Aurora is a collaborative partnership of European research intensive universities. The joint focus within Aurora is on teaching development and innovation in order to better enable students to tackle contemporary global challenges. The priority within Aurora is to promote innovation in teaching and learning and to maximize the social impact of research. The Aurora cooperation incorporates the UN Sustainable Development Goals in all its work and encourages active student involvement. Aurora Alliance Aurora has been chosen by the European Commission to be one of the so-called European University Alliances, which is intended to strengthen the cooperation of European universities and strengthen them in the competion of universities in other parts of the world. As an Aurora Alliance, the partner universities receive a financial grant for the collaboration, they also undertake to provide a certain counter-contribution to joint projects and to report on the results of the collaboration. The emphasis of the collaboration is on four pilot domains: • Sustainability and climate change • Digital society and Global citizenship • Health and well-being • Culture: Diversity and Identity What is the cooperation about? Facilitating academic cooperation within each pilot domain for the development of joint courses and programmes Implementing a new competence framework for social innovation in the university's course Creating diverse opportunities for students to pursue part of their studies at other Aurora universities Aurora's long-term vision is to become a transnational, multi-campus network organisation for higher education, research and service to society. What are the objectives? Equip a diverse student population with the skills and mindset enabling them to act as social entrepreneurs and innovators, willing and able to tackle the major challenges of our societies Enable staff to use research infrastructure and support services at other Aurora Universities Make collaboration with external stakeholders and students regular practice in education, research and outreach – at local, national, European, and global levels Lead by example and inspire others as pioneers in sustainability, reducing the footprint of our individual and collective activities and making substantial contributions to addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) How is the work funded? The Aurora Alliance has received 7 million Euros in funding from the European Commission as part of their flagship European Universities Initiative, which aims to strengthen the European higher education system and make it more competitive on the global stage. It is anticipated that it will be possible to receive additional funding from the EU for further cooperation. Want to know more about Aurora's activities? Check out the Work Packages Central Website of the Aurora Alliance The Aurora Alliance consists of nine European universities located across the continent. there are four associate partners and one global partner. How does the Aurora Alliance promote sustainability? Aurora Network Aurora was formally launched as a university network in 2016 by a group of European universities that wanted to form collaboration through teaching and research with focus on sustainable development. The universities were all research intensive universities with high research impact. Do you want to know more about Aurora? Questions, comments and ideas can be sent to: aurora@hi.isCentral Website of Aurora with information on the collaboration and upcoming opportunities for students and staff.Aurora team at the University of Iceland: Fanney Karlsdóttir, Aurora Institutional Coordinator, fanneyk@hi.is Sandra Berg Cepero, Aurora Academic Affairs Project Manager, sandra@hi.is Freyja Oddsdóttir, Aurora Research Collaboration Project Manager, freyjaodds@hi.is Alma Ágústsdóttir, Aurora Student Affairs Project Manager, almaagusts@hi.is What is Aurora all about? facebooklinkedintwitter
