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NEOLAiA Project

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Welcome to the NEOLAiA Project 2024-2027

Bielefeld University is part of the NEOLAiA network, an association of nine young, dynamically developing higher education institutions in different European regions beyond the metropolises. With a regional focus, NEOLAiA aims to create an open and inclusive educational and social environment that promotes equity at the university and in European society as a whole.

NEOLAiA is a huge boost for our internationalisation and means increased visibility in Europe. This will also benefit Bielefeld and East Westphalia-Lippe, because companies and other institutions need internationally educated professionals.

Professor Dr Angelika Epple, Rector

														Prof. Dr. Angelika Epple
													 (Photo)

Prof. Dr. Angelika Epple

Rector

History of the Alliance

Raising the Potential Regionally and Internationally

NEOLAiA was born as a strategic collaboration initiative of a group of universities from Spain, Germany, Czech Republic and Sweden in May 2019. 

The formal establishment of the consortium stems from the previous cooperation that existed for several decades between the founding universities through collaborations in international mobility, research and teaching. 

As a consortium of European Universities, the first proposal for an agreement to create the NEOLAiA Alliance was formalized in September 2019. The Alliance has subsequently grown with the active incorporation of full partners from Italy, Lithuania, Romania, France and Cyprus.In addition, in 2022 NEOLAiA received the highly coveted certificate by the European Commission of a High Quality Proposal in a Highly Competitive Evaluation Process with an overall score of 84/100. During these almost four years of sustained and constant academic collaboration, the alliance has launched numerous strategic institutional collaboration activities, covering areas such as:

Our Mission

Internationalisation and academic exchange are key for a cosmopolitan worldview that reacts against nationalistic and populist tensions. NEOLAiA will develop a series of mobility and multicultural initiatives that will expand on traditional exchange programmes and lead to a seamlessly integrated alliance of international universities.

Inclusive societies embrace diversity as a contribution to economic and social development. NEOLAiA will be shaped by principles of widening participation and inclusion, driven by the concept of equity in education and research. It will create standards, policies, training and certification on diversity & inclusion (D&I) and plurilingual education. In addition, a strong focus on the societal engagement for D&I through open events will benefit the intercultural awareness of its academic community and societies in the largely diverse populations of the NEOLAiA non-metropolitan regions.

Research and scientific output with real impact in regional development will be boosted with a smart specialization strategy based on existing regional research capacity and strengths as found on NEOALAiA’s needs analysis survey (bibliometric research, in section 1.1.4, also in the annex section) on specialisation areas that point to NEOLAiA’s 3 key pillars and the NEOLAiA Key Application Area of Global Health). NEOLAiA’s actions will apply digital access to research by mapping synergies and resources among partners to increase:

Universities play a key role in regional economic development by bridging education, research, knowledge transfer and economic output. NEOLAiA will benefit academic communities and society at large in non-metropolitan regions with new educational infrastructures that support the transfer of ideas to production, contributing to the regional and economic development of its partners.

NEOLAiA will develop common teaching and learning standards and increase the number of double/multiple and ulterior joint study programmes, in alignment with a “European space of learning” rooted in regional and diverse points of view.

The 3 Main Pillars

  • Digital Transformation

    Through its positive impact on sustainable connectivity and socio-economic development at a regional scale

  • Diversity and Inclusion

    Through its positive impact of D&I policies in European populations and underrepresented groups

  • Enhanced Mobility

    Through its positive impact on cultural and social inclusiveness for a shared European citizenship against populistic tensions

Work Packages

WP3: Diversity and Inclusion - Overcoming barriers to participation

Our contribution to the project (Lead: Bielefeld University (Germany))

One of NEOLAiA’s 3 key NEOLAiA Pillars (NP2) is focused on Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), a cross-sectional dimension that will be embedded in various activities throughout the whole alliance. This will require an active advisory role from this WP in enabling internal and societal awareness on topics of D&I such as best practices and barriers to participation, in particular by under-represented groups in the regions where the alliance is present. NEOLAiA’s vision for an inclusive European University starts at its campuses, permeating into its surrounding communities in a step-by-step approach.

