International Organizations, Associations and University Networks
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens participates in the following major International Organizations, Associations and University Networks, which aim to promote the international cooperation between universities and to develop methods and strategies to improve their educational and research activities.
IAU (International Association of Universities) http://www.iau-aiu.net
Founded in 1950, under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Association of Universities (IAU) is a leading global association of higher education institutions and organizations from around the world. As a global Association, IAU has Member Institutions on every continent, bringing together 620 higher education institutions and organizations established in around 130 countries with a repartition of the following: Africa: 11%, Asia and Pacific: 24%, Europe: 40%, Latin America and Caribbean: 5%, Middle East: 13% and North America: 7%. It is worth noticing that not only Institutions but also 34 Member Organizations participate in IAU. Member Organizations are higher education organizations active on the national, regional or international level.
IAU is an independent, bilingual (English and French), non-governmental organization. IAU promotes collaboration among its members by articulating the fundamental values and principles that underpin the pursuit, dissemination and application of knowledge. The Association advocates for higher education policies and practices that respect diverse perspectives and promote social responsibility. It encourages innovation, mutual learning and cooperation among institutions with a particular emphasis on leadership.
Through its quarterly journal Higher Education Policy published by Springer, its research projects such as the Global Surveys on Internationalization and the study on doctoral programs in sub-Saharan Africa, IAU strengthens academic solidarity among higher education institutions, promotes cooperation rather than competition and encourages the pursuit of diversity and quality while respecting cultural differences.
EUA (European University Association) http://www.eua.be
The European University Association (EUA) is the representative organisation of universities and national rectors’ conferences. With more than 830 members across 47 countries and about 17 million students enrolled at EUA member universities, it is the largest organisation representing universities in Europe taking forward the interests of individual institutions and the higher education sector as a whole. EUA was formed in 2001 as the result of a merger between the Association of European Universities and the Confederation of European Union Rectors’ Conferences.
The EUA aims in ensuring the European dimension of the educational, research and administrative activities of the Universities. It aims to display the vision of the Universities to higher education policy-making centers and to ensure further cooperation between the academic community, the industry and the media.
The European University Association provides unrivalled opportunities for members to share best practice by participating in projects, events and other mutual learning activities involving a wide range of universities. EUA produces a variety of different publications including EUA Policy Positions, Declarations and White Papers, as well as Reports, Studies and Occasional Papers on a wide range of European Higher Education and research issues. EUA’s work in the policy area of research and innovation aims to support Europe’s universities in the production of knowledge, its transmission, dissemination and utilization in scientific and technological innovation, hence maximizing the university contribution to the creation of new knowledge and foster sustainable socio-economic development.
Furthermore, EUA offers Institutional Evaluation Programs (IEP), works towards the improvement of doctoral education and research training in Europe and provides consultancy services tailored to the specific needs of institutions and their stakeholders.
Finally, it is worth noticing that EUA is also engaged in the development of activities in the area of energy research and education, particularly through the EUA-European Platform of Universities in Energy Research & Education (EUA-EPUE) and through the FP7 UNI-SET (UNIversities in the SET-Plan) project, with increasing interests also in the current EU research and innovation funding program, Horizon 2020.
UNICA (Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe)
http://www.unica-network.eu
The «Network of Universities from the Capitals of Europe» was founded in 1990 by an initiative of the University of Athens together with other Universities and nowadays UNICA is an institutional network consisting of 46 universities from 35 capital cities of Europe, combining over 150,000 staff and 1,800,000 students.
The network objectives include, among others, cooperation strengthening between the member universities, quality assurance in all academic activities, the promotion of academic leadership and the exchange of best practices between universities.
In order to achieve its aims, UNICA provides the Members with information on European initiatives and programs, supports them in developing co-operative projects, promotes and facilitates student exchanges within the network and has also developed a project of exchange of academic staff within member universities. The Network is active in the field of specific European projects, both as coordinator and partner. Furthermore, it supports a forum in which the Members can reflect on the needs of strategic change in university research, education, administration, and societal engagement. Finally, it should be noted that UNICAS is also, itself, a collective associate member of other networks and non-profit organisations, i.e. the European University Association (EUA), Scholars At Risk Network (SAR), the Erasmus Student Network (ESN), the garagErasmus Foundation, etc.
UNIMED (Mediterranean Universities Union) http://www.uni-med.net
UNIMED, the Mediterranean Universities Union was founded in 1991 by an initiative of the University of Athens together with other Universities, and is an association of Universities from the countries of the Mediterranean basin. It counts 94 associated Universities established in 23 countries of both shores of Mediterranean and it aims in developing university research and education in the Euro-Mediterranean area in order to contribute to scientific, cultural, social and economic cooperation. UNIMED acts in different fields: tangible and intangible cultural heritage, economics, energy, environment, management of water resources, transports, health, media, new technologies, history and tourism.
