Sharing, learning, adding value Let s UNICA! Work plan 2015-2016
CONTENTs 3 8 19 Four focal points for the academic year 2015-2016 1. UNICA 25+: Shaping the future of the Network... 5 2. Strengthening the links with university academic leadership... 6 3. (Re-)shaping UNICA activities... 6 4. Empowering the students from UNICA Student Conferences... 7 UNICA activities 2015-2016 1. Internationalisation & Mobility... 9 2. Education... 11 3. Research & Development... 13 3. Policy & Strategy... 16 4. Mission & Link with Society... 10 Collaboration with university networks and HE organisations... 19 General Assembly & Steering Committee meetings... 19 Editors: Stavros A. Zenios, UNICA President - Kris Dejonckheere, UNICA Secretary General Contribution: Marta Brelih-Wasowska, Project & Communications Officer Graphic Design: www.ligne33.be - Marie-Noëlle Jacmin Cover Illustration: Nuvole 3
Four focal points for the academic year 2015-2016 4 four focal points for the academic year 2015-2016
1_ UNICA 25+: Shaping the future of the Network Twenty five years have passed since the UNICA Network was founded. While celebrating this important jubilee and looking back at our past achievements, we should also take the time to reflect on how the European Higher Education landscape has evolved since 1990 and how the role of universities has expanded to other areas, such as regional and social cohesion, environmental sustainability, employment, and economic and cultural diplomacy. Conscious of the major developments that have occurred in Higher Education over the past 25 years, the UNICA Steering Committee began discussions on the revision of the UNICA Mission Statement in 2014. Prepared as a result of several Steering Committee meetings, exercise with UNICA Rectors & Presidents carried out at the Rectors Seminar 2014, consultations with International Relations Officers, and a training session conducted by an external facilitator, the new UNICA Mission & Vision will be put to vote at the UNICA General Assembly 2015. UNICA Steering Committee hopes that the new Mission & Vision can guide the Network s strategic objectives in a way to actively address the changes and societal developments that have been influencing the European Higher Education Area and the new challenges to be faced by our Member Universities in the nearest and the more distant future. UNICA now and then four focal points for the academic year 2015-2016 5
2_ Strengthening the links with university academic leadership Ensuring effective and efficient communication is at UNICA s constant focus. In view of improving our communication, we have redesigned the UNICA website and we will continue to improve the way our messages reach our members, partners, and the wider public. In an effort to increase the effectiveness of our communication at the highest level, we will seek to reinforce the contacts between the UNICA Steering Committee and the representatives of academic leadership of UNICA Member Universities. In this context, the summary of UNICA Steering Committee discussions will be communicated following each Steering Committee meeting to Rectors/Presidents, Vice-Rectors in charge of International Relations, UNICA institutional Contact Persons, and Members of the UNICA International Relations Group. Furthermore, each Member of the newly elected UNICA Steering Committee will be responsible for a portfolio of UNICA activities and contacts with Rectors and Presidents of UNICA Member Universities. This initiative will allow for more personal contacts between the leaders of the Network s Universities and the UNICA Board. 3_ (Re-)shaping UNICA activities New developments emerging from the EU policy initiatives and global trends in the Higher Education sector find immediate reflection in the needs of our Members. UNICA seeks to address these needs in two ways: through the organisation of meetings which serve as platform for new information, exchange of good practices and capacity building, and the development of the EUfunded project proposals that can respond directly to the challenges voiced by our Member Universities and bring tangible and sustainable outcomes. In order to better anchor the discussions taking place in the fora of the UNICA Working Groups with project initiatives, each member of the UNICA Secretariat s team is tasked with supporting a number of UNICA initiatives and managing relevant European projects. In the new academic year, we will also work towards integrating the UNICA Summer & Winter 6 four focal points for the academic year 2015-2016