  • Aligning and setting in motion within the alliance a set of common D&I values and principles based on European directives, by establishing a common framework (Task 3.1 NEOcharter);
  • Bringing the NEOcharter to life within the alliance in a sustainable manner through continuous improvement, reflecting on the current best practices, by mapping current NEOLAiA D&I practices towards tackling barriers in different dimensions, as defined by EU policies (Task 3.2 NEObest);
  • Enhancing the skills of NEOLAiA stakeholders (students, researchers, faculty, and staff) on tackling barriers to participation and inclusion, through training to empower primarily underrepresented (student) groups suffering from these barriers (Task 3.3 NEOstaff and Task 3.4 NEOmentors);
  • Bringing D&I to life in on our campuses and beyond, by reaching out to our communities through a combined offer of lifelong learning content on sustainable D&I principles and practices for underrepresented groups suffering from regionally identified barriers to participation (Task 3.5 NEOlife);
  • Advising all alliance stakeholders on how to sustain effective D&I practices (D&I NEOad) in the various WP activities and throughout the project lifetime by offering D&I orientation and implementation practices, training and certification (Task 3.4) as a cross-structural commitment of the alliance (Task 3.6).
  • Educate users on the importance of D&I in the metaverse and on promoting a culture of respect and tolerance within the digital realm.

														Prof. Dr. Michaela Vogt
													 (Photo)

Prof. Dr. Michaela Vogt

Comparative Educational Research, Theory and History of Inclusive Pedagogy


														Dr. Amelie Labusch
													 (Photo)

Dr. Amelie Labusch

Research assistant in NEOLAiA


WP1: Project Management

With a view to its future in the framework of the European Universities Initiative (EUI), NEOLAiA will implement governance and management structures that respond to the growing interconnectedness of its partners.

  • Ensuring effective decision-making and well-coordinated functioning of the project’s Governing Bodies, by maintaining regular meetings and exchanges with the most senior leadership (Rectors and Vice-rectors) and operational leaders within the alliance (Work Package Leaders and specialists) (Task 1.1);
  • Striving for an inclusive governance, by adopting Consultative Bodies that assure a full participation of all stakeholders with regular bottom-up initiatives, more streamlined and inclusive cross-border administrative processes (Task 1.2);
  • Supporting the daily management of the project by setting up a common Project Management Framework and assuring a quarterly internal reporting on management (Task 1.3);
  • Sustaining the highest quality assurance and risk management throughout the project’s lifetime, by assuring quarterly discussions at EC meetings and by developing a Quality Monitoring Plan (QMP) based on partner and third-party input (Task 1.4);
  • Supporting the enhancement of institutional cooperation, by addressing and reducing existing cross-border administrative barriers and obstacles to cooperation, promoting all types of mobility within the alliance, and particularly, streamlining common provision of shared human resources. This will be accomplished by experimenting with legal entities such as the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) or other future cross-border legal personalities, under which the Key and Human Resources Hub would be founded with a view to a future full-fledged NEOLAiA integration as a fully-transnational legal-entity-based European University (Task 1.5);
  • Monitoring, managing and evaluating processes and outputs throughout the project’s lifetime, by building an ecosystem of governing and consultative bodies, as well as project management and risk assessment tools (Task 1.1 to Task 1.5).

Lead: University of Jaén (Spain)


														Dr. Markus Symmank
													 (Photo)

Dr. Markus Symmank

International Office, Management


														Frescia Andrea Mera Mendoza
													 (Photo)

Frescia Andrea Mera Mendoza

NEOLAiA

WP2: Teaching and Learning

Teaching is widely established as one of the three core missions of HEIs (Teaching, Research and Societal Engagement). Correspondingly, WP Teaching and Learning and its initiatives will operationalize this mission for NEOLAiA as a European University. To achieve a politically, economically and scientifically engaged community of European citizens who are fully able to participate in their societies and economies, NEOLAiA sees its role as an active contributor to the achievement of global educational goals.
  • Promoting a sense of European identity and cooperation in HEIs for a common economic and societal development strongly rooted in a regional perspective, by creating joint collaboration structures that promote institutional cooperation in teaching and learning (Task 2.1 - NEOLAiA Pedagogical Hub);
  • Facilitating international mobility and student-centric teaching and learning activities, by setting-up and deploying international joint degrees (Task 2.3 - NEOLAiA joint degrees) and short programmes (Task 2.2 - NEOLAiA Focus Academy and Task 2.4 - NEOLAiA Summer Schools);
  • Reaching out to society and “strengthen the European dimension in higher education and research”, as argued in the European Strategy for Higher Education by promoting the use of inclusive and barrier-free digital research dissemination content (Task 2.5 - NEOTeAch) and;
  • Promoting and instilling a mind-set for lifelong learning in its regional communities aimed at future-proof and market-oriented employability, in line with the Council of the European Union (EU) 16 June 2022 recommendation on a European approach to micro-credentials for lifelong learning and employability, by deploying flexible and stackable upskilling/reskilling education micro-credentials and certification (Task 2.6).

