NEWS & EVENTS

The mobility taskforce met in San Sebastián with a view to unleash mobility opportunities for students across the alliance

Student mobility is at the core of the ENLIGHT alliance goals: it enables students to have an international learning experience and results from –and also in- increased academic and research cooperation.

The mobility officers´ group discussed ways to work internally and bilaterally so as to increase mobility schemes and numbers among the 300k+ student community of the alliance. A combination of tools including short, semester and virtual exchange activities should be reinforced -so they agreed- aiming for an increased number of learners to benefit from these opportunities.

Also, academic involvement and cooperation is key to set up new disciplinary and interdisciplinary cooperation between ENLIGHT partners; to this end, Incubator weeks where lecturers meet and work to internationalize their curricula is providing particularly useful results and should continue being held.

In the belief that a deep understanding of each other´s internal procedures, structures and resources is key to finding an efficient way forward, participants also looked into the institutional, regulatory and contextual complexities that obstruct seamless mobility.

The ENLIGHT mobility taskforce is now even more committed to making ENLIGHT a shared space where student and academic exchange is deeply established and commonplace.

On 31 October, the ENLIGHT University Alliance has launched the call for Impact Awards to recognize and give visibility to ENLIGHT partner universities’ initiatives that are exemplars in planning for and achieving impact. Applications are invited from teams at ENLIGHT partner universities.

Join our next webinar with a short presentation by Sascha Eckhold (Freie Universität Berlin) on “Open Educational Resources and their relation to Open Science” on 4th of November from 10:00-11:30 am (CET)

You are warmly invited to find more information and registration link here: 6th ENLIGHT RISE and Arqus Alliance OS Ambassador Webinar 

Are you passionate about the future of medical imaging and radiotherapy? Don’t miss the symposium “Innovations in AI for Healthcare” on November 21 and 22 at the University Medical Center Groningen in Groningen, the Netherlands! This two-day event provides a platform for experts to discuss the latest developments in AI for healthcare. Innovations in AI for Healthcare (umcgresearch.org)

15-17 October 2024 Uppsala University hosted a Staff Week with participants from all ten ENLIGHT universities. The Staff Week was created as a platform for knowledge exchange on the theme "Impactful Collaboration."

How can we make teaching and learning more inclusive and diverse through critical virtual exchange and inclusive group work and feedback? How can role-playing games help our students explore issues of inclusion? What is conflict transformation? What new resources are being developed for the inclusive teacher? How can we adapt to include everyone? These are just some of the topics that will be covered on October 29 at the ROCKET outreach event. Participants will be encouraged to interact and experience the tools as much as possible.

As part of the official programme of the Royal State Visit to France on 15 October 2024, ENLIGHT had the privilege to exchange with His Majesty King Filip of Belgium about the value of international learning to empower students with the right knowledge and future-proof skills to address today's and future global transitions.

From the outset, ENLIGHT has focused on developing innovative, quality-driven courses anchored in real-world complex challenges offering our students an opportunity to meet and work with international peers, acquire broad competences, and learn from different European and global cultures, in different languages and across borders, sectors and academic disciplines.

Besides joint courses, student are also at the heart of ENLIGHT in another way. Beyond education our mission to 'empower students' is also reflected in the ENLIGHT Student Network. As a distinct feature and established 'by and for students' from all ENLIGHT universities, the ENLIGHT Student Network plays a critical advisory role in our alliances and are the motor behind many student-led initiatives that foster inclusivity and sustainability thinking.

During a round-table with peer alliances, Ghent University Rector Rik Van de Walle, and University of Bordeaux Vice president Joanne Pagèze were proud to introduce two of our most prominent ENLIGHT students: Romy POLEYN, from Ghent University, and Clara POTIÉ, from the University of Bordeaux. Both have been active as student representatives in our ENLIGHT Student Network. Both were also among the first cohorts of students who took part in the very first ENLIGHT joint course pilots.

The United Nations General Assembly designated October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons. Under the flagship of Equity in ENLIGHT, we believe in raising awareness of opportunities, but also challenges faced by ageing populations. 

On October 11, 2024, ENLIGHT Regional Academy of Comenius University Bratislava held a lecture for students of the CU University of the Third Age. Its topic was the work of the Public Defender of Rights. The lecture was led by Tomáš Čitbaj, Director General of the Department for the Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms from the Office of the Public Defender of Rights.

In his presentation, Mr. Čitbaj focused not only on the theoretical foundations and competencies of the Public Defender of Rights but also provided practical advice for seniors. Students received legal information on challenges regarding senior rights, such as answer to the questions:

• What rights do seniors have?
• How can they defend themselves against discrimination or unfair treatment?
• What should seniors avoid, and what should they be cautious about in everyday life?

Mr. Čitbaj also highlighted the options offered by the Public Defender of Rights for resolving issues faced by seniors and provided several examples from his practice where the Office helped seniors achieve justice. The discussion on specific cases of senior rights violations was also insightful. The lecture was enriching and provided participants with valuable information they can apply in various life situations.

Igor Farkaš, a prominent expert in artificial intelligence (AI), received the 2024 ESET Science Award in the category of Outstanding Personality in University Education. As a professor at Comenius University Bratislava and the associate chair of the Department of Applied Informatics, Farkaš has significantly contributed to AI research, particularly in the area of neural networks inspired by the human brain. His research focuses on the intersection of AI and robotics, particularly humanoid robots.

Farkaš's work extends beyond academia; he is passionate about teaching and motivating students in cognitive science and AI. His dedication to popularizing AI and interdisciplinary research has positioned him as a leader in the Slovak scientific community. He also oversees Slovakia's only interdisciplinary Master's program in Cognitive Science, aimed at advancing understanding of the human mind through AI.

We are glad Igor Farkaš is part of the ENLIGHT community and was previously involved f.e. in the lecture series “Digital Revolution and Impact of Digitization”.

The ESET Science Award is the most prestigious award of its kind in Slovakia, and this year it was chaired by Nobel laureate Emmanuelle Charpentier. It honors scientists whose research has a meaningful impact on society, and Farkaš’s contributions to AI and education are exemplary in this regard. His vision of AI, especially in the development of humanoid robots, underscores his optimism about the future of AI, while also acknowledging the need for careful regulation and ethical considerations.