CIVIS Network-Building Activities: Common Framework

CIVIS is a platform for new connections between academics and staff across the Alliance. To support the emergence of bottom-up initiatives and partnerships, we are pleased to offer a space for network-building activities. The objective is to foster durable connections and synergies which can lead to to exciting collaborations in areas like education, research, civic engagement and administrative practice.

This call provides a framework for launching those online activities, so that they can be followed and supported by the relevant CIVIS teams.

Download the full call

Target group

This framework is for staff from CIVIS member universities: teachers, researchers, administrative staff, etc…

The CIVIS Alliance aims to keep building on the grassroots cooperation among its member university communities. To foster the links and networks which underpin this cooperation, this framework aims to supporting transnational teams who wish to implement online activities such as:

  Objective Format

Disciplinary meetings

Meetings between teams working on a single academic discipline across several CIVIS member universities.

 Build new connections and present the educational offer and organisation of research. Closed/private meeting

Thematic webinars

Key-note speeches or presentations on transversal issues or academic topics related to Alliance priorities and workstreams.

 Share exciting knowledge and ideas with a wide audience through CIVIS-branded activities. Webinar open to a broader public

Collaborative workshop

Intensive group discussion and/or hands-on activity to explore the different aspects of a given theme.

 Co-create new knowledge or processes; explore innovative and practical approaches to teaching and learning. Highly interactive online session with practical activities or outputs, probably limited to a fairly small group to allow full participation.

Exchange of best practices

Round-table discussions focusing on processes and practical solutions to academic or administrative issues.

 Facilitate the flow of good practice between the academics and staff across the Alliance. Round-table discussions open to specialist practitioners in the area addressed, with plenty of space for all participants to share examples of their own work and/or ask for advice from peers.

Existing event opened to the CIVIS community

This call is also open for activities where a local team wishes to invite colleagues from other CIVIS member universities to join an event which they are already organising, either as a speaker or a participant.

Proposed initiatives should involve actors from at least 3 CIVIS member universities. (We have 11 members across Europe – see civis.eu for a full list.) If the initiative does not meet this criterion, it should explicitly and concretely aim to establishing a collaboration which would.

Proposed initiatives should also fulfil one or more of the criteria listed below:

  • Have a link to one of the CIVIS Hub themes, including synergies with Hub activities and explicitly addressing societal challenges.
  • Involve at least one African partner university of the CIVIS Alliance.
  • Involve community-building activities.
  • Have a multilingual aspect (event in a language other than English or actively aiming to reduce language barriers).

This framework is only for online activities. No financial support is available. Depending on the scope of the proposed activities and other ongoing capacity demands, CIVIS teams may be able to provide the following operational support to activities which meet the criteria:

  • Network building and identification of relevant contacts within other CIVIS member universities
  • Organisational or logistical support for online meetings and registration
  • CIVIS branding and templates
  • Publication on CIVIS website and support for communication and promotion through CIVIS channels
  • Participation of relevant experts from the CIVIS governance and management, who can present CIVIS activities and opportunities.

We strongly encourage you to contact the CIVIS Institutional Coordinator within your university to discuss your initiative even before submitting it.

If you wish to propose a networking activity, please use this form.

Your proposal will be reviewed by the CIVIS teams and you will be notified of our assessment within 4 to 6 weeks after submission. Following the implementation of your meeting/event, you will be invited to report on your activity through a short questionnaire.

Download the full call