Schools initiative in the activities of the UNICA IRO Group and the UNICA EduLab, as well as developing new proposals of activities made by our Member Universities, such as Economic Diplomacy and Universities and Culture. These two new initiatives, aiming to examine the role universities play in economic affairs and cultural development of communities, place its focus on what is so crucial and characteristic for the UNICA profile: the interaction between universities and their cities and regions. 4_ Empowering the students from UNICA Student Conferences Through the organisation of biennial UNICA Student Conferences, UNICA seeks to empower students to be conscious and open citizens of Europe and acknowledge them as active stakeholders in Higher Education. With the already 9 th UNICA Student Conference at Ankara University in sight, we want to make sure that the enthusiasm and the innovativeness of ideas proposed by students is not lost between the Conferences and ensure a closer involvement of student representatives in the regular activities of the Network. Each UNICA Student Conference was special: in the most recent UNICA Student Conference history, Rome (2010) gave us the Rome Declaration which attracted the attention of the President of the European Union at the time José Barroso and several European Ministers of Higher Education. The Conference in Oslo (2012), the first eco-certified event, gave impetus to the UNICA Green Academic Footprint. What made the 2012 Lausanne Conference exceptional was the Organisers commitment to turn the ideas and recommendations of previous Student Conferences into concrete action plans. The Conference s outcome - the Student Action Plan contained specific, realistic, and feasible responses to the challenges voiced by the participants of previous Conferences. While encouraging our Member Universities to provide the students with the opportunity to implement their projects at their home institutions, we wish to offer the floor to student representatives in the UNICA Working Groups. UNICA will also follow up on a students idea expressed the Lausanne Conference, namely the #FreeYourUni campaign. The campaign, planned for the first half of 2016, will aim at raising awareness about the importance of a dynamic interaction between students and university professors. four focal points for the academic year 2015-2016 7
UNICA activities 2015-2016 8 UNICA activities 2015-2016
1_ Internationalisation & Mobility UNICA IRO meetings UNICA IRO meeting 2016, University of Zagreb - Centre for Advanced Academic Studies in Dubrovnik, 26-27 April 2016 International PR & Communication 6 th UNICA PR & Communication Workshop, May 2016, University of Iceland (to be confirmed), early June 2016 IMOTION platform Maintenance and regular updates of the IMOTION staff mobility platform www.staffmobility.eu Cooperation with alumni relations units Project development activities with a special focus on training and capacity building of university alumni officers UNICA Student Conference Preparation of the UNICA Student Conference 2016, Ankara University, 12-15 October 2016 Preparation of the UNICA IRO meeting 2017, hosting university and dates to be announced UNICA at at the EAIE CONFERENCE UNICA and Scholars At Risk On 12 November 2015, a meeting of UNICA member universities involved or interested in the Scholars At Risk activities will be held at the University of Oslo as a pre-event of the International Partnership in Academia - an Ethical Challenge? Conference, University of Oslo, 12-13 November 2015 Summer & Winter Schools Further development of the UNICA Summer & Winter Schools Portal (www.unicasummerschools.eu, www.unicawinterschools.eu) and preparation of the Portal s promotional video 28 th annual EAIE Conference: Imagine..., ACC Liverpool, 13-16 September 2016 UNICA AT ERACON Conference 12 th Erasmus Congress and Exhibition, Thessaloniki, 10-14 May 2016 UNICA activities 2015-2016 9
EC PROJECTS INTERNATIONALISATION & MOBILITY UNICA as Partner: HousErasmus: Improving mobility and accommodation under Erasmus+ KA3: Forward-Looking Cooperation, project period: 11/2015-10/2017 (2 years) Relevant UNICA Working Group: International Relations Officers Coordinator: Erasmus Student Network (ESN) UNICA s role: Organisation of study visits and a regional conference, supporting the dissemination of online campaigns Aim: The project seeks to investigate and respond to one of the main mobility obstacles: lack of affordable accommodation for international students and trainees. Through project actions, such as targeted research, mapping existing policies and practices, and capacity-building