Activities and Projects 2013/2014
SGROUP EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES' NETWORK
A Gateway to Europe
SGROUP EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES' NETWORK
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The SGroup European Universities’ Network
(SGroup) is a non-for-profit organisation
founded in 1989 composed of over 30 higher
education institutions from 15 European
countries.
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The SGroup is a dynamic platform for modern,
internationally orientated universities with
the
aim
of
expanding
collaboration
opportunities in education and research
through the transfer of knowledge and
development of strategic alliances.
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Its mission is based on four core areas
of co-operation – internationalisation strategy,
academic collaboration, academic mobility,
and transfer of knowledge.
SGroup members
The SGroup is a network with over 25 years of experience in university
collaboration within Europe and beyond
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To reinforce international
strategies of members
VISION
SGROUP
EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES’
NETWORK
To expand collaboration
opportunities in education
and research
To improve the quality of
governance, teaching,
research, and
administrative practices
SELECTED PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES
Regional Collaboration
& Mobility
- Berkley Exchange Programme – USA
- Alfa Puentes – Latin America
- ICon – Intercontinental Academic Mobility Programme
- STEP Programme – Placements for students
Transfer of Knowledge
- Summer schools for Doctoral Students
- Specialised workshops and seminars
- United Nations Academic Impact Project
Strategic Alliances
- Collaboration with university associations and HEIs with Latin America
(AUGM, FAUBAI, ASCUN)
- Erasmus Mundus iDEA Project
Strengthening
Research Capacities
- Networking for EU funded projects
- Assistance with internationalisation of Science and Technology
- Specialised courses and workshops
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SELECTED SGROUP-CO-ORIDNATED
MOBILITY PROJECTS
The ICon Programme is an international mobility initiative between higher education institutions
belonging to the SGroup European Universities’ Network (SGroup) and their partner institutions
overseas (from Eastern Partnership, Latin America, and China to SGroup members and reverse)
The Programme aims at the exchange of knowledge and experience between regions through
academic mobility at all levels:
– Postdocs
– Undergraduate students
– Graduate students
– Academic Staff
– Doctoral candidates
– Administrative Staff
SGroup role: Global Coordinator for Eastern Partnership, Latin America and China lots
The ICon Programme intends to facilitate mobility between
the participating regions and institutions to enhance academic
and research collaboration www.iconmobility.eu
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SELECTED SGROUP-CO-ORIDNATED
MOBILITY PROJECTS
Benefits for ICon Programme for SGroup members:
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Privileged access to a wide range of reliable and recognised institutions;
Structured information about diverse study offers available in Europe and LA;
All types of academic mobility available;
Visibility and promotion of partner institutions in both regions;
Recognition of study and quality assurance mechanisms.
Possibility of networking for new funding programmes;
Facilitation of bilateral collaboration between individual universities as well as the
associations of universities from both regions.
The ICon Programme intends to facilitate mobility between
the participating regions and institutions to enhance academic
and research collaboration www.iconmobility.eu
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CURRENT INTERNATIONAL
EU-FUNDED PROJECTS
Alfa PUENTES - Building Capacity of University Associations in fostering Latin American
Regional Integration
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The ALFA PUENTES project is an international cooperation initiative aimed to boost regional
development of higher education in Latin America, managed and implemented by university
associations in both LA and Europe. The project is designed to improve mechanisms for
modernisation, reform and harmonisation of education systems in Latin America
and to enhance EU-LA university partnership.
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The ALFA PUENTES supports three sub-regional initiatives (Mercosur, Andean Community,
and the Mesoamerican Region) that focus on processes related to teaching and learning,
mobility and internationalization, quality assurance (QA) and university governance.
SGroup role: Partner institution
Alfa Puentes is an international cooperation project between Europe
and Latin America, aimed at improving and modernising the higher
education system in Latin America and at harmonising curricula
between the two continents.
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CURRENT INTERNATIONAL
EU-FUNDED PROJECTS
EGRACONS - European GRAding CONversion System
The European GRAding CONversion System - EGRACONS proposes a practical approach
to compare the grade conversion systems across Europe and to increase the understanding
of the grading cultures by the academic and non-academic stakeholders.
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The project aims at designing and developing an IT tool for the conversion of grades to allow
universities to ensure a fair transfer and recognition of grades of mobility students
according to the ECTS Users’ Guide published by the European Commission in 2009.
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The project consortium representing almost 80 higher education institutions from 34
countries, and other interested parties are seeking to arrive at a common European
approach to ECTS grading tables implementation.
SGroup role: Joint-Coordinator with the Gent University www.egracons.eu
EGRACONS aims at developing a user-friendly web-based tool for grade
conversion that will be made available to all European HEIs on a voluntary
basis enabling transparent interpretation of students’ accomplishments.
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CURRENT INTERNATIONAL
EU-FUNDED PROJECTS
IMOTION - Integration and Promotion of Staff Training Courses at Universities
The main aim of the project is the creation of an online platform that will collect and display staff
training opportunities at European level.
