A Successful Interuniversity Exchange Between Timișoara and Turin
At the end of November 2024, the Center for Romance Studies of Timișoara (CSRT), affiliated with the West University of Timișoara (UOT), organized, through its literary circle La Pléiade, an interuniversity exchange activity in partnership with the University of Turin (UniTo), Department of Humanities. Financé par le Ministère roumain de l’Éducation dans le cadre du programme FSS International Student – Next Step in Education, ce projet poursuivait deux principaux objectifs : d’une part, renforcer la collaboration éducative et scientifique entre les deux universités par l’échange de méthodes pédagogiques innovantes dans l’enseignement supérieur ; d’autre part, promouvoir l’internationalisation des activités impliquant des étudiants de licence, de master et de doctorat. Le groupe d’étudiants de l’UOT, coordonné par les professeurs Ramona Malita et Claudiu Gherasim, a participé à une série d’activités enrichissantes organisées par leurs collègues italiens, les professeurs Paola Cifarelli et Monica Pavesio, à Turin. Une semaine riche en activités La semaine du 18 au 23 novembre 2024 s’est révélée particulièrement fructueuse, avec : La rencontre doctorale a confirmé le solide partenariat avec l’École doctorale de Turin dans le domaine des sciences humaines. Une thèse sur la littérature française contemporaine (doctorant : Claudiu Gherasim) est actuellement co-dirigée par Ramona Malita et Paola Cifarelli, avec le soutien de Monica Pavesio. Un accueil chaleureux et des perspectives prometteuses L’équipe de Timișoara a été chaleureusement accueillie par les professeurs Marcella Costa et Alessandro Mengozzi, directeurs des départements des langues modernes et des sciences humaines à l’UniTo, respectivement. Tous deux ont exprimé leur appréciation pour cette initiative et leur espoir de voir des projets similaires prospérer à l’avenir. Ils ont souligné comment de tels échanges renforcent la visibilité internationale des deux universités et du consortium universitaire européen UNITA auquel elles appartiennent. Cet échange constitue un exemple réussi de coopération interuniversitaire, démontrant comment l’éducation et la recherche peuvent prospérer grâce à des collaborations internationales innovantes.
Community of practice for European universities alliances and beyond
In a significant step towards realising the full transformational potential of the European Universities initiative, the FOREU4ALL community of practice has officially started its operations. The community will bring together all 64 European Universities alliances and other higher education stakeholders like student organisations and university associations. A platform for peer learning and dissemination FOREU4ALL is a community of practice that connects European universities and the wider higher education sector, fostering closer cooperation. Its two main objectives are: Concrete steps towards a more collaborative future To achieve its objectives, FOREU4ALL will Visit the Linkedin of the FOREU4ALL project: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foreu4all/
From East to West, the RandoPat series of BIPs travels across UNITA
The series of Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) ‘RandoPats/HeriTrails’ (‘Randonnées du Patrimoine / Heritage Trails’) was brilliantly launched in Romania two years ago by ‘Mushrooms, herbs and raw food : practices and beliefs’, UVT, 7-11 November 2022.This was followed, in summer 2023, by an equally successful second edition in France: ‘Sur les Chemins de Roland’, UPPA, 12-16 June 2023. In November 2024, we reached Portugal: Randopat-Heritrail 3: ‘Cultural Heritage Food & Craft in Serra da Estrela : mushrooms, cheese and wool ’, UBI 11-16 November 2024. The planning of RandoPat-Heritrail 3 began, indeed, two years ago, by discussions had during the RandoPat organized by our UVT colleagues. We thought we could develop some of the themes, in particular the use of mushrooms in local cultures, this time moving to another UNITA territory, i.e. Serra da Estrela. Our UBI and IPG colleagues then thought to consider also other traditional local resources, namely cheese and wool, in particular from the perspective of their valorisation in cultural tourism. The programme conceived by our UBI host, Cristina Estevao, with the invaluable help of our IPG colleague Rui Cerveira, was a very rich one, allying high quality lectures