Universitat d’Andorra Rector and NUSCT President Miquel Nicolau i Vila was elected to the Administrative Board of the International Association of Universities (IAU) on 28th of October, 2022, at the 16th IAU General Conference at the University College Dublin, in Dublin, Ireland.
The International Association of Universities founded in 1950, in Nice France, at the initiative of UNESCO and higher education leaders around the world, is the major international HE organization, with close to 600 members (institutions, organisations, affiliates and associates), from more than 130 countries.
The IAU serves the global higher education community by providing, among others, trends analysis, publications, advisory services, events, and advocacy to inform, affect and support global HE initiatives by intergovernmental organizations, governments and institutions worldwide.
Rector Nicolau’s election to the IAU Board comes as a recognition of his professional career, contribution to higher education, and commitment to internationalisation to ensure sustainability and peaceful coexistence. Miquel Nicolau’s participation on the IAU Board will, furthermore, ensure that universities in small countries and territories have a voice in shaping the organisation’s international HE agenda.
The United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) has made known the Children’s University project of the Universitat d’Andorra (UdA). The project complements and provides an expanded framework for its Science Congress –annual event that was first held in 2014– which objective is to have children in the first courses of secondary school –aged 11 to 12– in the Principality’s three educational systems present scientific projects of their own design. The purposes of the Children’s University project is to have children interact with academe, strengthen faith in science and scientific evidence at an early age, and to promote participation in scientific projects. More information can be found in this article: Promoting Children’s Interest in Science: The Children University Project.
The Universitat d’Andorra became a member institution of UNAI in October 2021, joining higher education institutions working with the United Nations Organization (UN) for the fulfilment of the objectives and mandates of the organization, including promotion and protection of human rights, access to education, sustainability and conflict resolution.
INTRODUCTION TO BLOCKCHAIN, NFTS AND THE METAVERSE
The Department of Digital Innovation, in collaboration with the Institute for the Future (IFF) of the University of Nicosia (UNIC), are pleased to announce the first on-site boot camp on Blockchain and crypto. The boot camp will take place at UNIC premises from the Oct 3- Oct 7, 2022.
The boot camp offers an introduction to blockchain technologies and covers a variety of hot topics such as digital currencies, DAOs, NFTs, the Metaverse and Web3. Overall, it will be a mix of understanding blockchain technologies and discussing the new possibilities that blockchain has to offer to all industries.
The course curriculum, designed by UNIC’s faculty with a duration of 30-hours, has the below objectives:
– To introduce Blockchain technology and describe and understand its technical components including
Consensus algorithms
Encryption techniques and hash functions
Smart Contract
– To explain the peer-to-peer communication paradigm and its advantages over the traditional one
– To familiarize students with main layer 1 Blockchains such Bitcoin and Ethereum
– To introduce decentralized applications and present several use cases
– To introduce CBDCs and DAOs and their associated legal and security risks
– To present NFTs, Web 3.0 (the decentralized Web) and the Metaverse
Language of instruction: English
Admission Requirements:Prior technical knowledge of Blockchain is not required.
Fees:The tuition fee for the boot camp is 350 EUR and it is payable at registration. Tuition Fees are waived for student/faculty/staff of NUSCT Network members.
The Network of Universities of Small Countries and Territories (NUSCT) calls on Technology companies to be linguistically inclusive
NUSCT Rectors gathered at the 4th NUSCT Rectors’ Annual Meeting at the University of Greenland, in Nuuk, Greenland, on 3 May, 2022 unanimously agreed to call on Technology companies to include minority languages in the design and production of Artificial Intelligence-supported software and applications, now mostly and alarmingly absent.
NUSCT Rectors gathered at the 4th NUSCT Rectors’ Annual Meeting at the University of Greenland, in Nuuk, Greenland, on 3 May, 2022 unanimously agreed to renew their 2 March 2022 call for an immediate halt to the Russian armed forces’ aggression in Ukraine, also expressing concern for the programmatic destruction of Ukraine cultural heritage, in and beyond occupied territories.
On-site participants with President Nicolau, network manager John Zvereff, Gitte Adler, rector of the University of Greenland (2nd from right) and University of Akueryri rector Eyjlfur Gudmundsson (1st from right).
Rectors and rectors’ delegates from the 11 universities members of the Network of Universities of Small Countries and Territories gathered on 3 May, 2022, at the University of Greenland to celebrate the 4th rectors’ annual meeting of the Network
The meeting was held in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, the largest island in the world.
The meeting brought together representatives from universities representing the near totality of Europe’s small countries and territories, in a blended format, with on-site and online participation.
The participants were welcomed by the Councilor of the Nuuk City Government Juaaka Lyberth, in representation of Mayor Charlotte Ludvigsen, and were also addressed by Amanda Crowfoot, the Secretary General of the European, Association of Universities.
Participants listening to the address by the European University Association Secretary General Amanda Crowfoot.
Members also agreed to the following: 1. to lobby tech companies and respective governments to ensure that AI applications include languages employed in the countries and territories in our Network; 2. to renew the NUSCT condemnation of the Russian Armed Forces aggression against Ukraine, calling for an immediate halt to the suffering and destruction being caused. NUSCT once more underscores its commitment to peace and to a peaceful resolution of all conflicts; 3. to set up a Working Group to propose a multilateral NUSCT program (possibly at the Master’s level) on topics of common interest to all Network members; 4.to hold the 5th NUSCT Rectors’ Annual Meeting in Gibraltar in May/June, 2023.
