Vision & mission - NEOLAiA USV

VISION

The NEOLAiA alliance is designed to achieve ambitious goals reaching to 2030 when we see ourselves as:

A strong, highly integrated European University representing a mainstay of European values and high-quality education for all the member university regions.

An open and inclusive educational and social environment, fostering equity at university and in European society at large, ensuring that the diverse communities within academia and in the regions feel connected and committed to work together to face the global challenges and find solutions to common concerns such as Global Health to improve well-being for all.

A model international educator motivating widening cohorts of students to engage in innovative research-informed and socially relevant study programmes crossing the borders of disciplines, research areas, countries and cultures, keeping pace with the digitalization of teaching and learning and at the same time cherishing personal contact and a tailor-made approach.

MISSION

Enhance regional connectivity

to prevent populism through innovation in academic mobility. Internationalisation and academic exchange are key for a cosmopolitan worldview that reacts against nationalistic and populist tensions. NEOLAiA will develop a series of mobility and multicultural initiatives that will expand on traditional exchange programmes and lead to a seamlessly integrated alliance of international universities.

Strengthen inclusion and interculturalism

through common standards against barriers to participation by underrepresented groups. Inclusive societies embrace diversity as a contribution to economic and social development. NEOLAiA will be shaped by principles of widening participation and inclusion, driven by the concept of equity in education and research. It will create standards, policies, training and certification on diversity & inclusion (D&I) and plurilingual education. In addition, a strong focus on the societal engagement for D&I through open events will benefit the intercultural awareness of its academic community and societies in the largely diverse populations of the NEOLAiA non-metropolitan regions.

Increasing research impact

at a regional scale through higher scientific output by building on existing regional specialization strengths and on knowledge transfer (open science). Research and scientific output with real impact in regional development will be boosted with a smart specialization strategy based on existing regional research capacity and strengths as found on NEOALAiA’s needs analysis survey (bibliometric research, in section 1.1.4, also in the annex section) on specialisation areas that point to NEOLAiA’s 3 key pillars and the NEOLAiA Key Application Area of Global Health). NEOLAiA’s actions will apply digital access to research by mapping synergies and resources among partners to increase:

the number of peer-reviewed scientific reports in high-quality channels;
the diversity of concrete solutions at a regional scale in applying research for regional development, and
the capacity for knowledge transfer (open science) to society.

Increasing regional output

in terms of entrepreneurial training, product ideation, start-up support and incubation. Universities play a key role in regional economic development by bridging education, research, knowledge transfer and economic output. NEOLAiA will benefit academic communities and society at large in non-metropolitan regions with new educational infrastructures that support the transfer of ideas to production, contributing to the regional and economic development of its partners.

Increasing the number and scope of joint teaching and learning programmes

to address identified Shared Challenges (SC) through regional collaboration. NEOLAiA will develop common teaching and learning standards and increase the number of double/multiple and ulterior joint study programmes, in alignment with a “European space of learning” rooted in regional and diverse points of view.