UPEC becomes full member of Aurora European University Alliance

UPEC joins an Alliance of universities and research-intensive institutions bringing together 260,000 students, 30,000 staff and 813 research units in 13 European countries, all combining values of excellence in teaching and research with the determination to achieve a sustainable impact on society.

These values resonate perfectly with our university's Strategic Project and its Erasme program (Education and Research to advance societal missions through engagement), which aims to promote UPEC's excellence in all its missions and will enable UPEC to redefine its university model and fulfill its ambition to be an engaged university serving its territory and society.

UPEC is delighted with this announcement, as it promises to strengthen its actions in response to major societal and environmental challenges. UPEC will continue to work alongside its partners to support further European integration in higher education and research. In the context of the war in Ukraine, UPEC would like to reiterate its commitment to transnational collaboration, to the sharing of knowledge, the exchange of ideas and cooperation between researchers, students and universities across Europe as being vital prerequisites in the quest for a strong and lasting peace.

The four-year funding will be used to achieve three priority objectives :
1.  Equip students and staff with the skills and mindset to become social innovators, changemakers and entrepreneurs,
2.  Foster academic collaboration and community-building to build a long-term Aurora identity. 
3.  Collaborate with external stakeholders and deepen students engagement in education, research & outreach.

UPEC will play a very active role in the Alliance's future work by coordinating two strategic work packages:
 

• WP5 Research & Innovation

• TT5.1 Research Assessment
• TT5.2 Academic collaboration and community building
 

• WP10 Impact & Dissemination 

• TT10.1 Communication and Dissemination 
• TT10.3 Strategic and holistic approach for  impact

UPEC will also be mobilizing its expertise by coordinating the activities of several task-teams:

• TT2.3 Health & Well-being
• TT2.5 Coordination of educational transformation and joint accreditation
• TT4.3 South-South Triangular Cooperation in research and education
• TT8.1 Increasing exchange capacities and standardizing procedures
• TT8.2 Internationalization at home

In addition to these 10 areas of work, UPEC will play an active role in the Alliance's activities through representation of its communities (students, administrative and technical staff, academics) in all 35 thematic groups covering all of UPEC's missions (sustainable campus, student life, sciences with and for society, etc.).

UPEC's work in the Aurora Alliance is coordinated by: 
• Martin Schwell, Vice-President Europe and Institutional Coordinator for the Alliance
• Ana Megrelishvili, Aurora Project Manager, Transformation Division, Strategy and Major Projects Unit

ABOUT AURORA

Aurora brings together 10 universities and 7 associate partners from all over Europe around a common vision expressed in 5 priority domains aligns with UPEC’s strategic priorities and projects, in particular the Erasme program.

•    Sustainability and Climate Change
•    Digital Society and Global Citizenship
•    Health and Well-being 
•    Culture: Diversity and Identity
•    Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation