Palacký University Olomouc achieved significant success at the spring meeting of universities comprising Aurora. UP, formerly an associate member of the Aurora European Universities Alliance, has become a full member of the global university consortium Aurora Network at the meeting held in the first half of May in Innsbruck. This gives UP the opportunity to participate in decision-making and closer cooperation within this university network.
The Aurora Network focuses on fulfilling Aurora’s global mission, which reaches beyond the borders of Europe and the initiatives of European universities. It is primarily concerned with international aid and collaboration with non-European partners, especially in education and research.
The fact that UP has become a full member is recognition of the transformative journey the school has made since joining Aurora in 2020. “We are very pleased with the successful work of the entire team of Palacký University, thanks to which we have achieved full membership in the Aurora Network after a year and a half of intensive collaboration with the universities in the Aurora Alliance. It will enable us to fully utilise the potential of our university and become global leaders in innovative education, research, and sustainable growth,” said Michal Malacka, Vice-Rector for Strategy and Regional Affairs.
At the meeting in Innsbruck, UP also agreed on creating an innovative European Master’s programme, Digital Society & Global Citizenship, with the Aurora partner institutions. “The fact that we can be at the forefront of the creation of a new European study programme does not happen every day. Six universities are currently working together on it, and it is a great opportunity for us to prove what we can do,” said Vít Zouhar, Vice-Rector for Education.
The representatives of the universities also devoted their attention to Ukraine. Tetyana Kaganovska, Rector of the V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, joined the meeting to personally inform them about the situation in her homeland.
Sustainable development is also at the heart of all the universities involved, and it was dealt with at the meeting in Austria. “We suggested that each university should calculate its CO2 emissions, put the Aurora Travel Code into practice, and define and publish at least three goals from the eight areas listed in the Sustainable Campus Action Plan,” said Zuzana Huňková, UP Sustainable Development Coordinator.
More detailed information about the proceedings and results of the meeting is available in English here.