CALL – Aurora International Traineeship Programme

Do you like to discover new things? Do you enjoy accepting challenges and want to test your knowledge and practical skills in the field? Then it is time to start preparing for your traineeship abroad.

An international traineeship will offer you the chance to learn how to communicate and work efficiently in a multicultural environment, developing your foreign language skills. During your traineeship you will have the opportunity to build up your CV and grow your professional network, while also strengthening your self-confidence and independence.

The AURORA European Universities Alliance is here to extend the offer of relevant student traineeships abroad and to increase their impact through the implementation of four AURORA pilot domains (Sustainability & Climate Change, Digital Society & Global Citizenship, Health & Well-being, Culture: Diversity & Identity), Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation element, research and Service Learning.

  • Your traineeship shall take place in one of the countries involved in the AURORA European Universities Alliance, i.e. Austria, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and United Kingdom.
  • Its duration is minimum 6 weeks and maximum 5 months during the period September 2021 – August 2023.
  • Preference will be given to traineeships related to any of four AURORA pilot domains listed above, Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation element, research or Service Learning.
  • We can help you to find a relevant host organisation or you can search for it through our associate partner AIESEC. Of course, you can also find a suitable traineeship provider by yourself.
  • You will be supported with a grant covering your subsistence and travel costs in the amount of 750 EUR per month.
  • For more information on conditions of participation, financial support, application process etc., please click here. To learn more about AIESEC opportunities, please take a look at the current AIESEC offer.

If you are interested, please contact Soňa Duchoňová or Zuzana Hanelová to discuss your traineeship plans.

  • Your traineeship shall take place in one of the countries involved in the AURORA European Universities Alliance International Traineeship Programme, i.e. Austria, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, and Spain.
  • Its duration is minimum 6 weeks and maximum 5 months during the period September 2021 – August 2023.
  • Preference will be given to traineeships related to any of four AURORA pilot domains listed above, Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation element, research or Service Learning.
  • We can help you to find a relevant host organisation or you can search for it through our associate partner AIESEC. Of course, you can also find a suitable traineeship provider by yourself.
  • You will be supported with a grant covering your subsistence and travel costs in the amount of 750 EUR per month.
  • For more information on conditions of participation, financial support, application process etc., please click here. To learn more about AIESEC opportunities, please take a look at the current AIESEC offer.

If you are interested, please contact Soňa Duchoňová, or Zuzana Hanelová to discuss your traineeship plans.

 

Documents:

Information For Financial Support Applicants

Financial support application EN

Financial support application CS

Recommendation letter EN

Recommendation letter CS

Letter of admission EN

Things to Remember

Become part of the pool of potential AURORA Doctoral Committee Members!

Reviewer, counterspeaker, committee member wanted for a doctoral thesis? Become part of the pool of potential AURORA Doctoral Committee Members! Gain international experience in doctoral education and establish contacts with reseachers from AURORA partner institutions for further collaborations. Sign up at the link below: https://eveeno.com/aurora-doctoral-committee.

Aurora Student Champions and Ambassadors Celebratory Event – Looking Back

As you know the Aurora Student Champions and Ambassadors Scheme has finished for 2020/2021 and we are already looking forward to welcoming returning and new Champions and Ambassadors for the next academic year.

A celebratory event was held on the evening of 16 June and was well attended by Aurora Students, Aurora Staff and the Aurora and University of Iceland President, Jon Atli Benediktsson. 

A number of Champions and Ambassadors, shared personal reflections of their Aurora journey representing their own Universities on areas of importance to the Network and Alliance.

For those of you that were unable to attend please view the recording of the evenings event https://ueanorwich-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/k827_uea_ac_uk/EWBj5moeZ-JJmUEAm37myHQBgVBvtRxwfVK9B6xCyK7Yhg?e=BJK9TY

CALL – Martí i Franquès programme Doctoral Contracts at the University of Rovira i Virgili

 

On the 1st of July, our partners at at the Univerity of Rovira i Virgili (URV), opened the call for applications for each one of the three editions of their Martí i Franquès programme: standard, with 28 contracts; COFUND, with 20, and Banco Santander, with 13. The deadline for applications is 6 September 2021.