activities, it aims to strengthen the Erasmus+ programme s potential of reaching the 20% increase in overall student mobility by 2020. Partners: UNICA, Campus Europae, Compostela Group of Universities EC PROJECTS INTERNATIONALISATION & MOBILITY UNICA as Partner: Erasmus without Paper under Erasmus+ KA3: Forward-Looking Cooperation Projects; project period: 1/10/2012 30/9/2015 (2 years) Relevant UNICA Working Group: IRO Group & EduLab Coordinator: University of Ghent UNICA s role: Dissemination (Associate Partner) Aim: The project aims to increase the efficiency of transfer of student mobility data between HEIs, which is still very often paper-based, by creating a creating a low-cost and secure information network that will enable all the data repositories to communicate with each other, and exchange data without the use of paper documents. Partners: University of Oslo, University of Warsaw (both UNICA members), Umeå University, University of Porto, ESN, SGroup, Campus Europae, SIGMA, Kion, QS-Unisolution 10 UNICA activities 2015-2016
2_ Education UNICA EduLab Highlights of the Yerevan Bologna Communiqué, transformative learning processes and digitalisation in higher education will be at the focus of the 2 nd UNICA EduLab meeting, Eötvös Loránd University Budapest (ELTE), 3-4 December 2016 UNICA as Partner: PASCL: Peer Assessment of Student Centred Learning under Lifelong Learning: Erasmus Multilateral Projects, project period: 01/10/2013 01/07/2016 (3 years) EC PROJECTS EDUCATION Relevant UNICA Working Group: EduLab Coordinator: European Students Union (ESU) UNICA s role: Coordinator of WP4: Piloting the Peer Assessment and WP7: Exploitation Aim: Developing a peer assessment framework (PASCL guidelines) for student-centeredness of HE institutions and establishing a European recognition award for student-centred institutions that have successfully incorporated the elements of studentcentred learning in its teaching & learning strategy. Partners: UNICA, National Unions of Students in Europe (ESIB), Finnish Institute for Educational Research - U. of Jyväskylä (JYU), Central European U. (CEU), Melius s.r.l., Knowledge Innovation Centre (KIC) Website: www.pascl.eu UNICA activities 2015-2016 11
EC PROJECTS EDUCATION UNICA as Partner: CALOHEE: Measuring and Comparing Achievements of Learning Outcomes in Higher Education in Europe under Erasmus+ KA3: Forward-Looking Cooperation Projects; Project period: 11/2015-10/2017 (2 years) Relevant UNICA Working Group: EduLab Coordinator: University of Groningen UNICA s role: Member of Advisory Board and Partner in Dissemination Aim: The project intends to develop infrastructure that will eventually make it possible to test Bachelor and Master students performance Europe-wide across a range of fields, in a way that satisfies the needs of various stakeholders in the European HE community. Multidimensional assessment frameworks designed in the project s framework will facilitate the development of tests which will allow university management, academics and students themselves to understand whether students are achieving internationally defined levels of competences in terms of personal development, citizenship and employability, while meeting the agreed academic standards. Partners: UNICA, SGroup Network, Coimbra Group, Compostela Group, EUA, European Students Union, NVAO, EURASHE, Universidad de Deusto, University of Pisa, University of Genoa, University of Iceland (UNICA member), School of Information Sciences (Finland), Université de Nantes, University of Southampton, University of Hull, ETS Global. 12 UNICA activities 2015-2016
3_ Research & Development UNICA EU Research Liaison Officers meetings Yellow Research training on impact in Horizon 2020 and the first year of implementation of the new programme will be at the core of the 10th EU Research Liaison Officers meeting, Charles University in Prague, 19-20 November 2015 Preparation of the 11 th EU Research Liaison Officers meeting, University of Belgrade, dates to be announced Transferable skills of doctoral candidates 1 st Coimbra Group-UNICA international training workshop for doctoral candidates Navigating your career, Centre for Advanced Academic Studies of the University of Zagreb in Dubrovnik, 18-21 October 2015 UNICA PhD MASTER CLASS: Seminar for Heads of Doctoral Schools & Programmes and professionals in doctoral supervision 7 th UNICA PhD MASTER CLASS & training in the framework of PRIDE: Professionals in Doctoral Education project, Centre for Academic Studies of the University of Zagreb in Dubrovnik, 28-31 August 2016 UNICA as Coordinator: UZDOC: Enhancing quality of doctoral education at Higher Education Institutions in Uzbekistan under TEMPUS IV Structural Measures; project period: 01/12/2013 30/11/2016 (36 months) EC PROJECTS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT Relevant UNICA Working Group: PhD Officers Group Coordinator: UNICA Aim: Enhancing the quality of doctoral education in Higher Education Institutions in Uzbekistan, in line with the principles of the European Higher Education Area. Partners: U. of Zagreb, Sapienza U. of Rome, Comenius U. in Bratislava (all three UNICA members), U. of Granada, Athens U. of Economics and Business (Greece), Tashkent Financial Institute, State Institute of Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan, Samarkand Institute of Economics and Service, Berdakh Qaraqalpaq State U., Karshi State University, Ministry of HE of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzbekistan) Website: www.uzdoc.eu UNICA activities 2015-2016 13
EC PROJECTS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT UNICA as Partner: PRIDE: Professionals in Doctoral Education: Supporting skills development to better contribute to an European knowledge society under Lifelong Learning: Erasmus Multilateral Projects; project period: 1/10/2013 30/9/2016 (3 years) Relevant UNICA Working Group: PhD Officers Group Coordinator: U. of Vienna (UNICA member) UNICA s role: Coordinator of Dissemination Work Package and responsible for the organisation of the training course Aim: Supporting skills development of administrative staff in doctoral education in order to provide better support to PhD supervisors, PhD candidates and external stakeholders. Partners: UNICA, U. of Zagreb, Humboldt U. zu Berlin, Vrije U. Brussel (VUB), Comenius U. In Bratislava, U. NOVA de Lisboa, Tallinn U. (all 6 UNICA members), Mediterranean Universities Union, Fundación Universidad Empresa of the Region of Murcia Website: www.pride-project.eu EC PROJECTS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT UNICA as Partner: EU-CHINA DOC: Enhancing the Visibility of European Higher Education and Strengthening the Dialogue and Cooperation with Chinese Stakeholders in the Field of Doctoral Education under Erasmus Mundus Action 3; project period: 1/10/2013 30/9/2016 (3 years) Relevant UNICA Working Group: PhD Officers Group Coordinator: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB, UNICA member) Aim: Increasing awareness and knowledge about European Higher Education among Chinese HE actors and strengthening dialogue and cooperation between European and Chinese stakeholders in the field of doctoral education, training and research. Partners: UNICA, U. Of Vienna, Stockholm U. (both UNICA members), U. of Tampere, Belgian- Chinese Chamber of Commerce (BCECC), China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE), Beijing Normal University(BNU), Peking University (PKU), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, (SJTU), Southwest University China (SWU). UNICA s role: Dissemination and Exploitation Website: www.euchinadoc.com 14 UNICA activities 2015-2016
UNICA as Partner: GENOVATE: Transforming Organisational Culture for Gender Equality in Research and Innovation under FP7: Science in Society EC PROJECTS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT Relevant UNICA Working Group: EU Research Liaison Officers & Equal Opportunities Coordinator: U. of Bradford Aim: Ensuring equal opportunities for women and men at universities by encouraging a more gender-aware management in research and scientific bodies of HE institutions. Partners: U. Complutense de Madrid, Ankara U. (both UNICA members), Federico II U. of Naples, U. College Cork, Trnava U. UNICA s role: Dissemination; Member of International Advisory Board Website: www.genovate.eu UNICA activities 2015-2016 15
4_ Policy & Strategy Scholarly Communication 8 th UNICA Scholarly Communication Seminar, hosting university and dates to be confirmed UNICA-MED: cooperation with Southern Mediterranean universities Project-based cooperation with the EUA, Association of Arab Universities, Union for the Mediterranean, and UNIMED Rectors Seminars: platforms for the representatives of university leadership Seminar The role and impact of university networks in the 21 st century in the framework of the UNICA General Assembly 2015, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 16 October 2015 Informal Rectors meeting in the framework of the EUA Annual Conference 2016: Bricks and clicks for Europe: Building a successful digital campus National University of Ireland, Galway, 7 April 2016 Coimbra