Aurora Opportunities

Do you want to discover your own potential, strengthen your network and become more competent in utilising your knowledge and ideas to benefit society? Do you want to work with a diverse group of students seeking creative solutions to the challenges we face today, such as climate change and increased well-being for all?

The University of Iceland offers an Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP), for all students at Aurora universities in late-stage bachelor or at the master’s level. The course combines online sessions with a 5-day capstone experience at the University of Iceland. 

Participants will gain increased knowledge of today's challenges while working towards joint solutions across disciplines in collaboration with leading supervisors from academia and industry.

January–April 2026: Five virtual sessions

11–15 May 2026: On-site session in Reykjavík

Registration via UI Course Catalogue.

This course describes trauma in childhood and adulthood, including violence, accidents, disasters and life-threatening illness and their association with mental and physical health. Emphasis will be placed on introducing the scientific foundation of the trauma field and understanding scientific articles in this area.

The main topics of the course include:

• Prevalence of traumatic events and acute stress reactions.
• Mental health problems following trauma, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, substance abuse and prolonged grief.
• The disease burden of trauma, due to e.g., cardiovascular diseases, cancers, autoimmune diseases, and suicide.
• The influence of environmental and genetic factors in the development of psychological and physical diseases following trauma.
• Factors that promote recovery post-trauma and reduce the risk of long-term health problems.
• Evidence-based treatment options for PTSD.

The course is designed for students seeking to expand their scientific understanding of the relationship between trauma and health. It is only intended for postgraduate students. The course comprises lectures by the main supervisor and selected guest speakers, all of whom are experts in the field of trauma. Emphasis will be placed on discussions and active student participation.

Distance learning with real-time participation in online meetings. 

16 February – 25 March: Mondays & Wednesdays 12:30 – 14:50

Registration via UI Course Catalogue.

This winter, UI staff and students can partake in an online cycle of workshops, training events, and open seminars designed to foster awareness, skills, and discussion on the practical implementation of Open Science and Citizen Science across Aurora universities.  

Events in the cycle will be conducted online in English and take place from November 2025 to May 2026 with the concluding final seminar being held in person in May 2026 at the Aurora Annual Conference in Duisburg-Essen.  

The events schedule and additional information on the cycle and can be found below. 

Please register for the cycle or individual sessions through this link.

Open Science and Citizen Science: From Principles to Practices Seminars, Workshop, Training Events (2025-2026) 

Running from November 2025 to May 2026, the series blends structured learning, hands-on training, and thematic debates. It is conceived as a coherent path to empower doctoral and master students, early-career researchers, and academic staff with the knowledge, competencies, and ethical awareness needed to integrate Open and Citizen Science practices in research and teaching. 

Schedule 

• Workshop - Best Practices in OS and CS  - 4 November 2025  - Hybrid  
• Training Event 1  - Research Data Management, FAIR, Ethics in CS - 18 December 2025 - Online  
• Training Event 2  - Open-Source Software, Workflows, Licensing  - 23 January 2026  - Online  
• Open Seminar 1  - Open Data, Open Access in Teaching, CS in Higher Education - 20 February 2026 - Online  
• Training Event 3  - OS in scholarly communication  - 26 March 2026  - Online  
• Open Seminar 2 - Legal and Ethical Challenges in OS and CS  - 16 April 2026  - Online  
• Open Seminar 3   - The role of OS and CS in AI and innovation  - 18-21 May 2026  - In-person (Aurora Annual Conference, Duisburg-Essen)  

The purpose of this course is to provide participants with opportunities to focus on learning, teaching and leisure activities for sustainability.  Participants will focus on implicit issues related to the topic of sustainability in teaching and learning and analyse and evaluate different approaches and contradictions that arise when working with learning and teaching for sustainability.

Examples of issues to be dealt with:

• Activism in learning and teaching
• Place-based and experiential education
• Behavioural change
• Science learning, technology and sustainability
• Creativity, creation of knowledge and social sustainability
• University education, adult learning
• Formal, informal and non-formal learning
• Sustainability as an emerging curriculum area

The course is taught online, running from January to May, and attendance is mandatory throughout the duration of the course. Assignments include discussion papers, in-class oral presentations, and a final paper.

Registration via UI Course Catalogue.

This training is designed for educators and curriculum designers who are already teaching in the fields of social entrepreneurship, sustainability innovation, or business modelling. Participants examine learning objectives, competency profiles and pedagogical approaches. They also learn how to integrate digital educational tools (such as the seizmic business model app and custom GPT mentors) into their teaching practice.

Further information can be found on the Aurora website.

This winter, UI staff and students can partake in an online cycle of workshops, training events, and open seminars designed to foster awareness, skills, and discussion on the practical implementation of Open Science and Citizen Science across Aurora universities.  

Events in the cycle will be conducted online in English and take place from November 2025 to May 2026 with the concluding final seminar being held in person in May 2026 at the Aurora Annual Conference in Duisburg-Essen.  

The events schedule and additional information on the cycle and can be found below. 

Please register for the cycle or individual sessions through this link.

Open Science and Citizen Science: From Principles to Practices Seminars, Workshop, Training Events (2025-2026) 

Running from November 2025 to May 2026, the series blends structured learning, hands-on training, and thematic debates. It is conceived as a coherent path to empower doctoral and master students, early-career researchers, and academic staff with the knowledge, competencies, and ethical awareness needed to integrate Open and Citizen Science practices in research and teaching. 

Schedule 

• Workshop - Best Practices in OS and CS  - 4 November 2025  - Hybrid  
• Training Event 1  - Research Data Management, FAIR, Ethics in CS - 18 December 2025 - Online  
• Training Event 2  - Open-Source Software, Workflows, Licensing  - 23 January 2026  - Online  
• Open Seminar 1  - Open Data, Open Access in Teaching, CS in Higher Education - 20 February 2026 - Online  
• Training Event 3  - OS in scholarly communication  - 26 March 2026  - Online  
• Open Seminar 2 - Legal and Ethical Challenges in OS and CS  - 16 April 2026  - Online  
• Open Seminar 3   - The role of OS and CS in AI and innovation  - 18-21 May 2026  - In-person (Aurora Annual Conference, Duisburg-Essen)