Finally, members unanimously asked President Miquel Nicolau to further extend his mandate by another year, and accepted President Nicolau’s proposal to amend the Constitutive Agreement to allow former Rectors/Vice-chancellors/presidents of member universities to be presidents of the Network, as long as they are guaranteed the support of their institution.
On-site participants. On the right, President Miquel Nicolau (3rd from left) leading a discussion.
President Miquel Nicolau interacting with NUSCT rectors and representatives (from top left to right: University of Nicosia rector Philippos Pouyioutas, University of Liechtenstein rector Markus Jäger, University of Malta pro-rector for International Development and Quality Assurance Frank Bezzina, University of San Marino rector’s Delegate for International Affairs Michele Chairuzzi, University of the Faroe Islands rector Chick Collins, and International Office Director Johan Isak Suni Hansen).
NUSCT (www.nusct.net) is a network led by the University of Andorra to enable universities in small countries and territories that share similar characteristics and contexts establish collaborations, share strategies and best practices, and have a unified voice in international fora.
The University of Greenland will host the 4th NUSCT Rectors’ Annual Meeting on 3 May, 2022 .
The meeting will be held in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, the largest island in the world.
Rectors from the 11 member universities representing the near totality of Europe’s small countries and territories, will come together in a blended on-site and online meeting to review the progress made by the Network since its 3rd Meeting celebrated at the University of the Republic of San Marino, UNIRSM, in San Marino, in October 2021, and to establish the Network’s roadmap for the coming year.
The participants will be welcomed by Juaaka Lyberth, Councillor of the Nuuk City Government , in representation of Mayor Charlotte Ludvigsen, and will also be addressed by the Secretary General of the European Association of Universities, Amanda Crowfoot in implicit recognition of the relevance of NUSCT within the European university landscape.
Rectors, assisted by vice-rectors and international office directors , will also have the opportunity to discuss adaptation to the COVID post-pandemic era, impact of the war in Ukraine on international mobility and collaborative international projects involving the countries at war, and hosting refugee scholars, amongst other relevant topics.
Quantitative and qualitative increase in collaborations amongst members and between the Network and other associations will also be the object of productive deliberations.
NUSCT (www.nusct.net) is a network led by the University of Andorra to enable universities in small countries and territories that share similar characteristics and contexts establish collaborations, share strategies and best practices, and have a unified voice in international fora.
The Network of Universities of Small Countries and Territories, NUSCT, publicly condemns the invasion of the Ukrainian territory and the breach of its sovereignty by the Russian armed forces, and supports the global demands for an immediate halt to the military aggression, for the respect of international law, and for the diplomatic and peaceful resolution of all conflicts.
Likewise, NUSCT encourages citizens and organisations of the world to incessantly dedicate their energy to the global preservation of peace, tolerance, mutual respect and understanding,
On 20 October, 2021, rectors and vice-rectors from the universities of the Network of Universities of Small Countries and Territories came together in the Republic of San Marino to celebrate the NUSCT 3rd Annual Meeting, the network’s first face-to-face meeting since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The meeting, which followed participation in the 2021-2022 UNIRSM Academic Year Inaugural Ceremony and a visit to the “Dante” exhibition at the Embassy of Italy in San Marino, was hosted by member Università degli Studi della Repubblica di San Marino , in hybrid format to facilitate participation by members who could not travel to the meeting site.
Meeting participants congratulated President Miquel Nicolau as they reviewed with satisfaction the consolidation and evolution of the network during the pandemic, which grew by 4 members to now represent almost all European small countries and territories.
Members also very positively assessed the activities that were launched during the COVID-19 months – the NUSCT Quality Assurance Working Group with 23 QA experts, the NUSCT Discussion Group on Education and Technology During COVID-19, the NUSCT Coursera for Campus platform, the successful drive to have all member universities underwrite the Magna Charta Universitatum Declaration, as well as to be included in U-Multirank, among others – and the support received from the Network and from one another to overcome the challenges that each had to face during the pandemic to various aspects of university operations.
Finally, rectors unanimously agreed to set up an external NUSCT Quality Assurance Unit, to organize an International Conference on the History of Small Countries – to be held at the University of the Faroe Islands – to launch joint summer bootcamps on various topics – the first one being on Applications of Distributive Ledger Technologies, to be organized the University of Nicosia, in Cyprus – and to explore the possibility of designing NUSCT joint and double degrees. Inter-NUSCT mobility and exchanges are expected to increase as COVID-19 travel restrictions are eased.
The Università della Repubblica di San Marino, and specifically rector Corrado Petrocelli and his team were thanked for the impeccable organization of the meeting; rectors were also thanked for their very productive contributions.
In closing, NUSCT President Miquel Nicolau announced that the host of the 4th NUSCT Rectors’ Annual Meeting will be held at the University of Greenland in 2022.
NUSCT is a network led by the University of Andorra to enable universities in small countries that share similar characteristics and contexts establish collaborations, share strategies and best practices, and have a unified voice in international fora.