Group-UNICA- EUROPAEUM Rectors Conference in the framework of the 700 th anniversary of birth of Charles IV, 13 May 2016 Seminar in the framework of the UNICA General Assembly 2016 and the 200 th founding anniversary of the University of Warsaw, 17-19 November 2016 EC PROJECTS POLICY & STRATEGY UNICA as Partner LEAD: Governance and Academic Leadership of Chinese and European Universities in the Context of Innovation and Internationalisation under Erasmus+ KA2: Capacity Building Projects, project period: 11/2015-10/2017 (2 years) Relevant UNICA clusters of activities: Policy & Strategy, Internationalisation & Mobility Coordinator: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (UNICA member) UNICA s role: Developing training courses for university leadership and Dissemination Aim: The project focuses on improving the competences of HEI academic leadership in governance for educational innovation and modernization of Higher Education. Through the development of training modules, site visits, academic leadership seminars, job shadowing & other training activities, the project will aim at facilitating the EU-China cooperation on educational innovations and joint research and support HEIs in strategic planning and change management. Partners: UNICA, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Middle East Technical University, (both UNICA members), University of Tampere, Peking University (PKU), Tongji University (TJU), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), National Academy of Education Administration (NAEA), Yunnan Normal University (YNNU) 16 UNICA activities 2015-2016
5_ Mission & Link with Society 5 th UNICA-SGroup- Compostela Group Joint Workshop: Rethinking employability: university strategies, tools, recommendations, University of Kent - Brussels Campus, 4-5 February 2016 (to be confirmed) unica unica Green Green 6 th UNICA Green Workshop: Academic Towards a carbon-neutral Footprint (UGAF) (UGAF) university, University of Rome becomes UNICA UNICA Tor Vergata, April-May 2016 Green! Green! In order In order (exact dates to be confirmed) to to highlight unity unity of of the the initiative Dissemination & Promotion, and and the the UNICA UNICA joint actions in the framework Network, UGAF UGAF of European-wide campaigns, has has been been renamed development of project UNICA UNICA Green. Green. proposals UNICA as Coordinator: RUMI: Réseau des Universités Marocaines pour l Enseignement Inclusif (Network of Moroccan Universities for Inclusive Education) under TEMPUS IV Structural Measures; project period: 01/12/2013 30/11/2016 Relevant UNICA Working Group: UNICA-MED & Equal Opportunities Coordinator: UNICA Aim: Establishing a network of Moroccan universities to promote procedures and good practices in the field of inclusive education and equal opportunities in Morocco. Partners: UNICA (Coordinator), 9 Moroccan universities, U. Roma Tre, Vrije U. Brussel (both UNICA members), Erasmus Access Network, Compostela Group, Fontys, U. Montpellier 3, Ministry of HE (Morocco), Minister of Solidarity, Woman, Family and Social Development (Morocco), Observatoire National du Developpement Humain ONDH, Moroccan Association of Law Students Website: www.rumi-project.org EC PROJECTS MISSION & LINK WITH SOCIETY UNICA activities 2015-2016 17
EC PROJECTS MISSION & LINK WITH SOCIETY UNICA as Partner: SAVES: Students Achieving Valuable Energy Savings under EC Intelligent Energy-Europe Project period: 04/2014-03/2017 Relevant UNICA WG: UNICA Green Coordinator: National Union of Students UK Aim: SAVES aims at promoting energy saving behaviour among the students living in dormitories by putting them in a competition to save the most energy by simple everyday actions. UNICA s role: Dissemination Partners: U. of Athens, U. of Cyprus (both UNICA members), Vilnius Gediminas Technical U., De Montfort U., Studentbostadsforetagen Website: www.saves.nus.uk EC PROJECTS MISSION & LINK WITH SOCIETY UNICA as Partner: MappED! under Erasmus+ KA2: Strategic Partnerships; project period: 11/2015-10/2017 Relevant UNICA WG: Equal Opportunities, International Relations Officers Coordinator: Erasmus Student Network Aim: The project builds on the ExchangeAbility (coordinated by UNICA between 2008 and 2010) and MapAbility projects and aims at creating an interactive and mobile-ready map of accessible Universities around Europe. In a pilot project carried out by the Erasmus Student Network in 2014 a total of 217 European HEIs were mapped. The MappED! project will intend to encourage students with disabilities to experience an exchange period abroad by informing them about the level of accessibility of the different HEIs around Europe, including accessibility of buildings, everyday-life venues in the campus surroundings, public trasnsport, as well as support services offered by the each HEI. UNICA s role: Dissemination Partners: ESN France, Jaccede, AHEAD, UNICA, Universidade de Vigo, University of Warsaw (UNICA member) 18 UNICA activities 2015-2016
