Category Archives: 2020

Call for registration- Ageing, longevity and health (ALH): virtual graduate student conference 30 September – 2 October 2020 is now open. 

The University of Cape Town, the only IARU member in the global South, will be hosting the annual ALH graduate student conference scheduled to take place on 30th September to 2nd October 2020 with graduate presenters from IARU member universities. The conference will showcase and present innovative research with a strong focus on research being conducted on the African continent with a specific focus on Southern Africa.

The over-arching theme of the conference is healthy ageing: research, strategies and actions.

We have identified three broad themes for the conference, namely (i) new technologies and ageing with a focus on health; (ii) long-term care systems, social and health care; (iii) and dementia, HIV and ageing.

A panel discussion is planned for 2 October and is titled: Protecting an ageing population during COVID-19. This has resonance for all working in the field of ageing and health and will explore current and emerging research in relation to COVID and ageing across different geographical settings.

The conference is intended to provide an important networking opportunity for graduate students and an opportunity for students and researchers to explore collaboration and sharing of ideas and experiences around ageing, longevity and health.

To find out more and to register, see http://www.ALHconference2020.co.za

FAQs

Q1. Who can join the conference?
A1. While it is primarily a graduate student conference, anybody is welcome.

Q2. When is the deadline of registration?
A2. As soon as possible as there is limited space.

We are pleased to announce the opening of the application period for the 2020 Global University Climate Forum.

Multidisciplinary teams of students at all levels from all parts of the world are invited to submit their ideas for climate action projects. Applications are due by midnight EST on September 30th, 2020. (Exceptions to this deadline will only be made for student teams from higher education institutions that are not in session at that time.)

Accepted teams will be invited to participate in the online event series during the week of November 9. Each participant must attend a minimum of three sessions. To ensure inclusion and accommodate time zones, sessions will be rebroadcast.

Following the event series, student teams will be expected to update and execute their project and report on their progress over the course of six months. Reporting will start in December 2020 and end in May 2021. Teams that complete all three phases – application, workshop, implementation – will be featured in a presentation to be issued during COP26 in November 2021.

Applicants will be prompted to select a track:

• Inspiration and Empowerment: Develop a creative approach to raising awareness on climate change and influencing others using tactics such as video, art, writing, music, or social media.
• Ideas into Action: Propose a student-led climate-related project on campus or in the community that will affect measurable change over the course of six months.
• Governance and Policy Innovation: Select a local, national, or global climate policy or governance mechanism and conduct an analysis either on how it can be improved or how your college or university can contribute to its implementation.
• Innovation and Imagination: For projects that do not fit into the other tracks, ideas in this category can be revolutionary, entrepreneurial, and creative. However, they must be actionable and should be designed to yield measurable results over the course of six months.

Visit the 2020 Global University Climate Forum website to learn more about the Forum and access the application.

The Global University Climate Forum is led by Yale University Sustainability with support from the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU) in collaboration with the International Sustainable Campus Network, the Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education (EAUC), the University of Edinburgh, the University of Copenhagen, the University of Cape Town, the University of Tokyo, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the University of New South Wales, and the Center for Governance and Sustainability at UMass Boston.

Please email sustainability@yale.edu with questions or concerns about the application, projects, or the event itself. We look forward to bringing together student from all corners of the word to share ideas, learn, connect, and act on the global imperative of addressing climate change. 

Melissa Goodall, PhD
Deputy Director, YALE Sustainability
Natalia Eccobar-Pemberthy, PhD
Global Sustainability Fellow, YALE Sustainability

The IARU Presidents’ Meeting took place online three times in the first week of June on a regional basis.

The Presidents shared information concerning their institution’s situation and their measures against the spread of COVID-19, and discussed what can be done jointly in the time of coronavirus, where we have fewer opportunities for travel and direct human interactions.

Dr. Makoto Gonokami (UTokyo), the Chair of IARU, released the following message to IARU Community members:

Dear IARU community members,

The global outrage to the death of Mr. George Floyd is a sad reminder that our world has yet to overcome social and political injustices based on difference of race. IARU, a coalition of 11 universities that share common commitments to inclusive societies that treasure creation of knowledge across national or cultural boundaries, cannot accept racial intolerance, injustice or discrimination. As the president of the University of Tokyo, I further wish to add that Japan is not immune to racism, and that more efforts must be made to achieve a society which accepts social and cultural diversity. Let us work together to realize a common future that we all can share.

GONOKAMI Makoto,
Chair of International Alliance of Research Universities
President of the University of Tokyo 

Dr. Makoto Gonokami (UTokyo), the Chair of IARU, released his message to IARU Community members:

Dear IARU Community members,

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for everyone who is committed to safeguard their campuses and their community. Many IARU activities that were planned to take place this spring and in summer have been affected, and I would like to thank you again for all the organizers for taking this situation seriously and making a tough decision to either postpone or cancel these activities, which you have spent a tremendous time preparing for. I am sure that this experience will provide us with new ideas and ways to communicate with one another and we can gain new strength and networks that we can collectively use as a IARU group to contribute to the betterment of humanity.

The spread of COVID-19 is causing a major impact on our economy and society. Day and night, great efforts are being made across the globe to overcome this challenge. I would like to take this opportunity to send my deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives. I also hope for a speedy recovery of those who are suffering from the illness. We are starting to realize that this pandemic may not be a temporary issue, but I am sure we can overcome it together.

COVID-19 evidently demonstrates how globally connected our activities and socio-economic systems have become. In recent years, we have seen rising calls for “our country first”, and the prioritization of self-interest. However, globalization has already reached every aspect of our lives. We are at a point where we cannot go back. The COVID-19 showed us how powerless it is, to take actions aiming only at securing interests of particular regions. Instead, we must act and work together.

This is where academia can play a critical role. Every academic activity pursue universality and have no borders. Academia has a global network based on trust. Academia can work as an alternative channel that compliments political and economic relationships and facilitate collaborations to address major global challenges. In the time of COVID-19, it is important for universities to share their wisdom and work together to tackle and also to develop new ways to continue to guarantee the education and research activities for our future.

Also, we should not forget that we have many urgent global issues to work on, even during this difficult time of the fight against COVID-19. For instance, climate change and environmental issues will not wait. The fight against COVID-19 and the global effort to create a sustainable future must take place at the same time. This is a difficult task, but we must work together to overcome it.

In this light, many of our activities taking place in the working groups of IARU is becoming more and more important. I learned that some activities are already proceeding using online communication. As chair, I would like to support these activities in any way possible.

Also, I would like to strengthen communication between the Presidents so that we can share knowledge and wisdom to tackle this global issue together. In this light, I have started to hold an online dialogue that I call President Hotline.

We have collected information from each member universities in response to the COVID-19. I hope that this webpage will be helpful for our community members to learn good practices from one another and spark new dialogue to envision and create a better future for all after the time of COVID-19.

I will keep you updated.

Gonokami Makoto,
Chair of IARU
President of the University of Tokyo

The International Association of Research University Libraries have developed extensive services to support scholars through the period when universities offer limited physical access of campuses during the response to COVID-19.

The IARU Librarians’ Contact Group has put together information for IARU communities in cooperation with all IARU libraries. The webpage contains information about services available from us during this time of challenge. It is available here.

It is intended to let our communities know what services and access libraries are offering at this time. It also promotes a wealth of research resources that are being made freely available including research outputs from our universities and resources we have digitised.

Learn more about IARU Librarians’ Contact Group here.