte-Rose, Aurora Programme Director, shared key recommendations from the DG EAC. These include a focus on the evolution of a blueprint for a European Degree and the conclusions following six experimentation projects with 90 higher education institutions. She also highlighted the Council’s recommendation on the development of a quality assurance and recognition system for European university alliances that can be adapted to countries with a more institutional approach in this matter. The Executive Committee further exchanged on the Council’s advice to develop incentives for higher education institutions. Among these incentives is to create transnational initiatives to promote attractive and sustainable careers within this sector.

Expectations from the EACEA (European Education and Culture Executive Agency)

The expectations from the EACEA was one of the major takeaways from the European Coordinators’ Meeting in Brussels. Impact measurement is a key denominator of success for European university alliances. The methodology used and the metrics required to measure impact are non-negligible. Both must take into consideration the actual impact of alliances’ activities on the lives of students, staff and academics, beyond just mobility statistics. Markers of success integrate best practices for educational offers and the European inter-university campus experiences that demonstrate embeddedness, seamless mobility and recognition, all of which highlight the European values of inclusion and plurilingualism.

In addition, Sabine highlighted the rich and thought-provoking exchanges shared with colleagues from other European university alliances in the following areas:

  • National developments and progress in higher education, such as the recognition of microcredentials offered through a course by a partner institution.
  • The perception and acceptance of the joint European Degree by the ministries and institutions of higher education.
  • The foundational elements that contribute to a better structure and visibility of our course offerings.
Alessandro Arienzo, Aurora Institutional Coordinator at University Federico II of Naples, moderates discussion on Aurora governance
Aurora Executive Committee and Central Office representatives

Structuring a European University Alliance 

Clémentine Perdriau from the Aurora central office, delivered her findings from the study that she had carried out on the governance models in European universities. She underlined that there was no “one size fits all” model: each European university alliance has specificities that result in a diverse set of governance models.

Following this presentation, the Executive Committee discussed possible scenarios that could be developed as the governance structure for Aurora in this second phase between the years 2023 to 2027. They further established an initial base for a more long-term structure to ensure the sustainability of Aurora universities beyond the year 2027.

Moving Forward in Aurora 2030 

The Executive Committee seminar continued with updates in the development of the following Aurora 2030 work packages (WP) and task teams (TT):

TT10.1 on Communication and Dissemination 

Building a solid foundation is part of TT10.1 strategy for communication and dissemination in the Aurora 2030 project. Two fundamental elements supporting this objective are the development of the official Aurora Brand and Design Guidelines and the Institutional Trusted Local Communicator (TLC) role standardisation for communication representatives of each institution within Aurora. These were presented by Aniza Pourtauborde, Aurora Communications Manager and Anna Klas, Aurora Communications Officer, both of whom are part of the TT10.1 leadership team.

Aurora Executive Committee and Central Office Representatives
Aurora Executive Committee workshop on communications
TT10.3 on Holistic and Strategic Approach for Impact 

Ilyas Kenadid, Head of Strategic Projects at Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC) and TT10.3 Lead, reported on the different methodologies in managing, monitoring and measuring the impact of Aurora within the nine member institutions, their immediate stakeholders and the wider ecosystem.

TT6.1 on Aurora IT Development and Services 

Thomas Baumgartner, Institutional Coordinator for Universität Innsbruck, spoke about the progress of the Aurora Virtual Campus, led by his university under Work Package 6 for Green and Digital Campus. He focused in particular on the Course Catalogue as a one-stop shop for all opportunities for students from Aurora universities. Topics covered consisted of the definition of an Aurora course, the digitalisation of credentials and the creation of a committee of transversal expertise in education, mobility and communications.

WP8 on Enabling Mobility and Exchange 

Joan-Miquel Canals, Institutional Coordinator for Universität Rovira i Virgili (URV), shared initiatives encouraging international learning experiences among students, staff and academics. Through increased joint mobility opportunities between Aurora member institutions, demand is high for short-term courses.

TT5.2 on Academic Collaboration and Community Building 

Martin Schwell, Institutional Coordinator for UPEC, outlined recent advances following the Call for Incentive Research Collaboration launched in mid-February this year. He spoke on developments in the creation of the Aurora Research Council (ARC) comprised of cross-institutional and cross-disciplinary representatives from all Aurora member universities.

Building on the foundation created during the first phase of Aurora, and leveraging on this experience, have enabled the Executive Committee and the Aurora central office to offer a holistic and visionary approach to the Aurora 2030 project.

