Northern Accelerator’s Post

One of the things I love most about working in the tertiary education sector is that my brain is always being challenged to think differently. In a time where international student caps are being hotly discussed, this HEDx podcast covers a great debate about how innovative and relevant higher education is - with some surprising thoughts from key leaders. The very nature of having a constructive debate such as this actually points to one of the biggest reasons why we need the tertiary education sector to grow - change shape, yes, but to continue to inspire students to stretch their thinking and find ways to express different points of view.

Doing interdisciplinary research well is challenging but has great potential for innovation and insight, hence this call. I would like to highlight a couple of projects from the list that focus on areas I have had many conversations about with fellow researchers and that may therefore be of interest to colleagues, e.g. Jessica Ozan; Gayle Munro; Kully Kaur-Ballagan; Martin Wood; and others, I am sure. GRASPING DATA: co-creating physicalisations to empower young children to interact with, understand, and benefit from their personal data Led by Andrew Manches, The University of Edinburgh Professor Andrew Manches from The University of Edinburgh will lead a project to change perceptions about children and their personal data through the creation of cutting-edge, child-centred tools and teaching practices. The project will work with 270 children aged three to eight in schools, Edinburgh Zoo and Glasgow Science Centre to construct physical representations of personal data that children can touch, explore, talk about and learn with. It will contribute knowledge to early learning, cognitive psychology, child-centred design, data ethics, data visualisation and computer science. The greatest impact of this project will be on children, who will be able to engage, enjoy and understand their data-saturated world better. It will give them greater confidence that they should and can play a role in the design of their future. ANIMATING MINDS: triangulating the age-appropriate impact of children’s media Led by Tim Smith, University of the Arts London Professor Tim Smith from the University of the Arts London will lead a team across four research organisations to build an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can predict a video clip’s potential impact on children’s ability to learn, understand and develop self-control. The AI tool will be used by media creatives to check whether content is developmentally appropriate for their target audience, aiding in the creation of higher-quality content and allowing parents to make more informed decisions on content selection. This project will specifically focus on the impact of children’s media on children aged three to six, a key stage in neurocognition development. It will bring together a unique team of researchers from: children’s animation practice media theory developmental psychology neuroscience AI CHAILD: Children’s Agency In the age of AI: Leveraging InterDisciplinarity Led by Nigel Shadbolt, University of Oxford

Round 1 announcement of funded projects Thirty-six projects will share £32.4m from the first round of UKRI’s new cross research council responsive mode pilot scheme. The projects are designed to stimulate exciting new interdisciplinary research. Treatment for bile duct cancer, degradation of toxic organic pollutants, historical accounts that inform marine ecosystem management, and techniques to protect children’s digital data are among the breakthrough projects being funded. Round two details: https://lnkd.in/ePwNdRB2

The 10th EMES International Research Network Conference will take place from 3 to 7 November 2025. EMES, Utrecht University, and Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University are joining forces to connect established research institutions and individual researchers around the world. 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐬 The theme of the 10th EMES Conference is ‘Scaling Through Communities: The Role of Social Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprises in Boosting Societal Transitions’. From January 27 to April 6, scholars are invited to submit their paper, poster or panel proposals. The conference will be structured around 15 thematic lines that cover a wide range of topics. From theoretical frameworks and education to governance, impact, inclusivity, and societal transitions. Read more about the thematic lines here: https://lnkd.in/gtcJmuY6 Conference co-chairs: Tine De Moor (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Niels Bosma (Utrecht University), Thomas Bauwens 🟥 (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Karin Geuijen (Utrecht University and Nicole Göler von Ravensburg (Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences) #10EMESconf #callforpapers #callforproposals #conference #socialenterprises #societaltransitions

