UNIC

The aim of the UNIC alliance is to facilitate the creation of a new European university within the European Higher Education Area, which will significantly increase student mobility and inclusivity, and contribute to the development of a model for inclusive education focused on addressing the challenges of post-industrial cities and the increasingly diverse European society.

The UNIC alliance comprises the University of Zagreb (Croatia), the University of Deusto in Bilbao (Spain), Ruhr University Bochum (Germany), Koç University in Istanbul (Turkey), Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands), University College Cork (Ireland), the University of Liège (Belgium), and the University of Oulu (Finland).

The alliance of eight European universities, including the University of Zagreb, has been awarded initial funding for the development of the European University of Post-Industrial Cities - UNIC, under the European Universities call.

Erasmus University Rotterdam serves as the coordinator of the UNIC alliance. The project coordinator at the University of Zagreb is the Faculty of Law.

The first phase of the project will last for three years, after which its extension for another three years is expected. The activities of UNIC are anticipated to fully develop over the six-year period. However, the European University of Post-Industrial Cities will remain a permanent institutional form of collaboration among the partner universities constituting the UNIC alliance.

The creation of UNIC project has three main components, which will largely be implemented online, in a digital environment.

The Interuniversity Campus (UNIC Campus) will enable students, researchers, university lecturers, and other staff, especially those in student offices, laboratories, and libraries, to have unhindered mobility necessary for learning, teaching, scientific research, work, exchange, and knowledge development within UNIC, regardless of their socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. The aim is to ensure full inclusion of all categories of students. A 50 percent student mobility and a 25 percent mobility of teachers and non-teaching staff are expected.

The Superdiversity Academy aims to encourage all universities in the UNIC alliance to embrace students and staff of all characteristics and backgrounds. The goal is to open up and develop new forms of collaboration and mobility among students and staff across the participating universities.

City Labs are a form of experiential learning where, for example in Zagreb, through a defined theme such as "Assistance to citizens after earthquakes," assistance can be provided to those in need at a physical location outside the university, with a focus on marginalized groups and groups at particular risk. The goal is to enable intercultural learning and collaboration.

The project leader for the University of Zagreb is Prof. Ivan Koprić, and the deputy project leader is Assoc. Prof. Goranka Lalić Novak. Faculty members and students from all university components are involved in various tasks and activities of the project. Alongside UNIC project coordinators at all University of Zagreb faculties, student representatives from all faculties gathered in the student council will play a significant role. Additionally, a stakeholders' committee is expected to be formed, including representatives from the City of Zagreb administration, civil society, and the business community from both the city and broader community.