This platform will help:
– HEI organising staff training to promote their events;
– HEI organising job shadowing to look for appropriate staff ;
– HEI staff to find the appropriate training or job shadowing opportunities;
– HEI to get feedback from the participants at staff training events
SGroup role: Partner institution www.staffmobility.eu
The platform will help academic and administrative staff
of Higher Education Institutions in Europe find and evaluate staff
training events in an integrated and systematic way.
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SELECTED INTERNAL SGROUP PROJECTS
2013/2014
SGroup facilities cooperation among its member universities by offering funding to bottom-up
initaitves proposed by member universities for the Seed Money Programme. 4-5 projects are
sponsored on annual basis each with up to 5000 Euros each on an annual basis.
Projects
Institutions
INTENT - Integrating Telecollaboration
into your International Programmes
Co-ordinated by the University of Leon
in collaboration with the University
of Le Havre
R/EVOLUTIONS - Enhancing integration
between young researchers from SG
members through development of an
international political research journal
Lead by Adam Mickiewicz University
of Poznan in collaboration with the
University of Kent and the Malmo
University
EARTHə - Europe and Africa Resource
for Transcontinental Higher Education
Co-ordinated by Babes-Bolyai University
in collaboration with the Sapienza
University of Rome and Rovira i Virgili
University
Creation of a co-operation platform
between European Careers Services with
SG Network
Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznan
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HOW TO COLLABORATE WITH SGROUP?
Full membership – universities from across Europe which have signed the SGroup Charter. Entry to this
class of membership will be reserved to universities offering PhD or equivalent degree courses and
endorsement by the General Assembly.
Associate membership – universities from non-European countries. Entry to this class
of membership will be by invitation of the Executive Committee and endorsement by the General
Assembly.
SGroup enables its members:
– to network for EU-funded projects in education and research;
– to exchange good practices;
– to share experiences;
– to participate in specialised work groups, seminar and training courses;
– to access first-hand information about educational and research policies in Europe
– to promote expertise and to increase visibility of its members
– to identify opportunities for academic collaboration
More information about SGroup and the membership conditions
you can find www.sgroup.be
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BENEFITS FROM MEMBERSHIP
Projects and activities offered by SGroup
Full
members
Associate
members
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Academic Mobility
Berkeley Academic Exchange Programme with the University of California, Berkeley
STEP Programme – Student Training Exchange Programme
ICon Programme – Inter-Continental Academic Exchange
ICon Mobility Platform
Networking activities
Networking for EU-funded or international projects
Promotion of members and their activities
Participation in European Projects
Access to database of experts
Access to online work platform
Policy making
Membership on Executive Board
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Initiating projects with internal funding schemes
Voting rights at General Assembly
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BENEFITS FROM MEMBERSHIP
Projects and activities offered by SGroup
Full
members
Associate
members
Meetings and workshops
Participation in General Assembly*
Participation in Liaison Officers Meeting*
Participation in specialised workshops and seminars*
Participation in Summer schools available to students and doctoral candidates*
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*The participation at the events listed above is available to associate members with self-funding only
Scholarships and grants
Summer school grants – 5 grants for SG members
Subvention for members for the costs of accommodation and meals during the GA and LO Meetings
Applying for an internal funding scheme – 4 projects each up to 5000 Euros available on annual basis
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Services of SG Headquarters in Brussels
Meeting facilities in Brussels
Lobbying for our members at European Institutions and organization of higher education
SG News Bulletin
Traineeship at SG Office in Brussels
Organisation of study visits at European Institutions and organisations of higher education available to
university management and faculty members
Access to information about available funding programmes available for research and education
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BENEFITS FOR MEMBERS
INSTITUTIONS
• International visibility
• Access to a large number of HEIs in Europe and overseas
• Expansion of research collaboration opportunities
• Exchange of knowledge and expertise
• Networking and participation in EU-funded projects
• Access to state-of-the-art IT tool to manage academic mobility
INDIVIDUALS
• Access to academic mobility at all levels
• SG Doctoral Summer Schools
• Access to centralised platform for exchanges and collaboration
• Access to funding of innovative ideas
• Collaboration in EU-funded projects
• Networking opportunities for projects
• Visibility of individual expertise
• Participation in tailor-made workshops and seminars
SG COMMUNITY
We invite all academic community of SG member universities e.g.
teachers, researchers, PhD candidates, and administrative staff to
register at our platform made available at www.sgroup.be
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The SG Community enables:
– to obtain information about our projects and collaboration opportunities
– to join specific work groups or a database of experts
– to interact with partners universities
– to share expertise with SG members whenever appropriate
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To
register
please
follow
this
link:
http://sgroup.be/user/register
CONTACT
SGroup European Universities’ Network
Rue de Stassart 119
Brussels, Belgium
www.sgroup.be
sgroup@sgroup.be