Students, researchers, and staff from the EUTOPIA network of six European universities will come together this month for the second EUTOPIA Week, hosted virtually by founding member the University of Warwick.
In a series of discussions and workshops, the EUTOPIA partners will present exciting new initiatives for pan-European student mobility and research collaboration, share ideas on how to benefit our local communities, and tackle issues such as how to make higher education more inclusive.
Speakers will include students and key leaders of the next-generation higher education alliance, as well as Themis Christophidou, Director General of Education, Youth, Sport and Culture at the European Commission, and Martin Reeves, Chief Executive of Coventry City Council, both of whom will join participants at the opening ceremony.
EUTOPIA is a community of like-minded research institutions across the continent, dedicated to co-creating a new model of open, connected, student-centred teaching and learning — a model which in 2019 was backed by the ERASMUS+ 'European Universities' pilot project.
The network spans the UK, France, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, and Slovenia, and exists to create opportunities for living, studying, and working across the continent. Furthermore, EUTOPIA unites six European regions, exchanging innovations and engaging with policy-makers and businesses to improve the lives of citizens.
This year, EUTOPIA welcomed its second cohort of cotutelle scholars — PhD researchers who are funded to study and receive joint supervision between two partner institutions. This year's cotutelle scholars are exploring topics such as Black history and 2D 'wonder' materials.
The partners also invested €10.2m earlier this year to fund 76 young post-doctoral researchers who will be tackling real-world challenges, in areas such as sustainable materials, the environment, antimicrobial resistance, cancer, reproductive health, artificial intelligence, and inequality.
Key events during EUTOPIA Week November 2020 will include:
· Presentations on major opportunities for students and researchers, including the EUTOPIA Researcher Mobility Program and the EUTOPIA-SIF Post Doctoral Fellowships
· Lunchtime talks (accessible to everyone) about how universities can enhance our cities and regions — through supporting culture, dialogue with business and industry, and researching the UN sustainable development goals
· Discussion on the common priorities and challenges of European university alliances — drawing upon the experience so far of the EUTOPIA project, and including senior representatives from the European Commission
· Panel discussion on how to ensure European universities are inclusive, and what inclusion means from the perspectives of EUTOPIA partners across the continent
· Workshops to support PhD students who are considering becoming Early Career Researchers, setting out the options and opportunities available to them within EUTOPIA
· Explanation of the EUTOPIA education model; how its student-centred and flexible methodology contributes to the priorities of the European Education Area and aspirations for 2025
· Discussion of plans to integrate innovation and outreach, and create trans-national programmes in areas such as sustainable development
Professor Stuart Croft, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Warwick, said:
"The COVID-19 pandemic and upheaval to normal life across the planet this year have shown us that we can all face huge difficulties by working together — from international collaborations between countries and institutions, to looking out for each other in our local communities.
"Solving challenges together, at a global and at a local level, is at the core of EUTOPIA's mission. I am proud that our network is continuing to create new opportunities for the movement of knowledge and ideas across the continent, with a focus on benefitting neighbours in our home regions such as Coventry, Warwickshire, and the West Midlands. Despite the events of 2020, we have not stopped or slowed down.
"I am looking forward to spending time with our friends from around the EUTOPIA network this month, and to furthering our vision of more connected, more inclusive, more impactful higher education in Europe."
To take part in EUTOPIA Week, register here.
EUTOPIA comprises Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the University of Gothenburg, CY Cergy Paris Université, the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, the University of Warwick, and the University of Ljubljana, which formally leads the Alliance
https://eutopia-university.eu/
EUTOPIA Week will take place virtually from 23rd – 27th November 2020.