Lead: University of Tours (France)


														Ines Meyer
													 (Photo)

Ines Meyer

Dezernentin


														Dr. Meike Vogel
													 (Photo)

Dr. Meike Vogel

Leitung

WP4: Enhanced Mobility

In pursuit of its ambition to transform European regions for an inclusive Europe, NEOLAiA will foster inclusive and value-adding mobility opportunities, expanding on traditional modes of academic exchange and internationalization through innovative blended and virtual formats as a fully inclusive, culturally diverse, integrated and transversal element that runs seamlessly through the whole academic experience, for students, researchers, teachers and university staff.

  • Reducing barriers to mobility by providing increasingly frictionless international experiences to all NEOLAiA students (Task 4.6, Task 4.7), teachers (Task 4.5 COIL), researchers (Task 4.8), and staff (Task 4.3), through a shared recognition of international mobility outcomes in Task 4.1 and Task 4.4;
  • Ensuring that both physical and virtual mobility contribute effectively to the development of cultural awareness and intercultural skills among NEOLAiA students, teachers, researchers, and staff by providing tools to monitor, sustain and continuously improve processes, results and their positive impact. Integrating this intercultural awareness in the competency and career plans for students, researchers, teachers and staff (Task 4.2);
  • Fostering inclusive, resilient and sustainable modes of mobility and networking at home, through the NEOLAiA Virtual Mobility programme offering (Task 4.5);
  • Laying solid foundations to build international cooperation among NEOLAiA teams and harmonizing processes essential for a) educational and research collaboration, as well as for b) student, researcher, teacher and staff mobility (Task 4.1, Task 4.3).
  • Facilitating the implementation and continuous development of innovative and inclusive mobility formats (Task 4.3), with a comprehensive NEOLAiA virtual mobility study and training offer for students, researchers, teachers, staff, as well as welcoming citizens to benefit from the international NEOLAiA lifelong learning offer and activities in virtual mobility formats (Task 4.5).

Lead: University of Ostrava (Czech Republic)


														Dr. Markus Symmank
													 (Photo)

Dr. Markus Symmank

International Office, Management

WP5: Increasing Regional Research Impact

Research is one of NEOLAiA’s three core missions as a European University (M1 Teaching, M2 Research, M3 Societal Engagement). Upon the mapping of NEOLAiA’s research strengths and their relation with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we see our role not as a global leader in terms of high output number of scientific publications, but as an enabler of research with regional specialization. NEOLAiA will transform regional connectivity, by leveraging on regional research strengths and critical mass identified in the NEOLAiA bibliometric and specialization index analysis in section 1.1 and Objective 3 (with a proven track record output in research areas such as Global Health, Curbing Inequalities, Inclusion and Diversity and Digitalization Infrastructures, among others).

These regional research strengths associated with a Smart Regionalisation Strategy will allow for a strong focus on transfer opportunities that are truly relevant for companies and universities from the participating regions.

  • Facilitating access to a comprehensive account of synergies across the NEOLAiA partners' research groups and centres in order to form new transnational research teams and projects, producing high-impact and meaningful research addressing societal challenges of regional relevance (Task 5.1)
  • Fostering transnational research collaboration via the launch of the NEOLAiA Research Framework, outlining the principles for sharing research resources in an efficient, sustainable and quality-enhancing manner, aided by digitalization, to strengthen research quality and applicability (Task 5.1).
  • Supporting research regional relevance and inclusion built on the combined strengths of NEOLAiA universities by establishing a detailed map of infrastructure and resources (e.g. technical equipment, databases, cohorts, staff, regional collaborative networks, and living/social/impact labs) that can be shared across NEOLAiA universities (Task 5.2).
  • Creating expert support teams specialising in external research funding, academic career development and general research support for the benefit of regional engagement and the prevention of researcher brain-drain (Task 5.3).
  • Providing enhanced quality and regional relevance of NEOLAiA research by offering targeted activities for Early Stage Researchers, leading to successful transnational networks and research projects through mobility and mentoring (Task 5.4).
  • Constructing open digital platforms for co-creation of knowledge among stakeholders, resulting in, and based on, innovative regionally relevant and high-impact research linked to societal needs (NEOLAiA Living Lab Programme, and WP OpenScience) (Task 5.5).

