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UNIC Academic Forum

15 Nov 2022

Deputy President and Registrar Prof. Stephen Byrne chaired the UNIC European ¸£Àû1000ÔÚÏß Academic Forum on November 15 in the Dr Dora Allman Room, UCC.

UCC is a founding member of the European ¸£Àû1000ÔÚÏß of Post-Industrial Cities (UNIC), one of 44 European Alliances funded by the European Commission. The alliance links 10 universities and their cities across Europe. UNIC is led in UCC by Dr Jean van Sinderen-Law, Associate Vice-President, Director of European Relations and Public Affairs.

The Academic Forum meeting invited any interested UCC staff to learn more about UNIC, identify opportunities to get involved, and contribute their own input into the development of the alliance. In light of the upcoming deadline for new funding for the European ¸£Àû1000ÔÚÏß Alliances from 2023-2027, the core topic for this Forum was the future of UNIC and opportunities for engagement.

Staff from across UCC attended the meeting. Also in attendance was ERASMUS+ staff exchange colleague Mr Piotr Piasek from the ¸£Àû1000ÔÚÏß of Lodz, Poland (one of the universities in the UNIC alliance). Mr Piasek is being welcomed to UCC by Ms Siobhán Keane Hopcraft in Career Services.

Prof. Byrne opened the meeting by commenting on the value of mobility and exchange for staff and students, both for expanding individuals’ knowledge and for developing international collaborations. He said that ERASMUS+ staff exchange opportunities are currently under-utilised by UCC staff.