Staff exchange – Karolinska Institutet

Post by Hélène von Strauss, educational administrator, Karolinska Institutet

The European Universities initiative is part of the EU commission’s vision of a European area for higher education by 2025. The vision was launched in 2017 and today several Swedish universities have the status of European universities, including Karolinska Institutet through the NeurotechEU alliance – the European University of Brain and Technology. The investment means that universities in different European countries collaborate interdisciplinary in in-depth strategic alliances to tackle various future issues and societal challenges. Students and employees can move freely between the universities that are part of an alliance. The purpose of both the European Universities initiative and NeurotechEU is to raise the quality of European higher education and contribute to inclusion and strengthened competitiveness. The NeurotechEU alliance also aims to build a trans-European network of excellence in brain research and technologies by 2040.

This year Háskólinn í Reykjavík (Reykjavik University), one of the eight partner universities within the NeurotechEU alliance, hosted its first International Staff Week between October 14^th-17^th. The theme of the staff week was “Wellbeing at the University” and the International Exchange Office at RU organized an inspiring program, hosted by unit director Guðlaug Matthildur Jakobsdóttir. Just under 40 participants in total took part in the collaborative event, coming in part from other NeurothechEU allied universities – such as Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), Universitatea de Medicină și Farmacie din Cluj-Napoca (Romania) and Université de Lille (France) – albeit not exclusively. Other universities represented were TU Wien (Austria), University of the Western Cape (South Africa), University of Twente (Netherlands), Masaryk University (Czech Republic), Prague University of Economics and Business (Czech Republic), Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain), The Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Italy), Universität Leipzig (Germany), University of Gothenburg (Sweden), Lietuvos Sporto Universitetas (Lithuania), and Gdańsk University of Technology (Poland).

During the week we were welcomed and introduced to RU by the President of RU, Professor Ragnhildur Helgadóttir, as well as by staff members and students. Presentations were offered by the International Office, Student Counseling, Research and Development, Teaching Registry/Quality, Communications and IT Service Desk (UTS). We learnt of challenges in the past but also of ways to overcome them. We also discussed potential difficulties ahead and different ways to approach them. The different departments at RU also gave elective presentations on the current studies offered at the university, as well as on what collaborative research is currently being carried out and how. In a cultural context such as the Icelandic one, we learned that the importance of international collaborations is not just beneficial, but often even vital. With a population of under 400 000, continuously collaborating with and learning from fellow academics and specialists abroad is a fundamental and well-established practice that not only helps the nation grow and prosper, but which also increases scientific knowledge in both Iceland and abroad. With that in mind, we ended the week with a student fair held at campus where we not only got the chance to share information about opportunities offered for incoming international students at our own respective universities, but also learn of available options abroad for our students.                       

Apart from exciting seminars and workshops, we were also treated to cultural activities during our stay which made lasting impacts while simultaneously cultivating wellbeing among all attendees (in line indeed with the overall Staff Week theme). Among other places we got to visit Þingvellir National Park, the geysirs of Haukadalur and Gullfoss waterfall, finishing of with a joint dip in the Secret Lagoon (known locally as the slightly less mysterious “Gamla Laugin”).  

The International Staff week at RU was an extremely rewarding experience that I will be able to continue to harvest as I stay connected to the widened and international network I have now begun to build, while at the same time putting into practice what I have learned from my fellow colleagues abroad during the week.

As I sum up the experience I’m left with the following final thought: while seemingly small, Iceland manages to leave a big impression not only on me personally but on visitors, students and collaborators in general. And although an isolated island, when viewed up close this impressive nation reveals itself to be strikingly well connected to current research and education, as well as global affairs. An inspired and inspiring partner indeed.