Aurora universities Push to Inspire Inclusion and Accelerate Progress for Women 

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On International Women’s Day 2024, Aurora universities set a leading example by fostering an environment that nurtures inclusivity and celebrates women’s pivotal roles in driving innovation, scientific discoveries, and societal advancements. These initiatives and activities spearheaded by Aurora universities are aligned with United Nations’ theme “Accelerate Progress: Invest in Women”, and the International Women’s Day (IWD) theme, “Inspire Inclusion”. Both focus on expediting women’s rights, achieving gender equality, inspiring women from all walks of life, and challenging barriers that historically impeded women’s progress.   University of Iceland  As part of a larger conference called “Science and Society”, the University of Iceland (UI) organised an event on the gender gap that remains an issue within the business sector, and especially for women in top management positions. Notable people from the university, business, and also the Parliament, including Iceland‘s Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, gathered to discuss how the government could help reduce this gender gap.  Read more about the event (in Icelandic): Hverjir geta dregið úr kynjabilinu í stjórnendastöðum í atvinnulífinu.     Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Did you know that women are the reason that Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) exists today? On this International Women’s Day, VU Amsterdam commemorates the fundraising initiative launched and organised by women since 1932. The objective of this collective effort was to build a medical faculty, physics and chemistry laboratories, and also to improve hospital accessibility and development aid abroad. Today, this country-wide initiative has come under the name of “Women VU Aid”.   Read the story in detail: Women are the reason VU exists.    University of Duisburg-Essen  Gender studies have a long track record at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE). During the International Women’s Day 2024, UDE celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Essen Center for Gender Studies. The university also kicked off its new Institute for Gender-Sensitive Medicine, to strengthen gender research even further. These special occasions called for an interview with Dr. Maren A. Jochimsen, Professor Dr. Anke Hinney and lecturer Dr. Andrea Kindler-Röhrborn.  

Read the interviews (in German): Pionierinstitutionen der Geschlechterforschung. 

    Universität Innsbruck   For this special occasion, Universität Innsbruck organised an interactive poster (re)design exhibition to raise awareness on gender equality as the fifth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of the United Nations. The exhibition was created by communication designer Elisabeth Kopf and is part of the UniNEtZ project to support Austria in the implementation of the SDGs by providing specialist know how: Universities make their social and natural science, technical and artistic expertise available and in this way take responsibility for a sustainable transformation – in an ecological, economic and social sense.  Watch the video of the interactive exhibition.   Copenhagen Business School  Is gender equality in the labour market still an issue today? Research from Copenhagen Business School (CBS) highlights the challenges that women face at different levels in their professional development. From job loss to women in top management to bias against women entrepreneurs, these studies explore in depth, the reasons behind enduring inequality, its consequences, and the actions taken to move towards a more equal future for women.   Delve into the research: Exploring Equality Challenges in the Job Market.      University of Naples Federico II   In one of its initiatives to celebrate International Women’s Day, University of Naples Federico II (UNINA) brought to light the discrimination and prejudice against women working in the marine sector. In collaboration with Oceanitalians, UNINA organised an exchange with three female professionals working in oceanographic research, Professor Flegra Bentivegna, Dr. Angela Landolfi, Dr. Sara Biancardi, and psychologist-psychotherapist Anna Pisterzi.  Watch the replay of this discussion (in Italian): Donna Nella Scienza 2024.      Palacký University Olomouc In line with its long-term vision, Palacký University Olomouc (UP) has committed to equal opportunities through initiatives such as its “Gender Equality Plan”. In addition, the university has also recently featured several female scientists in a series of podcasts. These interviews aim to break down barriers for women in scientific fields, and to inspire other women to consider career possibilities in scientific fields.   Listen to the podcast (in Czech): Žena ve vědě.       Universitat Rovira i Virgili Every year for International Women’s Day, the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) coordinates a number of activities through its Unitat d’Igualtat (Equality Unit) and in collaboration with other URV Departments and Services. One of the highlight events this year was the ceremony awarding the founders and pioneers of the Bloc Feminista de Tarragona established in the 1970s, with the Maria Antònia Ferrer i Bosch Distinction. They led the way in organising the fight against the lack of rights for women in Tarragona. Thanks to these visionary leaders, today they are able to have open discussions on labour discrimination, gender equality in education and employment. Find out more (in Catalan): La URV commemora el 8M amb activitats que posen en relació la discriminació de les dones amb altres desigualtats.   Université Paris-Est Créteil  This year at Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC), the whole month of March is dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusivity. All month long, UPEC organises conferences, workshops, thematic stands and exhibitions tackling issues such as gender equality, sexual discrimination, prejudice against the disabled, and violence against women, to name a few. Spotlight on a conference by female scientist Fahimeh Robiolle, who shared her trials and tribulations as a female Iranian living in Teheran under the rule of Mohammad Reza Chah Pahlavi. During the conference, she shared her story of emancipation and how she became one of the first women to study nuclear physics in Iran.   Discover other activities at UPEC during this special month (in French): Mois de Mars, Mois de L’égalité et de L’Inclusion à l’UPEC.