Eutopia updates (09.12.2020)

EUTOPIA UNIVERSITY ALLIANCE URGES THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT TO RELEASE DR AHMADREZA DJALALI FROM HIS IMPRISONMENT, DEATH SENTENCE AND IMMINENT EXECUTION

The EUTOPIA alliance and its six-member universities: CY Cergy Paris Université, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, University of Gothenburg, Univerza v Ljubljani, the University of Warwick and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), call on the Iranian government to act urgently to release Swedish citizen, VUB guest lecturer Dr Ahmadreza Djalali from his imprisonment and death sentence.
The EUTOPIA Alliance welcomes the Iranian government’s recent release from prison of the University of Melbourne academic Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert and asks that the same clemency be applied to Dr Ahmadreza Djalali.
Dr Djalali is attached to VUB and the Università Degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale in Italy as a guest lecturer, and an alumnus of the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. We ask the Iranian government to review his case urgently, and to act with mercy and a respect for academic freedom by releasing him from his charges and the risk of imminent execution.
Our Alliance asks the Belgian, French, Spanish, Slovenian, Swedish, UK and European authorities to support actively our appeal to the Iranian government and to press for the immediate release of Dr Djalali through all diplomatic and political channels. We thank all of the political leaders and diplomats, and many colleagues and volunteers, who are already actively pressing for Dr Djalali’s release.
 
Eva Wiberg, Vice-Chancellor, University of Gothenburg, Chair EUTOPIA alliance
François Germinet, President, CY Cergy Paris Université
Caroline Pauwels, Rector, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Igor Papič, Rector, Univerza v Ljubljani
Jaume Casals, Rector, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor and President, University of Warwick
 

Mention of EUTOPIA-SIF in a case study

EUTOPIA-SIF is highlighted as a case study by the ERA report "Towards a 2030 vision on the future of universities in Europe" (p121), and was lauded extensively!

An example of the "positive societal impact of universities being deeply integrated into innovation ecosystems" are the EUTOPIA Science & Innovation post-doctoral Fellowships(EUTOPIA-SIF), which aims to fully exploit the integration between universities and "local, regional, national, European and sometimes also global innovation ecosystems." 

Read the full report through this link.

Second EUTOPIA Week organized by the University of Warwick

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of EWeek, hosted by the University of Warwick. Over 600 participants from 30 countries joined the event, with the majority taking part in multiple sessions. The open sessions were a real highlight, with over 200 joining the ‘EUTOPIAN Futures’ lunchtime talks and over 100 joining our ‘EUTOPIA Presents’ sessions highlighting opportunities for students and researchers. We were delighted that 165 students competed in the student-led ESports tournament, and we’d like to congratulate Julija Stolec, from the University of Ljubljana, who was voted the winner of the EUTOPIA Totebag Design Content. All open sessions were recorded and will be available on the EUTOPIA YouTube channel in due course through this link.

EUTOPIA’s Strategic Board made several announcements during EWeek and defined the alliance’s future frame as a confederation of universities. They also assessed a strategic sustainability plan, defined anew the vision and mission of the consortium, and reaffirmed EUTOPIA’s fidelity to European Higher Education values such as democracy, the crucial importance of the students, academic freedom, place-making and internationalization. The 6 partners reiterated their commitment to the alliance in the context of political changes and when facing unprecedented global challenges.

EUTOPIA announced the designation of Professor Eva Wiberg, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Gothenburg, as our new Chair from the 1st December. The Chair acts as EUTOPIA’s head for policy conversations with the European Commission and administrative purposes. The Strategic Board also named Professor François Germinet, president of CY Cergy Paris University, as the Deputy Chair of EUTOPIA concurrently. Both Eva Wiberg and François Germinet will be operative together until the 1st December 2021.

Please save the date for the next EUTOPIA Week organized by the University of Gothenburg, from April 12th to April 16th.
 

The EUTOPIA educational model

 
You can find through this link a video with Jan Danckaert, lead for EUTOPIA Education & Students, on the EUTOPIA educational model. 

More on the EUTOPIA educational model
 

EUTOPIA’s educational board selects next 12 Learning Units

 
On the road towards an educational model revolving around EUTOPIA Connected Learning Communities, the educational board selected the next 12 EUTOPIA Learning Units during the second EUTOPIA week.

The selected dozen covers a wide variety of multidisciplinary subjects, ranging from more sustainability oriented courses, to courses tackling challenges in today’s disruptive society, and courses driven by innovative research and education methods.

The EUTOPIA curriculum team looks forward to getting to know the professors behind these challenge-driven courses, and to starting construction works together on new EUTOPIA Connected Learning Communities. 
The next 12 Learning Units are:

Information on the first six Learning Units

EUTOPIA-SIF (Science & Innovation Post-Doctoral Fellowships Programme)
INFORMATION WEBINAR, December 14th

For its first call for applications opened on October 19th, corresponding to the academic year 2020/21, the EUTOPIA alliance offers to PhD holders or equivalent, of any nationality, 20 grants as part of the EUTOPIA Science and Innovation Fellowships Programme (EUTOPIA-SIF), co-funded from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation Maria Sklodowska-Curie Actions.

This programme intends to enhance the research potential and the career perspectives of young researchers from all six EUTOPIA partners. The selected candidates of the 2020/21 call are expected to prove their capacity to bring original solutions to the social challenges faced in the five key research areas outlined by the programme. As academic experts, they shall help to understand and figure solutions to the difficulties faced by a planet with limited resources and complex societal issues.

Interdisciplinary interactions are appreciated, and applicants from the Arts and Humanities encouraged. The selected research areas are detailed on the EUTOPIA website (link below).

