The presidents and rectors of the member universities of the University of the Greater Region (UniGR) have established the UniGR's first multidisciplinary centre of expertise in the field of border studies, the UniGR-Center for Border Studies.
T
his is an exceptional decision! After the creation of the University of the Greater Region in 2008, the presidents and rectors of the six partner universities have now laid the foundations for the first multidisciplinary centre of expertise of the UniGR in the field of border studies.
Based on the observation that the Greater Region - with its 2,965 km of borders - is an extraordinary territory for experimentation, the UniGR created a cross-border and thematic network to study borders, their meanings and their issues in the form of an interdisciplinary centre of expertise. Today, it brings together about 80 researchers from the six member universities of the UniGR, from sixteen different disciplines and specialists.
The network has benefited from funding of approximately €2.6 million from the FEDER between 2018 and 2022 within the framework of the INTERREG VA Grande Région programme and co-financing by the Walloon Region and the Saarland State Chancellery. This European support has made it possible to structure the UniGR-Center for Border Studies, to create common research instruments, to affirm its international reputation, while developing a digital environment perfectly adapted to the Border Studies Master's degree, a cross-border training course between four partner universities.
The remarkable results of the project prompted the partner universities to decide on 29 September to continue their financial commitment to enable the UniGR-Center for Border Studies to develop further as the first multidisciplinary centre of expertise of the grouping. According to the UniGR strategic plan for 2040, these centres of expertise are to be developed in fields that meet the territorial challenges of the Greater Region: genuine cross-border networks that combine joint training, high-level international research projects and expertise in conjunction with regional actors.
Now with an annual operating budget of approximately €60,000, ad hoc staff and a coordination unit located at the University of Luxembourg, the UniGR-Center Border Studies is continuing its development with the prospect of creating a doctoral school and strengthening its action in the field of spatial planning. Thanks to the anchoring of the UniGR-CBS in time, the network of cross-border researchers can define a common research policy, as shown by the many bi- or multilateral research projects currently being prepared.
Research: Researchers investigate socio-economic and socio-cultural issues from a cross-border and comparative perspective. Organised in interregional working groups along thematic priorities, the researchers develop solutions to the challenges of border regions as well as contributions to the foundations of border research.
Teaching: The researchers cooperate in the training of students and doctoral candidates. In addition to the joint supervision of doctoral students in the field of border research, the tri-national "UniGR Master in Border Studies" has existed since 2017. This cross-border study programme at four UniGR universities includes a specialisation in spatial sciences and a specialisation in cultural/linguistic sciences and provides a European profile.
Networking: researchers cooperate with each other and with international partners. The joint implementation of research and networking projects strengthens cooperative relationships and increases supra-regional visibility. In addition to research visits and internal seminars, this also includes involvement in international networks of cross-border actors and researchers.
Regional actors: Together with regional actors, researchers identify the socio-economic and socio-cultural challenges of the Greater Region and develop practical solutions. The researchers actively participate in the spatial development of the Greater Region and organise events for the exchange and transfer of knowledge between politics, administration and science.
The University of the Greater Region is an innovative university consortium comprising the universities of Kaiserslautern (D), Liège (B), Lorraine (F), Luxembourg (LU), Saarland (D) and Trier (D), with the htw saar (D) as an associated partner. The cooperation between the seven higher education and research institutions of
the Grande Région, which began in 2008 as part of a European project, has been made permanent. Since 2015, the grouping has had its own legal structure which enables it to carry out projects for its members and to ensure joint coordination of cooperation.
The UniGR is developing its international profile by focusing on targeted areas to address specific territorial and societal challenges of the Greater Region. This specialisation is characterised in the form of "Interdisciplinary Centres of Expertise". The UniGR-Center for Border Studies is the first interdisciplinary centre of expertise within the "University of the Greater Region - UniGR" network that conducts research on borders in Europe and beyond.
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