UNIMED carries out activities in favor of the associated Universities, such as the promotion of the international dimension of universities; planning and fund-raising activities; promotion of mobility in the Euro-Mediterranean region, for students, researchers and academic staff; technical assistance for the enhancement of quality assurance in university education; training for academic and administrative staff of Universities -particularly for the personnel of International Relations Offices, organization of meetings, discussions, seminars and round tables both at a national and international level, etc.
Furthermore, though the creation of thematic Sub-Networks it aims to increase the cooperation among the Euro-Mediterranean universities and researchers, to promote the development and harmonization of the educational systems and thus, strengthen the economic and social cohesion, in order to promote cross-border and interregional cooperation as well as local sustainable development.
Except from the University of Athens, member of the UNIMED from Greece is also the University of Piraeus.
ΕΑΙΕ (European Association for International Education) www.eaie.org
The European Association for International Education was founded in 1989 and is a non-profit, member-led organization serving individuals actively involved in the internationalization of their institutions through a combination of training, conferences and knowledge acquisition and sharing. The EAIE member community counts a total of more than 2870 members from 77 countries. The association equips academic and non-academic professionals with best practices and workable solutions to internationalization challenges and it provides a platform for strategic exchange. For this purpose, EAIE organizes educational programs and seminars among which the leading and most important event is the annual Conference. Through the Annual Conference the Association brings together professionals to discuss the latest trends in international education.
Furthermore, the EAIE Academy offers top-class training for international education professionals featuring a complete mix of training opportunities. EAIE Members have full access to E-books, Occasional Papers, Toolkits, Conference Conversation Starters and Executive Summaries.
The EAIE publishes a variety of publications on topics concerning the internationalization of higher education as follows:
- The Journal of Studies in International Education is a peer-reviewed journal for higher education administrators, educators, researchers and policy makers, published five times per year. The EAIE is part of the Association for Studies in International Education (ASIE) which is responsible for the Journal.
- EAIE Occasional Papers are published on average once per year and consist of more detailed explorations of a specific topic, published in book format.
- Also submissions are welcomed to EAIE's Forum magazine (published three times per year) and Blog.
Finally it should be mentioned that the EAIE partners with key stakeholder organizations and institutions to promote its membership interests, and to advance international higher education in Europe and the rest of the world, such as the European University Association (ΕUA), the Association of International Educators (NAFSA), etc, as well as with International Organizations like the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
UNEECC (University Network of the European Capitals of Culture) http://www.uneecc.org
The University Network of the European Capitals of Culture (UNeECC) is an international non-profit association founded in December 2006 and nowadays comprises of 47 member universities from 20 countries.
The general aims of UNeECC are, among others, to ensure the recognition of the role and contribution of universities to the success of the cities conferred the title “European Capital of Culture”, to foster inter-university cooperation, to redefine the role of universities' regional position and strengthen the cooperation between the University and the community.
IIE (Institute of International Education) http://www.iie.org
Founded in 1919, the Institute of International Education (IIE) is a private non-profit Institute with over 1,300 member institutions around the world. In collaboration with governments, foundations and other sponsors, IIE creates programs of study and training for students, educators and professionals from all sectors. It aims to advance international education and access to education worldwide, by managing scholarships, training, exchange and leadership programs, conducting research and facilitating policy dialogue on global higher education. Since its foundation, IIE has pioneered applied research and policy analysis in the field of international student mobility. IIE's publicizes material for students and advisers as well as research reports and policy papers to serve as a rapid response to the changing landscape of international education. National and Kapodistrian University of Athens participates in the activities of the Institute of International Education Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF) as a host Institution. Since 2002, IIE-SRF has assisted 681 scholars from 56 countries, placing them at over 350 host partner institutions in 41 countries around the world.
BUΑ (Balkan Universities Association) http://www.baunas.org/
The Balkan Universities Association (BUA) is a nongovernmental association, established in 2014, which comprises of 58 member Universities from the Balkan area. The main aim of BUA is to determine a leading vision for the universities' future, the libraries, the Research Centers in Balkan region, forming up a scientific network in the areas of the language, the culture, the art, the history, the economy, the education and sports and caring out collaborative scientific works in these areas. The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens joined the association in 2015, mainly in the area of University museums. Other aims and objectives of BUA are the following: to make joint scientific studies, researches and innovation works, to organize exchange programs for students (such as Erasmus and Mevlana Exchange Programs), to organize education in Balkan Languages, to prepare and conduct joint scientific research projects and to conduct their applications, etc.
Information on events:
Participation to the 3rd annual meeting in Adrianoupolis (April 19-22, 2016)
