New initiative giving a chance to refugee researchers
Published on 4. Januar 2018, 11:33 h
Bielefeld University coordinating pan-European project BRiDGE with six partners
They flee from regions beset by war and crises, and many come to Europe. They are academics in danger. Some find refuge in European academic institutions – including Bielefeld University, where they can continue their academic work. The newly approved project BRiDGE (Bridge for Researchers in Danger Going to Europe) aims to build bridges for these refugee researchers. The project is supporting 220 refugee researchers, mostly those displaced in Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Switzerland, and Germany, but also in all other European countries. Bielefeld University is taking responsibility for coordinating the project.
‘We are already exchanging information with our partners worldwide on the best way to support refugee researchers,’ explains Professor Dr. Angelika Epple, Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Diversity at Bielefeld University. ‘With BRiDGE, we are now in a position to build up the structure of this cooperation and take over the lead in this process.’
The targeted support of refugee researchers will consist in advising them on their individual career options in cooperation with academic mentors in all subject areas; in offering corresponding trainings; and in building up a support programme with academic and non-academic contact persons. The aim of BRiDGE is to give participants a fair chance to return to academic and professional life. The exchange of information should also open up new career and research perspectives for these academics.
Responsibility for the implementation of BRiDGE – indicative actions are, for example, trainings, mentoring, network meetings, or the final conference – is being taken over by organizers at the following seven academic institutions: Bielefeld University (Germany), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich (Switzerland), Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski” (Bulgaria), the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey in Ankara (TÜBITAK), and three Greek research institutions: the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), the National Center of Social Research (EKKE), and the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP). It is cooperating with a series of experts and organizations throughout the world such as the ‘Adopt an Academic’ mentoring programme (Freie Universität Berlin) and the Scholars at Risk Network (New York University).
Most of the project partners gained their expertise by EURAXESS, a pan-european network which involves 40 countries and over 500 Service Centres and Local Contact Points in Universities and Research Institutions. The EURAXESS Network as a whole provides targeted information and qualified hands-on assistance to mobile researchers and helps them to deal with formalities and practicalities in order to settle in in a new country.
Bielefeld University in particular can contribute experiences and expertise built up through caring for roughly 40 refugee researchers since 2015. In 2016, it joined the worldwide Scholars at Risk Network (SAR) as a founding member of SAR´s German section. SAR involves more than 500 higher education institutions and associations dedicated to protecting scholars and promoting academic freedom around the world.
The European Commission is supporting BRiDGE as part of Horizon 2020, the EU Research and Innovation programme in the Science4Refugees funding line. Starting in spring 2018, the project will be funded for 24 months and receive approximately 370,000 euros.
More information:
• Die Homepage von Science4Refugees:
https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/science4refugees
• Bielefeld University joins Scholars at risk:
https://ekvv.uni-bielefeld.de/blog/uninews/entry/bielefeld_university_joins_scholars_at
Contact:
Eleni Andrianopulu, Bielefeld University
Coordinator BRiDGE-Project and Head of Welcome Centre (EURAXESS Contact Point)
Telephone: +49 (0)521.106-4880
E-Mail: eleni.andrianopulu@uni-bielefeld.de
They flee from regions beset by war and crises, and many come to Europe. They are academics in danger. Some find refuge in European academic institutions – including Bielefeld University, where they can continue their academic work. The newly approved project BRiDGE (Bridge for Researchers in Danger Going to Europe) aims to build bridges for these refugee researchers. The project is supporting 220 refugee researchers, mostly those displaced in Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Switzerland, and Germany, but also in all other European countries. Bielefeld University is taking responsibility for coordinating the project.
The initiative BRiDGE connects academics in danger. Photo: Bielefeld University
The targeted support of refugee researchers will consist in advising them on their individual career options in cooperation with academic mentors in all subject areas; in offering corresponding trainings; and in building up a support programme with academic and non-academic contact persons. The aim of BRiDGE is to give participants a fair chance to return to academic and professional life. The exchange of information should also open up new career and research perspectives for these academics.
Responsibility for the implementation of BRiDGE – indicative actions are, for example, trainings, mentoring, network meetings, or the final conference – is being taken over by organizers at the following seven academic institutions: Bielefeld University (Germany), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich (Switzerland), Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski” (Bulgaria), the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey in Ankara (TÜBITAK), and three Greek research institutions: the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), the National Center of Social Research (EKKE), and the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP). It is cooperating with a series of experts and organizations throughout the world such as the ‘Adopt an Academic’ mentoring programme (Freie Universität Berlin) and the Scholars at Risk Network (New York University).
Most of the project partners gained their expertise by EURAXESS, a pan-european network which involves 40 countries and over 500 Service Centres and Local Contact Points in Universities and Research Institutions. The EURAXESS Network as a whole provides targeted information and qualified hands-on assistance to mobile researchers and helps them to deal with formalities and practicalities in order to settle in in a new country.
Bielefeld University in particular can contribute experiences and expertise built up through caring for roughly 40 refugee researchers since 2015. In 2016, it joined the worldwide Scholars at Risk Network (SAR) as a founding member of SAR´s German section. SAR involves more than 500 higher education institutions and associations dedicated to protecting scholars and promoting academic freedom around the world.
The European Commission is supporting BRiDGE as part of Horizon 2020, the EU Research and Innovation programme in the Science4Refugees funding line. Starting in spring 2018, the project will be funded for 24 months and receive approximately 370,000 euros.
More information:
• Die Homepage von Science4Refugees:
https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/science4refugees
• Bielefeld University joins Scholars at risk:
https://ekvv.uni-bielefeld.de/blog/uninews/entry/bielefeld_university_joins_scholars_at
Contact:
Eleni Andrianopulu, Bielefeld University
Coordinator BRiDGE-Project and Head of Welcome Centre (EURAXESS Contact Point)
Telephone: +49 (0)521.106-4880
E-Mail: eleni.andrianopulu@uni-bielefeld.de
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