The Martí i Franquès is a programme of URV grants that aims to increase the University’s human resources in the field of research. At the same time, it reinforces doctoral programmes, doctoral theses and the training of doctoral students on research and innovation projects. This Thursday is the first day for applications for 61 contracts of three different editions; the standard (28), COFUND (20) and Banco Santander (13). The successful applicants will be employed for up to three years. The call provides contracts in all fields of research at the URV. Applications can be made online until 6 September 2021.

Standard edition

Candidates for the standard edition can opt for a 1-year contract, extendable to 3 years, for doing a doctoral thesis as a member of a research group on one of the doctoral programmes taught at the University. The successful candidates are obliged to submit a doctoral thesis at the University but they will also be given the opportunity to do some teaching. Likewise, they will be able to take part in training programmes for specific purposes and general competencies, and they will have access to high-quality research infrastructure in a highly international environment. One of the 28 contracts on offer has been funded by the Fundació I2Cat (Internet and Digital Innovation in Catalonia). The successful candidates will be able to start work at the University as from December 2021.

Banco Santander edition

For the first time on the Martí i Franquès programme, this call for applications has a new type of edition thanks to the renewal of the collaboration agreement between the URV and the Banco Santander. This agreement has an effect on a variety of areas and can be divided into three main parts: education, employability and entrepreneurship. Education is a strategic aim and the 13 predoctoral contracts in this area have funding of €880,000. Thanks to the sensitivity and the commitment of this financial institution to the recruitment of talent and training, the funding of the Martí i Franquès programme has increased significantly.

COFUND edition

The Martí i Franquès COFUND project is co-financed by the European Union as part of the COFUND Doctoral Programme of Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in Horizon 2020. The 20 contracts that were still pending, one of which is reserved for a disabled person, are now being announced. The aim is to attract highly talented research staff from all over the world and give them the chance to have a research career at the URV. The contracts that will be signed by the successful candidates, aligned with the MSCA contract standards, substantially improve the contract conditions in terms of salaries and the availability of funds for research expenses. Among other eligibility criteria, the candidates cannot have resided for more than 12 months in the previous 3 years in Spain. That is to say, the aim is to locate international students with a master’s degree or equivalent or Spanish researchers who have been away and wish to return. A committee made up of URV staff and external evaluators will assess the candidates’ training, research results, professional experience, motivation and references.

The Tarragona Provincial Council (Diputació de Tarragona) supports the activity of the URV, including the Martí i Franquès Programme.

For further information: https://www.urv.cat/en/research/support/programmes/marti-franques/

 

Excellent Science in Horizon Europe – The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), part of Horizon Europe, and the European Union’s flagship funding programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training of researchers, organizes many different actions and funding opportunities. Our Aurora partners at the University of Duisburg-Essen offer an information event and in which you will receive hands-on advice on how to write a successful MSCA fellowship application.

What to expect:

Monday: 12.07.21, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
• Presentation of facilities and services at the UDE, which are helpful during the application process but also after a successful project application (Science Support Centre, Graduate Centre Plus, International Office).

Tuesday: 13.07.21, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
• Information on the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships by a speaker of the EU Cooperation Office of the German Science Organisations (KoWi)

Thursday: 15.07.21, 10:00 – 12:00 (limited number of participants!)
• Field report of a successful applicant and exercises for successful proposal writing by a speaker of KoWi
In order to enable an individual and most fitting consultation, the exercises on Proposal Writing on 15.07.21 are only available to a limited number of participants. Early feedback on your participation is therefore recommended. The other parts of the event are open to all interested parties.

 

Please register via the following link:
https://eveeno.com/2021_ude_msca_postdoctoral-fellowships 

Click here for the full programme (pdf).

Co-Creation Courses

Aurora and its universities offer a variety of different co-creation courses, open to students from all Aurora Partners. Consider enrolling, for example in the “Tools for Enterpreneurship” course at the University of Rovira i Virgilli, a course on International Service Learning at VU Amsterdam, or Project management in Social Work Practice at Palacky University Olomouc.

At the moment, a total of nine courses are available. For a full overview of the courses, the terms and the registration deadlines please take a look at this table

Aurora Alliance Newletter #02

The Aurora Alliance has released its second newsletter in May 2021. Take a look at the newsletter for a comprehensive update on the latest developments in the Aurora Alliance, discussing for example the latest updates from across Aurora, the summer courses on offer across the alliance, and upcoming events such as the Aurora Spring Biannual.