The 10th EMES International Research Network Conference will take place from 3 to 7 November 2025. EMES, Utrecht University, and Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University are joining forces to connect established research institutions and individual researchers around the world. 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐬 The theme of the 10th EMES Conference is ‘Scaling Through Communities: The Role of Social Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprises in Boosting Societal Transitions’. From January 27 to April 6, scholars are invited to submit their paper, poster or panel proposals. The conference will be structured around 15 thematic lines that cover a wide range of topics. From theoretical frameworks and education to governance, impact, inclusivity, and societal transitions. Read more about the thematic lines here: https://lnkd.in/gtcJmuY6 Conference co-chairs: Tine De Moor (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Niels Bosma (Utrecht University), Thomas Bauwens 🟥 (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Karin Geuijen (Utrecht University and @Nicole Göler von Ravensburg (Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences) #10EMESconf #callforpapers #callforproposals #conference #socialenterprises

Exciting News! PFEC Global is proud to announce its strategic partnership with PFH Private Hochschule Göttingen ,Germany .This collaboration will enhance global education and research opportunities. 😊🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪 PFEC Global Education in Germany Priyanka yadav Mosharraf Khan Yaafi Md Shahidul Islam Prachi B. 🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪🇩🇪

🌍Check out the video summary of the 4th INSURE Hub International Conference! Discover key insights and inspiring discussions that took place. We are back in 2025! #UniversidadeCatólicaPortuguesa #UCP #CatólicaPorto #EscolaSuperiorBiotecnologia #ESB #EnsinoSuperior #universidade #university #faculty #highereducation #Conferência #INSUREHub

🌍 Spotlight on our academic partner: Leiden University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands) 🇳🇱 We are happy to feature Leiden University of Applied Sciences Hogeschool Leiden, a key partner in the DiGiN project. With its vast academic expertise and research capabilities, Leiden plays its role in evaluating the effectiveness of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) interventions across our participating municipalities. Their interdisciplinary approach ensures that the project's DEI strategies are evidence-based, scalable and adaptable setting a high standard for municipal operations throughout Europe. 👉 Follow us to learn how Leiden University of Applied Sciences is transforming municipal DEI practices with impactful research and actionable insights! #DEI #EuropeanUnion #EuropeanMunicipalities

I think it is time for an update on the latest conferences I have attended. First of all, I want to thank all the organisers and participants for enabling such enriching contexts and intensive discussions. At the NKG23, Holger Jahnke and I dealt with different understandings of democracy under the scope of the present overlapping crises. To bring democracy closer to the ground, in the EU-funded-project “ReCreaDe – Reimagining Creative Democracy” we qualitatively analysed negotiation practices among transeuropean student teachers. The results served for further reflections on democracy and its practical implementations (https://lnkd.in/dA24fF-b). At the end of that year, I presented the concept of “Phenomenological place-based democracy” at the DKG23. The aim was to (re)imbricate the abstract idea of democracy with its constitutive platial, conflictual and bodily-emotional dimensions. Thereupon, I developed an analytical tool for the operationalisation of (non)democratic practices (https://lnkd.in/dTQZQMh3). These elements add together in my doctoral thesis entitled “Democratic Placemaking”, where I not only theorise on the subject, but also observe, analyse and evaluate (non)democratic practices in place, especially in local contexts. After developing a congruent methodology and applying it on the field research, an empirical case study in Spain, I presented just a couple days ago the preliminary results at the NKG24 (https://lnkd.in/dVD8jaMc). Again, thank you for orchestrating these wonderful events. I am very much looking forward to the next one.

It was great to be back at my old stomping ground, the University of Strathclyde to attend the ENIC North 2024 annual conference. The start of day plenary panel discussion included Tracy Ferrier, (UK ENIC), James Miller FRSE (Principal and VC at the University of the West of Scotland), Susana Galván Hernández (Taith) and Dr Suzanna Tomassi (DBT). Lots of interesting discussion around international education and what the future could hold. My takeaways from this session are - Post pandemic, students are still keen on mobility but there is a trend emerging where they are staying closer to home rather then travelling across the world - Rather than having many partnerships in place, institutions should focus on fewer more strategic partnerships - Sustainability is making an impact on students' choices and the distances they are prepared to travel - Europe is becoming more competitive with an increasing number of programmes being taught in English - Institutions are having to 'do more with less'. We may see international providers coming to the UK Always learning and and so valuable to hear these discussions. #sqainternational #advancedqualifications #diplomatodegree #UKENIC