Building a European University: UNITA’s Research Milestones
From July 2nd to 4th, the Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour hosted over 100 participants (faculty, administrative staff, and doctoral students) from the 12-member universities of the UNITA Alliance, marking a new milestone towards the creation of a European university. Numerous significant events punctuated these three days, attended by high-level institutional representatives, including Mr. Galez, Rector of the Université Savoie Mont Blanc, representatives from the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, France Universités, and over 10 vice-rectors dedicated to research. The first day was marked by the final conference of the Research for UNITA (Re-UNITA) project, which began in September 2021. Rectors and vice-rectors, faculty members, and administrative staff reiterated UNITA’s shared commitment to building a European university, promoting the circulation of knowledge, sharing scientific resources, and developing new research collaborations. During the following two days, the working groups made significant progress towards new activities aimed at developing rural, mountainous, and cross-border territories through education, research, and innovation. Various missions were discussed: UNITA thanks all participants for their presence, contributions and enthusiasm. Concluding these three days of intense work, the teams are already focused on the next steps to be achieved. First, the CHORAL project kick-off will be held on the 17th of October, symbolizing the dynamism of UNITA towards the recruitment of PhD students in co-tutelles within our universities. Then, the years 2024–2025 will be punctuated by 10 matching events.
2 UNITO students and 1 from UVT win the My 3min PhD Thesis UNITA competition
superlead temporário On Thursday, 18 candidates from 8 universities belonging to the UNITA alliance competed in the final of the second edition of My 3min PhD Thesis UNITA. The students were welcomed on Monday at the Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour (UPPA) for an intensive week (Blended Intensive Programme) of drama, public speaking and communication classes. The competition, which was broadcast live, helped to decide between the candidates. First prize went to Rebecca Sabatini, from Università degli Studi di Torino (UNITO) for her thesis: “Exposing humans: Mummies, rituals and heritage-making” Second place went to Irene VIOLA, also from UNITO for her thesis: “Establishment of an in vitro model to study autophagy during early placenta development in sheep” Finally, third place went to Karla CSUROS, from Universitatea de Vest din Timișoara (UVT) for her thesis: “Get to Work! A Corpus-Based Inquiry into the language of Contemporary American Workplace Sitcoms” Friday was dedicated to a leisure activity, giving the students a chance to take a breather after the competition and enjoy some last moments with their mates. All the candidates’ video presentations will soon be available on the UNITA YouTube channel. UNITA thanks all the participants: Daniel ALÁEZ GÓMEZ (UPNA), Amelia TOTH (UVT), Samuele SUTERA (UNITO), Carmen RODRIGO CARBÓ (UNIZAR), Muhammed AMINU (UPPA), Praveena PACHAIAPPAN (UNIBS), Mariana FIADEIRO (UBI), Manuel SOTO RAMOS (UNITBV), Laura LARRODERA (UNIZAR), Liuder Isidoro RODRÍGUEZ COCA (UNITBV), Olivia RENARD (UPPA), Rafael LOPES (UBI), Ana Laura GIAMBELLUCA (UPNA), Alejandro FRESNEDA CRUZ (UNIZAR), Francesca TANGHETTI (UNIBS).
BIP-Blended Intensive Program “Environmental Issues in the European Union” at UVT: A Week of Intensive Studies and Educational Visits
În perioada 19-28 iunie 2024, Facultatea de Drept din cadrul Universității de Vest din Timișoara a organizat și găzduit Blended Intensive Program intitulat „Environmental Issues in the European Union”. Acest eveniment a reunit 25 de participanți din 6 universități, oferindu-le o oportunitate unică de a explora diverse perspective asupra problemelor de mediu în contextul Uniunii Europene. Programul a inclus o componentă online, desfășurată între 19 și 21 iunie 2024, unde participanții au avut ocazia să se familiarizeze cu temele și conceptele principale înainte de a se întâlni față în față. Această fază introductivă a oferit o bază solidă de cunoștințe și a facilitat discuțiile interactive și colaborările ulterioare. Componenta la fața locului s-a desfășurat între 24 și 28 iunie 2024, la Universitatea de Vest din Timișoara și a inclus vizite de studiu la Institutul de Cercetări Avansate de Mediu (ICAM) și Curtea de Apel Timișoara. Studenții au luat parte la dezbateri, studii de caz și prelegeri pe tema BIP-ului și au avut experiența unui proces simulat.
