Dr. Juli Minoves Triquell - New Rector of the Universitat d'Andorra

Dr. Juli Minoves Triquell  has been appointed rector of the Universitat

d'Andorra, succeeding  Dr. Miquel Nicolau, also founder of the Network

of Universities of Small Countries and Territories. His five-year

mandate will begin on May 23, 2024.

Dr. Minoves holds a Bachelor's degree in Economic and Social Sciences

from the University of Friborg (Switzerland), as well as a Master's and

a Doctorate in Political Science from Yale University (Connecticut,

USA).

Prior to his appointment at UdA, Rector Minoves served as a full

professor of Political Science and Director of the Institute of

International Studies at the University of La Verne (California, USA)

since 2012. He is also an elected member of the Spanish Royal Academy of

Economic and Financial Sciences (Instituto de España) since 2022.

Additionally, Dr. Minoves has served as a visiting professor at

prestigious institutions such as the Institute of Political Studies

(Sciences Po) in Paris and CIDOB (Barcelona Center for International

Affairs).

Rector Minoves has an extensive diplomatic background, having previously

served as an Andorran diplomat from 1993 to 2001. He later held various

ministerial portfolios in the Government of Andorra from 2001 to 2009.

May, 2024

The Universitat d'Andorra promoted the constitution of a CoARA National Chapter in Andorra

The Universitat d’Andorra (UdA), in collaboration with the Quality Agency of Higher Education of Andorra (AQUA), has initiated the establishment of the Andorra National Chapter of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), which was approved by the organization on Aril 18, 2024.

This National Chapter, which will be housed at the UdA, aims to improve research evaluation practices within the Principality by uniting various stakeholders, including universities, public bodies, private research institutions, funding bodies, and evaluation agencies. Together, they will seek to set a standard for evaluation systems and procedures inline with UdA existing practices, and adhering to the CoARA principles.

Emphasizing the integration of global principles into local contexts, the Andorra National Chapter will address specific challenges faced by small countries and territories. Through collaborative efforts and knowledge exchange, members will work towards improving research assessment practices drawing insights from similar contexts worldwide.

UdA's involvement as a signatory of the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment underscores its commitment to driving positive change in research assessment practices, positioning Andorra at the forefront of research quality and impact enhancement initiatives.

The 6th NUSCT Annual Rectors’ Meeting held at the University of Gibraltar

8 Rectors from the 12 university members of the Network of Universities of Small Countries and Territories gathered, onsite and online, on 22. April 2024, at the University of Gibraltar, to celebrate the network’s 6th rectors’ annual meeting.

The participants were welcomed by Dr Catherine Bachleda, Vice- Chancellor of the University of Gibraltar and by the President of NUSCT- Dr Eyjólfur Guðmundsson from the University of Akureyri.

Amongst the most important decisions unanimously taken at the meeting, the following deserve special mention:

1.     NUSCT president Eyjólfur Guðmundsson proposed that NUSCT should prioritize the support on having all members join the Erasmus+ program which would enable better flow of staff and students between all members. This would also help with connecting members on a research level and applying for joint funding.

2.     The University of the Faroe Island will be hosting a seminar for NUSCT members in June/August of 2025 with the proposal of also hosting the 7th Annual rectors meeting along site the seminar. The next annual meeting in 2025 should be hosted by the University of Montenegro but a decision on this will be announced soon. The topic of the seminar is “the Role of Universities in Small Scale Societies in an historical context” and deadline for proposing a member representative for the seminar should be sent to martinz@setur.fo no later than Monday 12th of May 2024.

3.     Student representatives from member universities will be appointed by each member where the new aim is to have a representative that would be focusing on student interest. The aim is that the secretariat would host online meetings to discuss topics like online vs onsite teaching and why students are working so much alongside their studies. Results will be reported on the next annual meeting.

4.     University of Liechtenstein will be drafting a new policy proposal for the network on Generative Artificial Intelligence that will be shared among members and confirmed on the next annual meeting.

5.     NUSCT secretariat has the members permission to draft an MoU with the UN- University for Peace which has sown interest in working together with NUSCT and its members as an associate institution.

6.     Majority of NUSCT have already declared that they will be applying for membership of CoARA and will share their experience on the process of advancing their research assessment. 

7.     Members asked to report to secretariat@nusct.net about student and staff exchange within NUSCT for the 2023-2024 academic year.

The complete list of the decision taken at the meeting will be available soon on the NUSCT website