														Dr. Annika Merk
													 (Photo)

Dr. Annika Merk

Deputy head of department

WP6: Entrepreneurship – NEOLAiA Capabilities for the Society of Tomorrow

NEOLAiA’s third mission towards Societal Engagement is intrinsically connected with its bridging role between academia, regional economic participation and social development via local entrepreneurial ecosystems. This will be achieved by supporting aspiring entrepreneurs in our regions and helping them cope with a broad range of obstacles to economic inclusion. Defining the common core values and strategy for regionally integrated entrepreneurship specialization will be key for a SMART regional economic growth and employability strategy.

  • Mapping and fostering synergies (Task 6.1 Taskforce for Entrepreneurship - TAFE) and best practices (Task 6.2) among alliance partners, identifying the internal strengths and regional needs;
  • Improving the quality of entrepreneurial competencies (among entrepreneurs and alliance partners) via best-practice sharing and a training toolkit (Task 6.3);
  • Increasing the ability of partner universities to provide better entrepreneurship training by creating joint training curricula and a toolkit that will provide additional support for trainers,students and entrepreneurs from NEOLAiA regions (Task 6.3);
  • Fostering connections between alumni-entrepreneurs from all countries with students at partner universities by creating a framework for cross-national entrepreneurship internships, organized as shadowing programmes with mentorship support  (Task 6.4).
  • Providing increased opportunities for students to participate in mobility, testing and analyzing business ideas among partner universities, by creating international/multicultural entrepreneurship bootcamps such as the Summer Entrepreneurship Challenge (Task 6.5).

Lead: “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava (Romania)


														Jannis Dolleck
													 (Photo)

Jannis Dolleck

Gründungsberater

WP7: Towards a plurilingual and intercultural European University

A truly plurilingual and intercultural educational ecosystem is key for an inclusive and diverse EEA and EUI. In pursuit of the European values for a linguistically and culturally equitable education, the NEOLAiA Alliance has set forth this WP with a set of objectives aiming at a sustainable practice and continuous improvement of the longstanding European language recommendations by the Council of Europe since the late 1990s, recently reiterated in Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)1 (February 2nd, 2022) as a set of “policy guidelines and frameworks that provide conceptual and practical support for plurilingual and intercultural education for democratic citizenship”. In parallel, NEOLAiA’s regional connectivity mission means that this WP’s objectives will also pursue the two items of “language barriers” and “cultural differences”, as key alliance-specific barriers, identified as barriers that stand out above other barriers to inclusion in the NEOLAiA regional survey (the report that served as basis for identifying the NEOLAiA Diversity & Inclusion pillar targets).

  • Ensuring that the implementation of this WP will be consistent with the values for a plurilingual, intercultural European University that also addresses NEOLAiA’s region-specific barriers, by fostering the continuous improvement and sustainability of its initiatives through a best-practice approach based on regular exchange fora among partners throughout the lifetime of the alliance (Task 7.1 Symposium on language policy).
  • Promoting plurilingualism and interculturalism in university programmes, by enhancing the linguistic and intercultural competence of all NEOLAiA internal stakeholders (teachers, researchers, students and staff - Task 7.2), as well as by targeted initiatives specifically for teachers (Task 7.3), researchers (Task 7.4), and students (Task 7.5), equipping them with the optimal skillset for their academic and professional future.

Lead: University of Jaén (Spain)


														Dr. Susanne Hecht
													 (Photo)

Dr. Susanne Hecht

Head of Language Centre


														Grace Dolcini
													 (Photo)

Grace Dolcini

Koordinatorin für Englisch
Mitarbeiterin für Internationale Vernetzung und Europäische Hochschule NEOLAiA WP 7

WP8: Adopting and sustaining Open Science

Research is one of NEOLAiA’s 3 core missions as a HEI and as a European University. This WP on Open Science will contribute to sustain research activities as a key HEI mission, in conjunction with WP5 – Research Excellence and Regional Impact. 

It will do so by adopting a set of policies and technological infrastructure to ensure a collaborative knowledge- sharing research ecosystem, as well as an inclusive and equitable science citizenship participation.

