FAQ
General
The network was founded in 2016 on the initiative of VU Amsterdam, which was joined by the University of Innsbruck in 2019. Currently, the network comprises nine members from across Europe. Within the Aurora network, research-intensive (full) universities with strong regional ties and a societal mission exchange ideas under the principle of “matching research excellence with societal impact and engagement.”
The Aurora European University Initiative, on the other hand, traces back to a speech by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Sorbonne in 2017. In this speech, Macron spoke of European universities as places of educational innovation and excellent research, within which students are enabled to pursue a course of study that allows them to study abroad and attend seminars in at least two languages. This idea was further developed by the European Commission into a call for proposals within the Erasmus+ framework, to which European university consortia could apply over several rounds of calls.
From the Aurora network, a successful application for a European University was submitted under this funding scheme. The Aurora European University Alliance officially started on November 1, 2020, making it one of the 65 university consortia currently participating in this European initiative. More information can be found here:https://education.ec.europa.eu/education-levels/higher-education/european-universities-initiative.
Aurora enables the Universität Innsbruck to initiate new types of cooperation that span all levels of the organization and across all fields of activity — teaching, research, innovation, and societal impact. In general, the European Universities aim to achieve a substantial improvement in the quality, attractiveness, and competitiveness of the participating universities and to promote knowledge exchange among all university members across borders — within a shared, trusting network.
Erasmus+ is much more than just a program for student mobility. The goal of all Erasmus+ projects is to improve the quality of education and training and to enhance learning outcomes. Whether a consortium like the European Universities is funded through Erasmus+ or, for example, through Horizon 2020 is ultimately of secondary importance.
The themes of the five so-called hubs represent the conceptual framework and focal points within Aurora:
- Sustainability & Climate Change
- Digital Society & Global Citizenship
- Health & Well-being
- Culture: Diversity & Identity
- Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Within these overarching themes, students at the respective Aurora universities are to be equipped not only with the necessary subject-specific competencies but especially with the “skillset & mindset” that enables them to address the major global challenges in line with the SDGs. This can be achieved both within the individual universities and, in particular, through alliance-wide (teaching) activities.
Beyond the (teaching-related) activities, the collaboration within the European Universities framework also touches upon other university areas, such as reducing mobility barriers, supporting networking in research, initiatives to further embed the sustainability topic at the respective universities, expanding shared IT infrastructures, or strengthening connections with societal stakeholders.
The Aurora Office is your primary point of contact for any questions or interest related to Aurora. At the same time, many other colleagues—from both academic and administrative staff—are involved in Aurora activities—we are happy to connect you with them!
Membership in the Aurora network provides researchers access to a strong, international network. It offers a structured platform for academic exchange, peer learning, and the joint (further) development of innovative teaching and learning formats as well as research projects. Through Aurora, interested colleagues can easily find contact persons at partner universities—whether for collaborative projects, joint publications, teaching innovations, or research initiatives. Additionally, Aurora offers opportunities to enhance international visibility and promotes the establishment of long-term, sustainable collaborations.
Membership in the Aurora Alliance offers students a wide range of opportunities to gain international experience and broaden their perspectives. The spectrum ranges from individual courses with an international focus, through flexible exchange and online formats, to longer study stays at partner universities. The overarching goal is to equip all students with the skills they need to succeed in a global working environment and to address societal challenges—especially in light of the SDGs.
Beyond the relevant subject-specific competencies that our students acquire during their studies, university education also has a formative impact on personal development: horizons are broadened, competencies sharpened—especially those soft skills needed to meet the economic, social, and cultural challenges of our time.
Aurora aims to develop and provide new tools and formats for this question of skills development, which can be used by teaching staff and incorporated into the study programs of the university. This fosters the development of a “skills & mindset” among our students that empowers graduates of Aurora universities to become agents of societal change.
Aurora also offers administrative staff the opportunity to work in an internationally connected environment and learn from each other. This can happen through exchanges with colleagues at partner universities, participation in training sessions, workshops, or joint projects. The goal is to expand competencies, discover innovative work approaches, and continuously improve the services and processes at the university—in line with a modern, future-oriented university administration.
Aurora Teaching Development for Instructors
Aurora Teaching Development is an initiative of the University of Innsbruck within the framework of the Aurora European Universities Alliance. Its aim is to develop common principles, quality criteria, and supportive infrastructures for innovative teaching. In doing so, it establishes reliable conditions to promote internationally oriented, cooperative, student-centred and innovative teaching and learning formats at the University of Innsbruck—particularly within the context of courses.
The goal is to support instructors in building cooperation between Aurora universities, testing new didactic approaches and formats, and further developing existing courses.
Students are expected to acquire the competencies, attitudes, and mindsets needed to help shape the complex societal challenges of our time.
Instructors may be assigned teaching hours within the framework of Aurora Teaching Development. In addition, it is possible to apply for student assistants.
For the (further) development of courses, the following resources are also available:
- individual didactic consultation provided by the Teaching and Learning Formats Team
- the Aurora Toolbox with methods, tools, and examples
- Manuals and guidelines for implementation
- exchange formats for instructors within the University of Innsbruck and with Aurora partner universities
Mandatory criteria (must always be met):
Thematic relevance & learning outcomes:
The course must be thematically aligned with, and its learning outcomes must be directly related to, at least one of the so-called “Research-Driven Educational Hubs.” Learning outcomes must be formulated using the tools of the Aurora Competence Framework:
- Sustainability & Climate Change
- Digital Society & Global Citizenship
- Health & Well-Being
- Culture: Diversity & Identity
- Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
The course must also contribute to the achievement of one or more SDGs, which must be indicated accordingly in the course catalogue.
Language of instruction:
The course must be offered in English.
Accessibility (Openness)
The course must be open to students from all Aurora universities. It is either:
- embedded in a compulsory or elective module and, students from other Aurora universities join the course
- designed for the module on interdisciplinary or generic competencies and open to all Aurora students.
Optional criteria (2 out of 3 must be met):
Teaching and learning methods / approaches
The course uses participatory or innovative, but in any case student-centred, formats from the Aurora Toolbox.
Examples: BIP, COIL, team teaching, service learning, co-creation.
International learning experience
The course provides meaningful international or intercultural learning experiences—physical or virtual.
Examples: BIP, short-term mobility, virtual exchange, blended learning.
Use of Aurora Competence Framework tools
The course employs at least one further tool from the Aurora Competence Framework:
The Aurora Competence Framework (ACF) provides various instruments that support instructors in formulating learning outcomes, integrating them into their teaching, and making (educational) development visible.
Despite their differences, the academic calendars of Aurora partner universities enable student participation in courses. This can be achieved through suitable formats such as short-term mobility (block courses, BIPs) and online teaching (including COIL). Depending on the intended learning outcomes and the partner institutions involved, courses may also be offered during lecture-free periods.
Yes. A graphical overview of the academic calendar of the Aurora Alliance is available here.
Courses that meet the Aurora criteria appear under the category “Aurora” in the section “Interdisciplinary and Additional Offerings.”
(External) Aurora students may register via a special application procedure. This procedure is also available to students of the University of Innsbruck. If places remain available after the completion of this procedure, regular registration via LFU:Online is opened exclusively for Innsbruck students.
Instructors wishing to submit a course as an Aurora course may use the relevant application form.
Yes. In general, the regular deadlines for course planning (administrative process) apply.
The Teaching and Learning Formats Team, Office for the Bologna Process and Teaching Development, Vice-Rectorate for Teaching and Students is available for inquiries.
For general information on Aurora, the team at the Aurora Office of the University of Innsbruck is available.
Aurora creates an interdisciplinary and collaborative teaching and learning environment with an international orientation—even at the level of individual courses. This is made possible by transnational teaching teams as well as the high diversity of participating students, and it draws on the expertise and resources of the Aurora partner universities.
Moreover, Aurora offers instructors the opportunity to jointly develop and test innovative teaching and learning methods with students, thus fostering an experimental, participatory, and reflective learning setting.
Yes. Aurora courses make a substantial contribution to addressing globally relevant topics such as sustainability, digitalisation, health, and social innovation. They thereby help educate critically thinking and engaged graduates who are equipped to respond competently to complex societal challenges.
Aurora is currently establishing a pool of instructors interested in collaboration; a matching platform is also under discussion. Until these structures are available, the Teaching and Learning Formats Team and the Aurora Office are happy to help you find suitable partners.
Micro-credentials within Aurora Teaching Development
An Aurora micro-credential is a quality-assured, small-volume teaching and learning format that conveys clearly defined and verifiable learning outcomes. It may stand alone or be combined with additional micro-credentials and serves to develop specific competences of societal or scientific relevance
Micro-credentials enable the rapid delivery of current, relevant educational needs and research findings. They also offer opportunities to reach new target groups and to facilitate international mobility within shorter time frames.
Aurora provides the following tools for the formulation and assessment of learning outcomes:
- LOUIS – for societal-impact-related, non-subject-specific learning outcomes
- BEVI– for capturing learner attitudes and developmental change
- SEIZMIC – for measuring competences in Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation
These tools support instructors in didactic design and in quality assurance.
Instructors work within the existing internal quality assurance processes of their institution. In addition, the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) and the standardised Aurora description elements apply. Courses must fulfil at least “Level 2 of Aurorisation,” meaning that they incorporate international, competence-based, and societally relevant components.
Micro-credentials embedded in formal study programmes may be recognised in accordance with national higher education regulations. Within Aurora, the objective is seamless recognition across partner universities. Instructors should therefore use standardised descriptions and transparent assessment criteria.
Research
In addition to the regular calls for seed funding for collaborative research projects, for thematic winter or summer schools or research secondments, the Alliance offers a database of potentially usable Research Resources at the partner universities, a Doctoral Committee Pool for PhD students and researchers and its own SDG Research Dashboard for tracking how the research of the individual partners contributes to the SDGs. An overview of the Research Support Offices at the partner universities is currently being developed to facilitate cooperation, and workshops for researchers are also regularly offered and information on MSCA calls is shared.
The Aurora Research Resources are listed in a common database of the Alliance and can be accessed online here. The resources listed in this database are subject to a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Aurora partners, which enables the resources to be shared as free of charge as possible, and templates for research cooperation agreements are also made available on the website.
On the one hand, you can use the information available online, which can be found in the Aurora Research Resources Dataset, theAurora Doctoral Committee Pool or the Aurora Doctoral Committee Pool. The overview of Research Support Offices, which is still under development, can also be helpful for this and otherwise it is always possible to submit a request to the Aurora-Office of the UIBK so that we can help in the search for potential research partners.
During the Erasmus+ funded project "Aurora 2030", calls for seed funding of collaborative research projects (up to €25,000 for two years and up to five funded projects per year), for thematic winter or summer schools (up to €20,000 and up to two funded schools per year) or research secondments (max. 3 months and up to ten funded secondments per year) are announced annually. These are open to all research areas in terms of content, but are based on the Aurora Research Hubs and must be submitted together with Aurora partners. More detailed information on the calls and the application forms can be found here (to be announced).