Flourishing Participation of the University of Iceland in Aurora Collaboration on Teaching and Research

The past semester was marked by the vibrant participation of staff and students at the University of Iceland in the European university network Aurora. Below is an overview of the main highlights.

Workshop on developing Aurora courses

On 15–17 October, a group of academic staff from the University of Iceland attended a workshop hosted at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The workshop, titled Aurora Course Design Retreat and Academic Matchmaking, aimed to further strengthen the joint course offerings among Aurora universities. Staff from UI had the opportunity to develop international and interdisciplinary courses in collaboration with colleagues from other Aurora institutions. Participants also received an introduction to Aurora teaching methods and the various opportunities available within the network. The results of the workshop are expected to come to fruition in the coming semesters through an expanded selection of Aurora courses for UI students.

Symposium on Icelandic universities in European university networks

A full house attended a symposium on 14 October at the Nordic House that examined the benefits and challenges for Icelandic universities participating in European university networks. Many also followed the event online; the recording is available here. The recording opens with a video that premiered at the symposium, highlighting the involvement of Icelandic universities in these networks. Four Icelandic universities participate in such networks and have established a joint collaboration forum along with the Erasmus+ National Agency in Iceland. This forum aims to share information about the many opportunities the networks create for the universities, students, staff, and society. It also serves as a platform for dialogue with government authorities on how Icelandic legislation can better support the networks' goals and ensure Iceland’s active participation in shaping the European Higher Education Area —through initiatives such as international courses, joint programmes, and micro-credentials. At the symposium, university rectors and representatives from academia and industry discussed the value of participating in a European university network. The programme also included experience-sharing and examples from network projects, among them UI’s Aurora course Kveikja, which is featured in this video.

Many watched the symposium online, and a recording is available here.

The northern lights adorned the student conference in January

The year 2026 started with a bang when the University of Iceland hosted the Aurora Student Conference during the first week of teaching. The conference, which is organised twice a year and rotates between member universities, gathers dozens of Aurora Student Council members and other actively engaged students from Aurora universities. During the conference, students had the chance to get to know one another and took part in a varied programme focused on Aurora, European University Alliances, and preparation for the European Student Assembly. Additionally, they took part in workshops on intercultural communication and student community engagement, with peer-led sessions taking centre stage. Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir, the University’s rector, addressed the group on the first day of the conference and warmly welcomed the students. Furthermore, Iceland embraced them with open arms with a magnificent showcase of northern lights in green and purple on the students’ first night in the country.

Aurora Teaching Fund

At the start of the academic year, the Aurora Teaching Fund was established to support teachers and faculties in developing Aurora courses at UI. Its purpose is to ensure that the University of Iceland meets its commitments to provide shared course offerings and cross-institutional teaching within Aurora. The fund helps compensate for the additional workload that Aurora course planning, teaching, and faculty administration entails.

Course and video on using LOUIS to strengthen student competencies  

During the week of 20–24 October, Auður Pálsdóttir, Associate Professor at the School of Education, led an in-person session for the Aurora course The LOUIS-competence framework in making learning outcomes, assignment descriptions and feedback rubrics in a university course. The course aimed to teach participants, mainly university teachers and PhD candidates, how to apply the LOUIS framework in their teaching. The framework is a tool designed to enhance students’ interdisciplinary and societal competencies. With LOUIS, teachers gain language and structure for formulating learning outcomes for courses and assignments, making it easier to discuss with students the types of transversal competencies they are expected to develop. A new video on LOUIS can be found on the Aurora YouTube page. This summer, VU Amsterdam will offer a similar course on the LOUIS framework, co-taught by Auður Pálsdóttir. UI staff will be invited to participate, with further details to follow by email and on the Aurora opportunities page on the UI website.

Conference Connected to Aurora Course in Environmental Ethics and Ecotheology

On 24 October, the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at UI hosted the conference Befriending Creation in a Time of Climate Crisis in honour of Solveig Anna Bóasdóttir, Professor Emerita. The event also marked the final stage of the research project Human Rights, Religion and Pluralism in Times of Climate Change (MAFTÍL). The first part of the conference was held in English and offered online as an Aurora event. Professor Sigríður Guðmarsdóttir, from the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, helped organize the event and linked it to the online Aurora course Environmental Ethics and Ecotheology, which she taught during the autumn semester.

New Membership of Simon Fraser University and Collaboration Among Rectors

In the first week of November, the University of Iceland welcomed Ramon Puras, Executive Director of the Aurora network. He met with Rector Silja Bára Ómarsdóttir, who serves on both the Aurora Board and the University Council, as well as with other rectors from partner universities. Ramon also met with UI’s school deans to discuss the network’s priorities, including the European Commission’s strong emphasis on developing joint programmes within European university alliances, such as micro-credentials. Ramon visited UI on his way back from Canada, where he had met with representatives of Simon Fraser University to sign an agreement for the university to become an international partner within the Aurora network. This new transatlantic partnership is expected to bring significant benefits, and it will be exciting to follow Simon Fraser University's involvement in the coming semesters.
 

Later in November, the rectors of Aurora universities met in Brussels for joint working sessions, including a meeting with European Commission representative Ekaterina Zaharieva about strengthening research collaboration within Aurora. 

Aurora seed funding for research collaboration

In November, the UI website published an article about University of Iceland researchers participating in four of the nine Aurora research collaboration projects that recently received seed funding to support research cooperation across Aurora universities. Some of these projects are already well underway. On 17 November, one group, led by Marianne Rasmussen, Director of the University of Iceland Research Centre in Húsavík, hosted a seminar at the Húsavík Whale Museum. The project, titled BLUeDNA, presented recent research on blue whales and other marine mammals. Its goal is to apply new methods to the study of blue whales in the North Atlantic. A new call for Aurora research incentive grants will open on 20 February 2026. 
 

More about Aurora

Aurora is a collaboration network of strong European research universities that work together to enhance teaching, research, and innovation, with the aim of educating students to tackle pressing societal challenges. Through participation in Aurora, University of Iceland staff gain opportunities to explore new teaching methods, take part in international events, attract international students to their courses, and connect with European partners in both research and teaching. See more information about the Aurora collaboration and upcoming opportunities for students and staff.