The submission platform of this first call for proposals has opened on October 19th, 2020. The deadline for submission of proposals is January 11th, 2021. 
Please check the link below and the short guide to learn more on this programme.

For more information about the EUTOPIA-SIF program, its application and selection procedure, a webinar will be organized for candidates: 14 December, 12:30 CET. To receive an invitation to this webinar, please register as an applicant on https://eutopia.smapply.io or in the webinar registration form.

To learn more
Short Guide

The University of Gothenburg’s Summer School for Sustainability

The University of Gothenburg’s Summer School for Sustainability gathers exchange students from around the world, from July 5 to July 30 2021, in a programme of academic courses and social activities, all linked to Agenda 2030 and the Global Goals. Some spots will be available exclusively for students from EUTOPIA’s partner universities.

Given the evolving COVID-19 situation there is a digital plan B. This way, the University can ensure that there will be a summer school 2021.
You can find more information through this link.

PhD Scholarship ERC Starting Grant 'CURIAE VIRIDES' in the area of sustainable development law

The Institute for European Studies of the Vrije Universiteit Brussels is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant.

Project Description:

You will join the team of the CURIAE VIRIDES project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC Str. Grant 909496). This project conceptualises the worldwide progressive transition of human rights litigation into more ecocentric litigation and the emerging but important role of (activist) courts in addressing ecological governance gaps. The project aims at inquiring how this greening of social litigation challenges the legal concept of attribution of liability in transnational lawsuits and influences access to remedy for victims of transnational ecological harms.

Please check this link for more information on this job offer.
Don't hesitate to contact Liliana Lizarazo Rodríguez at clizaraz@vub.be if you have any questions.
Please note that the application deadline is on December 31st.
 

Postdoc Researcher ERC Starting Grant 'CURIAE VIRIDES' in the area of sustainable development law

The Institute for European Studies of the Vrije Universiteit Brussels is looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher.

Project Description:
You will join the team of the CURIAE VIRIDES project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC Str. Grant 909496). This project conceptualises the worldwide progressive transition of human rights litigation into more ecocentric litigation and the emerging but important role of (activist) courts in addressing ecological governance gaps.

More concretely, the project will study:

• how ecological conflicts become lawsuits (and judgments),
• the actors and networks,
• how human rights litigation is greening and the institutional capacity of courts and
• the impact of litigation on ecological governance gaps and on access to remedy for victims of ecological harm.

Please check this link for more information on this job offer.
Don't hesitate to contact Liliana Lizarazo Rodríguez at clizaraz@vub.be if you have any questions.
Please note that the application deadline is on January 4th 2021.

University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business in cooperation with University of St. Gallen
GLOBAL SCHOOL EMPIRICAL RESEARCH METHODS (online)

Global School in Empirical Research Methods – GSERM is high-quality integrated programme, teaching methodology for PhD students, postdocs, researchers from leading universities and professionals from outside academia from all around the world.
It will take place from the 8th to the 15th of January 2021. The programme will help participants in mastering advanced methodological skills that will empower them to conduct cutting-edge academic research.

All courses are accredited with 4 ECTS credits and taught in English. Participants in the GSERM courses will have the opportunity to network with faculty and fellow students from around the world.

Please find below the links to the courses offered:
Qualitative Research Methods & Data Analysis
Analyzing Survey Research Data
Text Mining
Analyzing Unstructured Data
Machine Learning with R - Introduction
Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis I

More information on the programme through this link.
 

EUTOPIA students registration welcome for the UPF Barcelona Program for Interdisciplinary Studies (BaPIS)

The Barcelona Program for Interdisciplinary Studies (BaPIS) is a cornerstone of UPF’s strategy for internationalization and innovation and a leading-edge Program centered on “Creativity: The Human Factor”. Under this motto, a series of courses promote critical thinking, navigating across disciplines, building on crucial knowledge areas.

BaPIS has been designed to satisfy the expectations of students with a good academic standing, inquisitive mind and intellectual curiosity and will run each Fall and Winter terms starting in January 2021.

We definitely invite you to visit the BaPIS website to check the courses and syllabi available in Winter 2021 and the calendar (from January 18 to March 25, 2021).
Please note that registration is open until December 17th.

To learn more

2021 EUTOPIA Undergraduate Research Support Scheme

The EUTOPIA Undergraduate Research Support Scheme (EURSS) provides scholarships of €1500 for students to lead their own international research projects during the summer vacation period. Students will develop valuable transferable skills, build their confidence and enhance their CVs and job prospects. The EURSS will be open for applications until the 28^th February 2021, with 3 scholarships available per EUTOPIA partner.

See the guidance document for more information.

December 31st
Deadline for application to the PhD Scholarship ERC Starting Grant 'CURIAE VIRIDES' in the area of sustainable development law

January 4th
Deadline for application to the Postdoc Researcher ERC Starting Grant 'CURIAE VIRIDES' in the area of sustainable development law

January 8th - 15th 2021
University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business in cooperation with University of St. Gallen, Global School in Empirical Research Methods (online)

January 11th
Deadline for EUTOPIA-SIF applications

January 18th - March 25th, 2021
UPF Barcelona Program for Interdisciplinary Studies (BaPIS)

February 15th -19th 2021
University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business's doctoral winter school (online)

February 28th 2021
Deadline for 2021 EUTOPIA Undergraduate Research Support Scheme applications

April 12th - 16th
EUTOPIA Week in Gothenburg (more information to come)

July 5th - July 30th
The University of Gothenburg’s Summer School for Sustainability