  • Increasing researchers’ early knowledge-sharing practices with all relevant stakeholders across academia, industry, public authorities, citizens’ groups, non-governmental organisations, and society at large;
  • Supporting widespread stakeholder participation in knowledge-sharing in order to increase trust in science;
  • Contributing to the growth of Europe’s community of digitally-empowered citizens;
  • Designing appropriate rules, internal procedures and strategies to enable the NEOLAiA alliance to understand and implement Open Science principles and practices (Task 8.1);
  • Developing and sustaining a NEOLAiA Open Science Policy that will be embraced by all alliance partners and stimulated through training, dissemination, and exploitation activities (Task 8.1) ensuring that data on research results is fed into this WP so that open science is connected with concrete research activities throughout the NEOLAiA alliance, by working closely with WP5 Research Excellence and Regional Impact through joint remote annual meetings (Task 8.2);
  • Engaging and stimulating all partners in co-creating Open Data on their teaching and research activities, by collaborating with citizens and citizens’ groups (Task 8.2).

Lead: University of Salerno (Italy)


														Dirk Pieper
													 (Photo)

Dirk Pieper

Deputy Director

WP9: Digital Transformation

Our alliance envisions Digital Transformation as one of the 3 key NEOLAiA Pillars (NPs) - NP1 Digital Transformation, NP2 Diversity and Inclusion and NP3 Enhanced Mobility. We therefore see NEOLAiA as having an active role as an enabler of advanced digital skills for inclusion, widening the participation and usage of digital technologies by society at large and in particular by under-represented groups in the regions where the alliance is present (see WP3 on under-represented groups), facilitating lifelong learning education that prepares the workforce for the ever-changing market demands.

  • Embracing digital transformation through the effective use of new technologies aiming to reinforce Europe’s global position and leadership in digital transition;
  • Empowering technology knowledge, research, and digital skills to support all universities in shaping the future of education towards a shared virtual world, by developing and adopting an analytical digital framework (Task 9.2);
  • Becoming a leading European University in metaverse access across NEOLAiA campuses, in line with the European Commission’s declaration on digital rights and principles for the digital decade: “Technology should unite, not divide, people” (Task 9.3).
  • Leading by example in digital education as a European University by offering courses to NEOLAiA partners on the metaverse, using Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) metaverse Living Labs at each partner’s campus (Task 9.2);
  • Fostering frictionless mobility through digitally-based academic recognition among NEOLAiA partners by creating a Shared Identity Mechanism (Task 9.1).

Lead: University of Nicosia (Cyprus)


														Frank Michaelis
													 (Photo)

Frank Michaelis

Kommissarische Leitung BITS


														Jan Felix Trettow
													 (Photo)

Jan Felix Trettow

Teamleitung


														Dipl.-Inform. Henning Brune
													 (Photo)

Dipl.-Inform. Henning Brune

Head of Information Systems & Process Support

WP10: Sustainability and Dissemination

NEOLAiA’s sustainability as a European University relies in great part on the quality of its projects and activities, as well as on the continuous assessment of its outputs and collaborations. It is key to support the alliance’s mission through time beyond EU funding by assuring that all stakeholders (internal and eternal) are kept informed and involved in all activities through inclusive means of dissemination and participation within the alliance and towards the general public.

  • Developing a plan for dissemination and communication activities (PDC) (Task 10.1).
  • Facilitating communication among NEOLAiA alliance members (researchers, faculty, students, alumni communities) and society as a whole, focusing on the alliance’s mission statement, activities and achievements (Task 10.2).
  • Raising awareness towards society at large, businesses and regional governments on the pace of ongoing projects and collaborations through the use of inclusive communication channels (digital fora) with a particular focus on a strong digital presence and branding (Task 10.3).
  • Ensuring the continuity of the NEOLAiA alliance beyond the European Universities funding, through a periodical and transparent financial and sustainability reporting (Task 10.4).

Lead: Šiauliai State University of Applied Sciences (Lithuania)


														Julia Bömer
													 (Photo)

Julia Bömer

Referentin Presse, Redaktion, Crossmedia,
Stellvertretende Pressesprecherin

Students Advisory Group (SAG)

Lena Bartsch, Simon Heyder

This body will be composed of students enrolled at NEOLAiA partner universities and selected from each partners’ student network. It will provide bottom-up advice from students on their specific needs and concerns. It will cover all stakeholders responsible for coordinating student involvement, ensuring student input and feedback to alliance activities and policies. It will meet every quarter and will participate in the plenary partnership meeting once a year, together with the rest of the governing bodies.


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