Next to that, the newsletter contains interesting blogs, columns, and profiles, created by the active and engaged Aurora Community.

You can read the newsletter here.

Want to stay updated, and be among the first to read about the latest Aurora developments? Why not subscribe to the newsletter!

Aurora Biannual: May 20th – May 21st

It is time again for the Aurora Biannual! This community-building event, taking place twice a year, is the ideal opportunity to connect with Aurora colleagues from different universities.

Spread over the entire day of Thursday, May 20th and Friday, May 21st until Mid-afternoon, academics, students, university leaders and administrators will come together to continue ongoing work, meet new colleagues and celebrate existing friendships.

Register here

The Aurora Spring 2021 Biannual commences with a plenary session featuring European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel (in a recorded address) and a panel discussion on the future of academic collaboration between British and other European universities following Brexit. Prof. Paul Boyle, the vice-chancellor of Swansea University, UK and EUA Vice-President, will discuss this and join a panel discussion with Prof. Yassine Lakhnech (president of the University of Grenoble Alpes, member of Aurora) and an Aurora student representative (TBC). The panel will be moderated by John Style, Vice-Rector International of the University of Rovira i Virgili.

The first full day on May 20th will end with a lively and informal virtual reception. Jón Atli Benediktsson will be introducing the incoming Aurora Secretary-General.

In between Plenary and Reception, the first Biannual day will offer many active Aurora task teams the time to sit and work together in parallel time slots in the morning and early afternoon. Simultaneously, the Aurora presidents will discuss their vision of Aurora’s future and the future benefits of being an Aurora university.

The afternoon will also feature four broad parallel sessions, each covering one of the more overarching themes of Aurora, such as “Education”, “Stakeholders”, “Academic engagement”, and “Sustainability”. Aurora welcomes president Joan Gabel of the University of Minnesota as a guest of honour. President Gabel will take part in the “Sustainability” session and share her views on the topic.

On Friday, May 21st, both the Aurora Universities Network and the Aurora European University Alliance will have a session of their respective supreme governance bodies: the Network General Council and the Alliance Board of Presidents. These formal meetings will be part of the first and second Friday parallel timeslots. The Aurora Network, General Council meeting, will run concurrently with many dissemination sessions in which Aurora Biannual participants can find out about tools and services being developed to help Aurora academics, students and administrators. The Aurora Alliance Board of President’s meeting will run simultaneously with more task team working sessions.

For more information on the biannual, please take a look at the programme below:  

Programme Aurora Biannual Spring 2021

Aurora COVID Student Conference – 14:00-17:00 BST, 7th May 2021

The University of East Anglia (UEA) are delighted to be hosting the second Aurora COVID Student Conference on 7th May from 14:00-17:00 (BST). This is a free virtual conference for students from across all Aurora Universities to hear from, and engage with, experts working at Aurora partner institutions who have been active in responding to and researching the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Confirmed speakers are Prof Helena Gillespie and Prof Yoon Loke (UEA), Ingibjörg Magnúsdóttir and Anna Bára Unnarsdóttir (University of Iceland), with Dr. Kelly Edmunds and Prof Neil Ward (UEA) also available for questions.

This conference should be of particular interest to students who are interested in infectious diseases or who are considering a project or dissertation related to COVID-19.  The conference will close with a discussion of the key themes that emerge during the plenary sessions. To register your interest in joining this free conference, please email Maria.Fox@uea.ac.uk before 13:00 May 7th 2021.

 

Conference schedule

 

14:00 BST

Opening Remarks

Prof Neil Ward (UEA, Norwich)

14:10

Counting the harm from COVID – an inexact science

Prof Yoon Loke (UEA)

14:50

The Icelandic COVID-19 National Resilience Cohort – preliminary results for students.

Ingibjörg Magnúsdóttir and Anna Bára Unnarsdóttir (University of Iceland)

15:30

Break

15:45

Internationalisation and Study Abroad After Covid

Prof Helena Gillespie (UEA)

16:25

Conference Discussion / Questions from attendees

Chaired Prof Neil Ward

17:00

Conference Close