by academics, specialists and cultural tourism professionals, to hands-on workshops and fieldwork, in the true spirit of the RandoPat series, whereby the idea is to learn by walking and interacting together in local landscapes. In RandoPat-HeriTrail 3 we also repeated, mutatis mutandis, a successful feature of the ‘Sur les Chemins de Roland’. In fact, to this epic adventure took part not only literature and history students, but also a group of nine photography students from the Art & Design Department of the Universitatea de Vest din Timişoara, who reacted to the texts on which we worked together, by taking photographs, throughout the week, then used to create a video exhibition inaugurated at the Médiathèque André-Labarrère on the final day. In RandoPat-HeriTrail 3, we made room again for an important visual and photographic component, having with us throughout the whole week Luis Vaz, UBI Researcher and Freelance Photographer, who visually documented the autumn school by photos and videos. His final, edited video, recapitulating the week, gives a perfect gist of the whole experience. I thus invite you to first watch Luis’s video. Then, the following photos with captions will help you decipher at least some of the intriguing images about which you may ask yourself some questions! Luis Vaz’s video on Randopat-Heritrail 3: ‘Cultural Heritage Food & Craft in Serra da Estrela : mushrooms, cheese and wool ’, UBI 11-16 November 2024: DAY 1 [Cf. images of people hammering (mycelium) in a trunk and preparing a compost with mycelium, which they then took away to grow mushrooms once back home] DAY 2 DAY 3 Visit and workshop at the Wool Museum. DAY 4 DAY 5 DAY 6 Miscaros Festival at Alcaide In conclusion, RandoPat-HeriTrail 3 proved to be an extremely enriching experience, allowing participants to get in touch with local realities and to reflect on them using the conceptual tools provided by a tremendous array of specialists. The interaction with local communities can be continued online via the following padlet, to which everybody is encouraged to contribute: Cultural Heritage Villages And, if you want to be kept informed on forthcoming RandoPats, you are most welcome to join the Randopat WhatsApp Group Text and some photos by: Giovanna Hendel Cultural Heritage Hub Coordinator Video and some photos by: Luis Vaz UBI Researcher & Freelance Photographer
The European Alliance UNITA Stimulates Community Development Through “Matching Events”
This innovative format, inspired by traditional speed dating, enables participants to meet quickly and effectively around specific themes. Le dernier matching event « recherche » a été organisé par l’Université Savoie Mont Blanc les 05 et 06 novembre derniers sur la thématique des énergies vertes. Il a réuni environ 50 chercheurs issus des 12 universités, membres de l’Alliance UNITA. Chaque participant a pu se présenter et rencontrer des collègues de l’alliance pour échanger autour de leurs activités propres et idées de projets collaboratifs. Ces séances de matching ont été complétées par des travaux en groupe autour de projets collaboratifs à l’échelle de l’alliance. UNITA soutient par ces événements la recherche et l’innovation en Savoie et Haute-Savoie sur six domaines clef pour le développement territorial : les énergies vertes, l’économie circulaire et l’environnement, le patrimoine culturel, la santé globale, la transformation digitale et les sociétés inclusives. Pourquoi un tel format ? Les défis de la recherche moderne nécessitent des approches interdisciplinaires et transnationales. Le “speed dating des chercheurs” est une réponse pratique et dynamique à ce besoin, facilitant les échanges rapides et directs entre experts de différents domaines et cultures académiques. En seulement deux jours, ces rencontres peuvent aboutir à la formation de groupe de travail « transuniversitaires » et transdisciplinaires, qui seront soutenus par des appels à projets spécifiques et des subventions d’amorçage. Un levier pour l’intégration européenne en recherche. Ce type d’événement s’inscrit dans la stratégie de construction d’une communauté de chercheurs européens capable de répondre aux grands enjeux de demain. Grâce à ces rencontres, les chercheurs peuvent non seulement développer des projets collaboratifs, mais aussi poser les bases d’une intégration plus profonde entre les universités partenaires, tout en stimulant l’innovation à travers des échanges enrichissants.