Courses in Spanish as a Foreign Language at UNIZAR
As every summer since 1927, the Courses in Spanish as a Foreign Language of the University of Zaragoza move their activity to the city of Jaca, located in Huesca, during August. They are a perfect opportunity to start or improve the study of Spanish from experienced teachers in two-weeks or four-weeks courses (29 July-9 August; 12-23 August; or both fortnights), meeting people from other countries. Together with the Spanish Courses for Foreign Students, Spanish Teacher Training Courses are also offered. Spanish-speaking students participate in these courses allowing Spanish and Foreign students the opportunity to spend time together and practise their language skills. The University of Zaragoza has an excellent residence hall with dining room, garden and swimming pool, where students live in a favorable atmosphere for learning. In addition to lessons, we organize tourist visits and trips to must-seen places of the beautiful Jaca and its surroundings (cathedral, citadel, Ansó, Hecho, Loarre Castle, Canfranc…). Jaca is a little first-class tourist city in the Pyrenees, that stands out for it varied cultural offer: concerts, markets, exhibitions, cultural events, etc., in an ideal natural environment for developing different sportive activities. Cursos de Español: https://cursosdeespanol.unizar.es/en/courses-jaca/language-culture-jaca Cursos de Profesores: https://cursosdeespanol.unizar.es/cursos-de-verano-en-jaca/formacion-de-profesores-jaca
1st meeting of the Governance Board for the RECIPES project: progress on tools for the internationalization of training programs
Transilvania University of Brașov was the host for UNITA WEEK, a significant event running from June 17-21, 2024. The gathering brought together participants from partner universities within the UNITA – Universitas Montium European Alliance of Universities, to discuss and collaborate on key issues pertinent to the alliance’s goals. During this event, several critical topics were addressed, including the development of the UNITA community, the creation of personalized, multilingual, and international study programs for students, the enhancement of the digital campus, and the optimization of research infrastructure. Other focal points included promoting international mobility for students and faculty, stimulating innovation, and contributing to the development of local and regional communities. On June 20, Transilvania University of Brașov also hosted the 1st Governance Board of the project UNITA RECIPES for INTERNATIONALISATION, in the presence of the Vice-rectors of the full and associated partners of the project, as well as of the scientific leaders and managers of the project, who joined the event online. Laurence Vignollet, the representative of USMB in the Governance Board of Unita Recipes for Internationalisation presented the main objective of the project as well as the progress on each work package. She also addressed the “UNITApedia” tool, a specialized wiki for the alliance, on which UNITA is also working now and which will include the future handbook of RECIPES delivered through the project, accessible online. This handbook aims to be responsive and user-friendly, integrating a powerful research engine to aid users. The methodology for developing these tools, including a self-assessment tool and the collection of requirements from partner universities, was also a topic of discussion. The alliance plans to make these tools available in multiple languages, including all UNITA languages and English. A crucial part of this development involves discussing user experience (UX) design methodologies to capture requirements and needs effectively. Further discussions will be scheduled to consult colleagues on the tools currently used in education for this purpose. To ensure the successful integration and compatibility of these tools with UNITApedia, there will also be meetings with other partners to discuss recommendations for future technologies. They will also explore the creation of additional handbooks, for future issues or needs. UNITA WEEK 2024 was a landmark event for the UNITA – Universitas Montium Alliance, fostering collaboration, innovation, and community development among its member universities.
