25th UNICA IRO Meeting and 3rd UNICA Summer & Winter Schools meeting in Tallinn

The UNICA IRO meeting 2019 and the 3rd UNICA Summer & Winter Schools meeting were kindly hosted by Tallinn University and Tallinn University of Technology, 6-8 May 2019. 

The IRO meeting gathered more than 40 participants from 25 UNICA member universities, who had the opportunity to learn and exchange good practices on the role of universities and International Relations Offices in crisis management and on the cooperation beyond EU (successes and challenges, funding, tips). The outcomes of the session on the actions of IRO Offices in crisis situations will be used to finalize the Guidelines prepared following the discussions at the UNICA IRO meeting 2017 in Copenhagen.

The UNICA Secretary General Kris Dejonckheere and the outgoing IRO Observer Alina Grzhibovska blew out the candles to celebrate the 25th anniversary of UNICA IRO meetings, but the celebration also offered the opportunity for a roundup of the activities and achievements of the IRO Group since the first meeting in 1995.

DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION “UNICA & THE IRO GROUP: 25 YEARS OF ACTIVITIES & COMMUNITY BUILDING”

& the QUOTES & TESTIMONIALS FROM UNICA IRO OBSERVERS

You are welcomed to use the slides if you wish!

Moreover, TalTech provided the equipment to save the message from the 2019 meeting to future UNICA IRO generations through a digital blackboard where participants wrote their thoughts and suggestions for the future. 

Elections of the IRO Observer to the UNICA Steering Committee. On 8 May, the UNICA IRO Group elected Damiano Pinnacchio, Coordinator of the International Relations Office of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, to the position of IRO Observer to the UNICA Steering Committee for a period of 2 years (2019-2021). The Deputy IRO Observer will be Anna-Maria Nizovtseva, International Cooperation Coordinator at Tallinn University of Technology.

The 3rd UNICA Summer & Winter Schools Meeting brought together 24 participants from 14 UNICA member universities who had the opportunity to exchange good practices and discuss about the different models of Summer & Winter Schools programmes, the cooperation with Asian universities, and on how to motivate lecturers to engage in summer schools. 

Networking was facilitated by the social programme organized by Tallinn University and TalTech, which offered to the participants a wonderful guided tour and a very special welcome reception at Viru Bog Natural trail (Lahemaa National Park).

Thank you Tallinn! 

Pictures available in this Flickr album

PRESENTATIONS IRO MEETING

• Presentation of Tallinn University, by Prof. Tiit Land, Rector, Tallinn University
• Presentation of TalTech, by Reijo Karu, Head of the International Cooperation Division, TalTech
• Presentation of the UNICA Green Working Group, by Mihkel Kangur, Member of the UNICA Green Core Group, Senior researcher, Tallinn University
• UNICA & the IRO Group: 25 years of activities & community building, by Kris Dejonckheere, UNICA Secretary General 

Session 1: What is the role of IRO Officers in crisis situations?

• The role of university and International Relations Offices in crisis management – case study Charles University, by Lenka Škrábalová, Head of International Relations Office, Charles University
• Crisis situations – University of Helsinki action plan, by Minna Koutaniemi, Head of International Exchange Services, University of Helsinki

SESSION 2: Cooperation beyond EU: successes and challenges, funding, tips

Introduction to the Session by the Chair, Alina Grzhibovska, Director of the International Relations Department, University of Latvia

• Cooperation beyond EU: the experience of the University of Ljubljana, by Helena Deršek-Štuhec, International Relations Officer, University of Ljubljana
• Collaborating with Latin America: the situation at ULB, by Yvon Molinghen, International Officer in charge of relations with Europe and South America, Université libre de Bruxelles
• Cooperation beyond the EU at the University of Tartu, by Olga Bogdanova, Deputy Head for Academic Affairs at Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu

PRESENTATIONS SUMMER SCHOOLS MEETING

• Opening and questions regarding Summer Schools 
• The UNICA Summer & Winter School organizers Group and the SWS portal, by Kris Dejonckheere and Laura Brossico, UNICA
• Cooperation with Asian universities: how to make it successful and sustainable and how to establish new partnerships?, by Kätlin Keinast, Head of International Cooperation, Tallinn University

Session “How to motivate lecturers to engage in summer schools?”

• Presentation by Oksana Chernenko, Director for Innovations in Education, HSE University
• Presentation by Hedi Krönström, Project Manager, TalTech

Overview on the outcomes and conclusions of the Summer schools meeting, by Kätlin Keinast, Head of International Cooperation, Tallinn UniversityDates: Monday, 6 May, 2019 to Wednesday, 8 May, 2019

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