International curricula through UNITA: two double degree agreements between the Universities of Turin and Timisoara
On Tuesday, December 3 at 12 p.m. the University of Turin hosted a signing ceremony for two agreements on double degree in Pscychology and Law between the University of Turin and the Universitatea de Vest din Timisoara (UVT), in the presence of the consul general of Romania in Turin. The cooperation was developed in the framework of the Internationalization of curricula through UNITA event, held in Turin in March and November 2023. Martedì 3 dicembre, alle ore 12 nel Palazzo del Rettorato dell’Università di Torino, si è tenuta la cerimonia di firma dell’accordo sui doppi titoli accademici tra l’Università di Torino e l’Universitatea de Vest din Timisoara (UVT), in Romania. Sono intervenuti: Stefano Geuna, Rettore dell’Università di Torino e Cosmin Dumitrescu, Console Generale di Romania a Torino. L’accordo coinvolge i Dipartimenti di Giurisprudenza e Psicologia. L’obiettivo, come previsto dal Piano Strategico 2021 – 2026 e dall’art 6 dello Statuto dell’Università di Torino, è potenziare l’internazionalizzazione dell’Ateneo, favorendo con specifici provvedimenti e attraverso l’individuazione di idonee risorse finanziarie la possibilità degli studenti di partecipare ai programmi di mobilità internazionale. L’accordo a mobilità strutturata con rilascio del doppio titolo in Giurisprudenza tra l’Università di Torino e l’Università di Timisoara durerà cinque anni, a partire dall’a.a. 2024/2025. Il percorso permetterà l’ottenimento di quattro titoli: Global Law and Transnational Studies (L-14) e European Legal Studies (LM-90) erogati dall’Università di Torino; Drept European și Internațional / European and International Law e Master in European Union Law, erogati dall’Università di Timisoara. Ogni anno 10 studenti UniTo e 10 studenti UVT potranno essere selezionati per partecipare al programma, che consentirà di trascorrere due dei cinque anni di studio all’estero. Lo scopo principale è fornire un percorso formativo che renda gli studenti competitivi sia a livello nazionale (italiano e rumeno) sia nel contesto internazionale. Un focus specifico sarà infatti dedicato a tematiche europee e transnazionali. Il percorso di studio internazionale in Psicologia è previsto per due anni, a partire dall’a.a. 2024/2025, da attuarsi tramite un programma di mobilità strutturata incoming e outgoing, nell’ambito del corso italiano volto al rilascio del titolo di laurea magistrale in Scienze del Corpo e della Mente (LM-51) e del corso rumeno volto al rilascio del titolo di Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. Al programma parteciperanno due studenti provenienti dall’Università di Torino e due studenti provenienti dall’Università di Timisoara. Gli studenti di Torino trascorreranno un anno a Timisoara, mentre gli studenti di Timisoara trascorreranno un anno a Torino. Il percorso di studio, oltre al rilascio del titolo di laurea magistrale in Scienze del Corpo e della Mente, è volto all’ottenimento della licenza professionale di Psicologo in Italia. Il corso rumeno invece prepara ai seguenti sbocchi professionali: psicologo e psicologo clinico, oltre alla possibilità di iscriversi ad un programma di educazione di terzo livello (PhD, master di III livello, ecc). Read the full article: https://www.otto.unito.it/it/articoli/doppi-titoli-accademici-accordo-tra-le-universita-di-torino-e-timisoara
Green Day Event
On December 11th, on the occasion of International Mountain Day, the UNITA Universitas Montium Alliance organizes the GREEN DAY initiative, an event that will involve all the universities of the Alliance to bring their communities closer to UNITA’s actions in the field of sustainable development. In particular, it aims to promote awareness of the efforts of universities to improve their ecological footprint and spread the culture of sustainability. Each university will approach the theme with different workshops and seminars on sustainability in various fields. During this day, at the specific time (14:00 PT | 15:00 FR/IT/SP/CH | 16:00 RO), there will be a Talk on “Water Mountains” with Prof. Pedro Gabriel de Almeida, a common activity for all the universities, which will connect via Zoom to attend this conference. At the end of the event, a QR code will be available to participate in a quiz with questions on the theme. Anyone who answers all questions correctly will win a UNITA kit provided by the UNITA Office of their university. The quiz will be available until 23:59 CET.
Energypolis Campus Visit
On November 7, 2024, HES-SO Valais-Wallis welcomed researchers from the UNITA alliance and HES-SO for a visit to the Energypolis Campus, one of the 28 campuses of the HES-SO, in Sion, Switzerland. On November 7, 2024, researchers from HES-SO and the UNITA alliance gathered at the Energypolis campus in Sion for a day filled with discoveries and scientific exchanges focused on renewable energy and sustainable technologies. This campus, renowned for its state-of-the-art facilities, provided participants with the opportunity to explore collaborative projects and consider pathways for future partnerships. The day began with a presentation of the School of Engineering (HEI), followed by a guided tour of the Energy Neighborhood Platform. Directly integrated into the building’s energy solution, this platform offers a real-scale view of research facilities dedicated to optimizing energy consumption. Participants then explored the Hydro Lab, a testing hall filled with pipelines where electricity production turbines are assessed. This visit highlighted research on material fatigue and cavitation, both crucial for improving energy efficiency. The tour continued with the presentation of Fabulle. This association, integrated within the school, includes a living lab focused on energy and represents a model of open innovation where companies and users collaborate to develop sustainable solutions. The day concluded with a visit to the Gridlab, a laboratory dedicated to electrical grids where energy distribution infrastructures are tested. The session showcased how these installations address tomorrow’s energy challenges. This visit strengthened ties between researchers from HES-SO and the UNITA alliance, while offering an overview of the cutting-edge initiatives and research at the Energypolis campus aimed at a sustainable energy future.
University of Beira Interior strengthens relations with entities in the State of Minas Gerais
On November 6th, UBI visited the UFMG Directorate of International Relations, where it was received by Professor Aziz Saliba, director of International Relations, and colleagues Marco Túlio de Mello and Andressa de Mello. During this visit, the second of this year – the first was in Toulouse at the EAIE Conference – we had the opportunity to discuss new forms of collaboration between UBI and UFMG, with the aim of going beyond the already existing student mobility. The renewal of the generic protocol between the two institutions was also signed. These types of encounters are crucial to keep the connection between Institutions of Alliance and their Geminae Partners.
UNITA-Geminae News from Brazil
Held from November 12 to 14, 2024, at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Belo Horizonte, the event was organized by UFMG with support from other federal universities in Minas Gerais, particularly the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), which proposed and sponsored UNITA’s participation. This fall, Brazil provided an exciting opportunity for knowledge exchange and collaboration as UNITA participated in the 40th Brazilian National Forum of Vice-Presidents and Directors of Research and Graduate Studies of Brazilian Universities (ENPROP; https://www.ufmg.br/enprop/). The forum brings together institutions accredited by the Ministry of Education’s CAPES agency (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel). The forum’s theme, “Asymmetries, Inequalities & Complementarities,” aligned seamlessly with UNITA’s mission. This synergy was particularly evident during the panel discussion, “Regional Asymmetries: Deconstructing Stereotypes and Promoting Complementarity in Postgraduate Studies.” The panel coincided with CAPES’ upcoming initiative to foster national university alliances for interinstitutional funding under the soon-to-be-launched CAPES Global Program for the internationalization of Brazilian universities—an alleged upgraded and turbocharged version of the previous CAPES PrInt Program. With over 220 representatives from the 289 affiliated higher education institutions engaged in research and postgraduate studies, the forum offered a remarkable platform, and UNITA made the most of it. Representing UNITA was Prof. María Villarroya