INNOVATION PRIZE
AS PART OF THE RE-UNITA PROJECT, WE ARE THRILLED TO ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF THEINNOVATION PRIZE! For the 3rd consecutive year, the UNITA Innovation Prize will spotlight the most innovativeideas.This competition is open to all innovative project leaders, regardless of your specialty.Itwelcomes all creative souls among students, professors, researchers, and startups; aiming to fosterinnovation in all its forms. Teams have until June 10, 2024, to submit their applications. DISCOVER THE REWARDS OF THE RE-UNITA INNOVATION PRIZEThree winning teams will beselected by the Jury, and an award ceremony will take place on July 2, 2024!1ST PRIZE: €2500 | 2NDPRIZE: €1500 | 3RD PRIZE: €1000 LEARN MORERegulation (https://framaforms.org/unita-innovationprize-in-the-framework-of-re-unita-project-2024-1710833310) (https://www.univ-smb.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/call_reu-wp5_ innovation_prize_2024.pdf) Contact: UNITA Office in your university
European Universities alliances unite to create a joint Community of Practice
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 1st of 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 partner of the project. Discover the FOREU4ALL project
200 participants at ICTU 2024 in Timisoara: the education through UNITA is growing and international
On the 5th and 6th of June, Universitatea de Vest din Timișoara hosted the second edition of the Internationalization of Curricula Through UNITA 2024 matching event on education. 200 academics from all 12 partner and associated universities in the UNITA alliance, volunteers, facilitators and members of the organization team animated the second edition of Internationalization of Curricula Through UNITA hosted in Timisoara. Following the first edition held at Universita di Torino in 2023 – allowing the creation of 3 double degree programmes and 5 BIPs among partner institutions, as well as paving the way to discussion of 3 more BIPs and 6 more double degree programmes -, the increase in participation from year to year demonstrate that within UNITA the community of academics interested in innovation in education through international collaborations is becoming more and more consolidated. During the event teachers had the chance to familiarize themselves with the main models for internationalization of curricula within UNITA, by attending several talks about the implementation of BIPs (Blended Intensive Programmes), COILs (Collaborative Online International Learning), UCIL (UNITA Collaborative International Learning), mobilities, double and joint degrees. Each participant was then assigned to work in a specific group, based on the study programme they are coordinating: the 28 working groups created in Timisoara had the chance to build up cooperative activities, courses, and curricula aiming at widening the international education offer available for UNITA students. The organizing team ensured that the groups would contain as much cultural and linguistic diversity as possible. Guest speakers from outside UNITA – Romiță Iucu and Alexandru Carțiș, from the University of Bucharest (which is part of the CIVIS European Universities alliance) – joined the event and discussed the broader picture about the policies of the European Alliances towards education. Partcipants also joined a workshop on intercomprehension and sustainability, which are two of the pillars that UNITA is based on. This event is not concluded: in November 2024 a follow-up event will take place in Timișoara and will involve the working groups engaged in implementing the internationalisation projects planned in June. The follow-up event will be of great significance for the final implementation of the projects.
The former President of the French Republic answers questions from the UNITA Student Assembly
On Friday, May 31, the former President of the French Republic, François Hollande, visited the University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour (UPPA). About a hundred students from the College of European and International Studies and the CDRE – Center for European Documentation and Research were present for this exceptional event. Three students from the UNITA student assembly had the opportunity to question the former head of state about Europe: Charline Dos Beira, Clément Combier, and Nicolas Evain. Nicolas Evain notably asked Mr. Hollande about the concept of a European university and a European degree with the following question: “How could the EU encourage the creation of European universities or flexible training programs, built through teaching units offered by European partners? And if we wanted to go even further, how could we, as students, access a common European degree, co-created by several European universities?” Mr. Hollande praised the ambitious nature of these projects while acknowledging that this endeavor would be complex. He recognized the commitment of all students working towards its realization. The topics of youth involvement in elections, the Green Deal, and cross-border cooperation were also discussed.
UniTO hosted the UNITA Green contest for outgoing students
UniTO hosted on June 12th the event “Study abroad: good practices for informed and sustainable mobility” for outgoing students in Erasmus and UNITA mobilities. Students were involved in a green contest where two teams collected litter abandoned in the surroundings of the University campus, to stimulate environmentally responsible behaviour among the academic community. 70 students departing in the next few months for Erasmus and UNITA mobilities joined the event “Studiare all’estero: buone pratiche per una mobilità consapevole e sostenibile“, organised at the University of Turin with the support of local Ibnstitutions such as the UNITO Green Office, AMIAT Gruppo Iren, Transiti Psicologia d’Espatrio SCS and Erasmus Student Network (ESN) of Turin. The event was organised as a plenary meeting for outgoing students, providing information on administrative requirements for mobiltiy, a psichological guide for expats, an insight on the policies of management of waste in urban areas at national and European level. After the information phase, a green contest was launched for students, engaged in collecting litter in the surroundings of the Campus Luigi Einaudi of UniTO: in 45 minutes 25 students divided in two teams collected 16 kilos of litter. The event was designed in the framework of UNITA task 5.3 Green sustainability, devoted to promote the green transition of UNITA by incorporating sustainability in education and research and by stimulating environmentally responsible behaviour among the academic community. Follow UNITA on IG and watch the reel of the event.