The UB, headquarters of a new European hub to modernize and internationalize the universities

The rector of the UB, Joan Elias, and the executive director of EUF, João Bacelar.
The rector of the UB, Joan Elias, and the executive director of EUF, João Bacelar.
Institutional
(29/01/2020)

The European University Foundation (EUF) has been a European university network for almost twenty years, working on the modernization of higher education in Europe -with special emphasis on mobility-, and has become a model for the UE policy in this field. Now, EUF and the University of Barcelona create the University Internationalization Hub together, a place launched by the Vice-rectorʼs Office fir Outreach and Internationalization aiming to contribute to the internationalization of universities. The new space will design and manage programs on training and co-creation of projects for the academic and administrative staff of the universities in order to undergo a process to increase and modernize the international activity in these institutions. On Wednesday, January 29, the Rector's Office boardroom at the Historical Building of the University of Barcelona held the public ceremony for the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the rector, Joan Elias, and the executive director of EUF, João Bacelar. Aftwerwards, the hub was officially presented with the participation of Bacelar, together with Àlex Aguilar, vice-rector for Outreach and Internationalization of the UB, and Bibiana Crespo, rectorʼs delegate for internationalization.

The rector of the UB, Joan Elias, and the executive director of EUF, João Bacelar.
The rector of the UB, Joan Elias, and the executive director of EUF, João Bacelar.
Institutional
29/01/2020

The European University Foundation (EUF) has been a European university network for almost twenty years, working on the modernization of higher education in Europe -with special emphasis on mobility-, and has become a model for the UE policy in this field. Now, EUF and the University of Barcelona create the University Internationalization Hub together, a place launched by the Vice-rectorʼs Office fir Outreach and Internationalization aiming to contribute to the internationalization of universities. The new space will design and manage programs on training and co-creation of projects for the academic and administrative staff of the universities in order to undergo a process to increase and modernize the international activity in these institutions. On Wednesday, January 29, the Rector's Office boardroom at the Historical Building of the University of Barcelona held the public ceremony for the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by the rector, Joan Elias, and the executive director of EUF, João Bacelar. Aftwerwards, the hub was officially presented with the participation of Bacelar, together with Àlex Aguilar, vice-rector for Outreach and Internationalization of the UB, and Bibiana Crespo, rectorʼs delegate for internationalization.

The UB will detect the priorities and needs to look after the modernization of the European Higher Education Space (EEES) and will organize training activities for the staff of national and international universities. EUF, with offices in Brussels and Luxembourg, will take part in the design of this new training offering and will assign UE project funds that have been received. The aim is to contribute to create a large community of professionals from higher education committed to the internationalization activities and who can lead new experiences in this field. Between five and ten training activities are expected to be organized over the first two years. Another line of activities in this hub is to contribute to create new institutional projects between universities and conduct an evaluation task of the existing ones.

Most of the activities of the hub will take place in Barcelona, although some can be carried out in other cities. The first activity to be organized by the hub will take place on January 29 and 30 at the Historical Building of the UB and will consist of a workshop on the creation of Erasmus+ projects. There will be theory and practical sessions, individual and group sessions, in which EUF experts will give their advice to write new Erasmus+ projects.