Gaudó of the University of Zaragoza (UniZar). Her visit began at UFV, where she shared her experiences with students, staff, and faculty, showcasing the collaborative potential of UNITA and UniZar. This lively day of discussions and exploration also coincided with the release of CAPES’ international postgraduate mobility call, ensuring a timely and impactful dialogue. Prof. Villarroya then joined the ENPROP discussions in Belo Horizonte, where she highlighted UNITA’s efforts to address regional asymmetries and foster complementarities. Her presentation, combined with active participation in four discussion groups, significantly enriched the forum’s outcomes. The enthusiasm for collaboration extended into informal exchanges, where participants eagerly practiced their Spanish—or the hybrid “Portunhol” (or “Portuñol”)—showcasing the spirit of intercomprehension. These interactions amplified the event’s impact, drawing attention from institutions across Brazil, including federal, state, non-profit, and private universities, and further solidifying UNITA’s reputation as a global benchmark for innovative alliances. The collaboration also strengthened ties with UNITA’s Geminae partners, particularly in Brazil. The National Directory of the Brazilian Forum of Vice-Presidents and Directors of Research and Graduate Studies (DN-FOPROP), along with UFV’s Faculty of Research and Graduate Studies and International Office, expressed heartfelt gratitude to UNITA for its support. They also commended Prof. Villarroya and UniZar for their dedication and meaningful contributions. This collaboration promises to yield fruitful outcomes in the near future!
UBI a pioneer in the European Student Card
The University of Beira Interior (UBI) is the first portuguese academy to automatically and digitally issue an identification card that is intended to be recognized throughout Europe. UBI will shared its experience in Lisbon. A Universidade da Beira Interior (UBI) é a primeira academia nacional a emitir, de forma consistente, o Cartão de Estudante Europeu (ESC), iniciativa que facilita a identificação do estatuto universitário fora de Portugal. Este foi um dos motivos do convite para partilhar esta boa prática no “European Student Card Initiative Day”, que decorreu em Lisboa, no Instituto Superior Técnico. A emissão do ESC para os estudantes da UBI é feita no momento da matrícula/inscrição, após pedido de consentimento, e começou a ser aplicada no âmbito de uma iniciativa da aliança UNITA – Universitas Montium, que a UBI integra. A ideia do ESC é funcionar como um “passaporte” europeu que é reconhecido nos países participantes, garantindo autenticidade dos dados, reduzindo fraudes e facilitando o processo para ambas as partes, sem ser necessário emitir um novo cartão. Com a sua implementação geral, espera-se que os estudantes passem a beneficiar de vantagens, em especial durante a participação em programas de intercâmbio como o Erasmus+. Entre os benefícios, estão os descontos, em alimentação, por exemplo, o acesso a serviços em estabelecimentos fora das instalações académicas, ou espaços reservados no campus universitário, como bibliotecas ou espaços desportivos. “O Cartão Europeu de Estudante é uma iniciativa essencial para melhorar a experiência de mobilidade estudantil na Europa, promovendo uma rede de apoio e serviços mais inclusiva e eficiente para estudantes e instituições”, sintetiza a Agência Nacional Erasmus+ Educação e Formação. Esta quinta-feira, no “European Student Card Iniciative Day”, a UBI participa na mesa-redonda “Implementar e Potenciar a ESCI nas IES”, no “Debate aberto sobre o Presente e o Futuro da ESCI | Q&A” e dinamiza ainda o “Workshop 2: ESC”, pelo pioneirismo nacional na emissão do Cartão Europeu. O engenheiro Sérgio Nunes, da Área de Sistemas e Desenvolvimento dos Serviços de Informática da Universidade, é quem vai intervir nestes momentos. A atividade decorre ao longo de todo o dia e conta com a participação de Joaquim Mourato (Diretor-Geral do Ensino Superior), Vanessa Debiais-Sainton (Head of Higher Education Unit, European Commission – Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture) e Cristina Perdigão (Diretora da Agência Nacional Erasmus+ Educação e Formação), entre outros.