Professionals from European universities discuss international mobility in life sciences studies at the UVic

Between Wednesday and Friday of last week, the UVic organised and hosted the annual meeting of the IROICA network, which brought together coordinators and international relations offices in the life sciences field from various European universities. The UVic has been a member of the network for four years through the Faculty of Science and Technology, and sixty people from 17 different countries attended this event.

One of the objectives of the conference, which takes place in a different city each year and was held in a country in southern Europe for the first time, is to improve the internationalisation of the members of the network in terms of intercultural competences, and to promote mobility in studies and internships. This year, the theme of the entire programme was the impact of international politics on the internationalisation of higher education situations and student mobility, and the management of interculturality in this context. The conference was also a good opportunity for networking and for discussing topical subjects. 

The first sustainable conference of the IROICA network

The event in Vic was the first sustainable conference organised by the IROICA network, and aimed to offset the ecological footprint involved in organising an event of this magnitude and the many international journeys it entails. For this reason, the organisation donated 25 Euros from each participant's registration fee to the Treecological association, for a reforestation project in Ecuador. Meanwhile, those attending the event were encouraged to use of trains and to share cars rather than travel on aeroplanes whenever this was possible.

The conference also took other measures aimed at sustainability: table linen and glassware was used for the catering, the use of paper was cut down to the minimum necessary, vegetarian menus made with local and in some cases organic products were provided, and the attendees were asked to bring their own cups to use during the conference. Gifts to attendees and speakers were also based on a sustainable approach. In addition, the participants were able to visit an exhibition about the EcoCampus model at the UVic-UCC during the conference.

Presentations and workshops

The presentations included a talk on the relationship between the rise of populism in Europe and restrictions on academic freedom, which was given on Thursday morning by Agnes Leyrer of the Central European University, and another discussion of the recent changes in the Erasmus programme and its consequences. Another issue that was addressed were sustainable development goals that higher education institutions offering studies in life sciences must establish. This subject was debated at a round table with Cristina Comerma, of the EcoCampus at the UVic-UCC, representatives of the Fridays4Future Vic movement, and Laurent de Potter, of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech at the University of Liège. In the afternoon, the participants in the conference were also able to take part in two workshops - one on different ways of providing support for students wishing to take part in an international experience, and another on alternatives to classic types of mobility. 

During the welcome address of the IROICA conference, which took place on Thursday morning, the Vice-Rector for International Relations and Continuing Education of the UVic-UCC, Joan Masnou, said that it was an honour and at the same time a responsibility to host this event, and described the increase in and improvement of mobility as one of the main objectives and challenges facing the University: "we must provide the best opportunities for our students, teachers and researchers" and "promote the modernisation and internationalisation of our studies." The Vice-Rector declared his conviction that the IROICA Conference is the best forum for progress in this direction.

Matt Tips, president of IROICA, also participated, and said that events including the recent European elections and the Central European University of Budapest's relocation to Vienna, among other political circumstances, "have a strong impact on academic internationalisation." "We cannot remain silent, but instead we must defend the importance of internationalisation, and help professionals in this field to adapt to new situations." Sergi Grau, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology, gave a brief presentation about the UVic-UCC to those attending.

The IROICA meeting began on Wednesday with a visit to the Higher Technical School of Engineering (ETSEA) at the University of Lleida, where two lectures within the conference took place, and a reception at Vic Town Hall. The conference was organised by the Department of Biosciences of the Faculty of Science and Technology, and the International Relations Unit.