Collaboration with university networks and Higher education organisations In the academic year 2015-2016, UNICA aims to continue and to enhance the cooperation with peer university networks and other Higher Education organisations. Collaboration with the European University Association (EUA) - UNICA as collective associate member in the framework of the Euro-Arab Conference in Higher Education and the UNICA-MED initiative, in the context of the UNICA PhD MASTER CLASS with the EUA Council of Doctoral Education. Collaboration with other organisations with Scholars At Risk (UNICA as affiliate member) and Magna Charta Observatory in joint initiatives related to academic freedom, ethics and values in international partnerships, with Coimbra Group of Universities (CGU) in the context of the Coimbra Group-UNICA international training for doctoral candidates, with International Diplomatic and Consular Circle (Cercle international diplomatique et consulaire, CIDIC) on the Economic Diplomacy initiative, with European Association of ERASMUS Coordinators (EAEC), European Association for International Education (EAIE) and their International Alumni Relations (INTAL) Expert Group on Alumni Officers initiative, with the SGroup Network and the Compostela Group of Universities in the framework of the EU-funded projects (RUMI, Erasmus without Papers, HousErasmus) and the Joint UNICA- SGroup-Compostela Joint Workshops, with Erasmus Student Network and the European Students Union in the framework of the EU-funded projects (PASCL, MappED, HousErasmus). General Assembly & Steering Committee meetings 2016 UNICA General Assembly 2016, University of Warsaw, 17-19 November 2016. The General Assembly will be held in the framework of the University s 200 th founding anniversary. (photograph marekusz/ Shutterstock.com) 5 UNICA Steering Committee meetings: 1. UNICA Secretariat, Brussels, February 2016, 2. May 2016 (venue and exact date to be announced), 3. September 2016 (venue and exact date to be announced), 4. two meetings in the framework of the UNICA General Assembly 2015, University of Warsaw, 15-17 November 2016. Preparation of the UNICA General Assembly 2017, Eötvös Loránd University Budapest (ELTE), October/November 2017. Chapter 1 Work plan 2015-2016 19
Sharing, learning, adding value UNICA brings together 46 member universities from 35 European capitals Contact us: UNICA General Secretariat c/o University Foundation Rue d Egmont 11, 1000 Brussels +32/(0)2/514.79.00 office@unica-network.eu www.unica-network.eu ALBANIA Tirana University Polytechnic University of Tirana AUSTRIA Universität Wien BELGIUM Vrije Universiteit Brussel Université Libre de Bruxelles BULGARIA Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski CROATIA University of Zagreb CYPRUS University of Cyprus CZECH REPUBLIC Charles University in Prague DENMARK University of Copenhagen ESTONIA Tallinn University Tallinn University of Technology FINLAND University of Helsinki FRANCE Université Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris 3 Université Pierre et Marie Curie Université Paris-Dauphine FYR OF MACEDONIA Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje GERMANY Freie Universität Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin GREECE National and Kapodistrian University of Athens HUNGARY Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest IRELAND University College Dublin ICELAND University of Iceland ITALY Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata Università degli Studi di Roma Tre LATVIA University of Latvia LITHUANIA Vilnius University LUXEMBOURG University of Luxembourg THE NETHERLANDS Universiteit van Amsterdam NORWAY University of Oslo POLAND University of Warsaw PORTUGAL Universidade de Lisboa Universidade Nova de Lisboa ROMANIA University of Bucharest RUSSIA Lomonosov Moscow State University SERBIA University of Belgrade SLOVAKIA Comenius University in Bratislava SLOVENIA University of Ljubljana SPAIN Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Universidad Complutense de Madrid SWEDEN Stockholm University SWITZERLAND Université de Lausanne TURKEY Middle East Technical University Ankara University UNITED KINGDOM King s College London www.unica-network.eu