Under the title 'Building University Communities,' two working sessions of the European university alliance UNITA-Universitas Montium were held at the Paraninfo of the University of Zaragoza. More than a hundred people from twelve institutions located in seven European countries discussed a number of issues in order to set a roadmap that strengthens the role of UNITA university communities. Promoting multilingualism, fostering mobility, advancing professional careers, gender equality and creating research and innovation teams have been highlighted as key aspects to achieve the objective.
In this regard, it has been announced during the meeting that activities related to Romance Languages and Intercomprehension have been planned. First, some initiatives developed during the UNITA Phase I will be analyzed and then the implementation of micro-credentials, language cafes, language tandems, BIPs (Blended Intensive Programs), language weeks, and various face-to-face and virtual training courses will be implemented. The foundations have also been set to use a UNITA label based on didactic criteria with the subsequent creation of a network of language centers.
Grant calls have also been discussed and the planning of Matching Events by the different universities has been analyzed with the goal to contribute to enhancing group dynamics and advancing towards the construction of UNITA University Communities.
Another issue that has been the subject of debate and analysis is mobility, particularly the dissemination of UNITA Rural Pobility for this upcoming summer. The gathered members have also pointed out that they will design strategies to increase the attractiveness of Virtual Mobility offerings, a form of internationalization for those who cannot engage in physical mobility. Likewise, synergies will be established in organizing BIPS (Blended Intensive Programmes), an Erasmus+ programme that allows for specific training with virtual sessions and short stays.
Finally, other objectives have been set, such as improving the dissemination of content on European Citizenship among the recipients of the various activities, mainly students.
