ICA will hold three events focusing on innovation in higher education in the life sciences at Ghent University, Belgium from 18 to 20 May 2022.   REGISTRATION EXTENDED TO 8 May

18 May Special Interest Group (SIG) for Sustainable Entrepreneurial Education (ICA-Edu SIG)

will hold a Colloquium focusing on Putting Assessment of Sustainable Entrepreneurship Education in the Spotlight. The ICA Board has established a Special Interest Group (SIG) for Sustainable Entrepreneurship Education within the ICA-Edu Board Committee. The establishment of this SIG is the result of the continuing interest resulting from the two previous ICA-Edu Colloquia focusing on this topic and the INTRINSIC project. This workshop will continue to develop this important area.

Two Colloquia held concurrently, register now for one or the other

19 - 20 May ICA Network for Innovation in Life Sciences Higher Education (ICA-Edu)

will hold a Colloquium Exploring the opportunities and challenges of mainstreaming blended learning in Life Sciences Higher Education: through institutional, student and lecturer perspectives. Blended-learning practices and experiences may vary widely in design and execution. Improvements in both university curricula and learning technologies, together with the impacts of the COVID pandemic, means that it is a learning mode that continues to gain momentum and usage.

OR

19 - 20 May ICA Community of Practice for Bioeconomy Education (ICA CoP Bio-Edu)

will hold a Colloquium to address Interdisciplinary Education for the Bioeconomy: embedding the mindset of the bioeconomy in the curricula of Bachelor degree programmes.  Students follow many different Bachelor degree programmes which provide opportunities for careers in the different fields of the bioeconomy.  The Colloquium will address how an interdisciplinarity mindset of the sustainable circular Bioeconomy can be embedded throughout the curricula of these Bachelor degree programmes.

Currently, Rasa Pakeltienė is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and at the Faculty of Bioeconomy Development at the Agriculture Academy of Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania. She holds a Master’s degree in Management and Business Administration and a PhD in Social Sciences Management field focusing on mapping the potential for the synergistic development of rural areas.

Rasa Pakeltienė has been working at the university since 2011 and is a member of various committees inside and outside the university. She is an active member of the extended SCAR AKIS meetings and represents the University at the Nordic Association for Agricultural Scientists (NJF) and the European Rural Network Assembly. As an independent expert, she takes part in the ENRN thematic group of “Rural Proofing” and “Sustainability Agreements in the Agri-food Supply Chain” as well as working as an external expert for H2020 and Horizon Europe proposals. Since last September she has been working as a Knowledge and Innovation Officer at the “EIP-AGRI Knowledge and Innovation Support Facility” in Brussels. She will continue with these engagements whilst acting as ICA Secretary General – engaged on a 0.6 FTE agreement with Vytautas Magnus University.

Rasa Pakeltienė was a member of the ICA Task Force from 2020-21 which advised the ICA Board on its ambition for enhancing the engagement of ICA with EU institutions and other stakeholders in Europe for the benefit of ICA members. With Rasa‘s experience of working in the Brussels arena and her experience of the ICA Task Force, she is very well placed to support the implementation of the new „ICA Strategy Towards 2030“ under the direction of the ICA Board.

Contact email address:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

LIFE SCIENCES UNIVERSITIES
ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE AND ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE BIOECONOMIES

We, the Rectors, Deans and Senior Management of the Association for European Life Science Universities at our Forum focusing on the Role of Life Science Universities in Transitioning to Climate Neutrality held in Leuven, Belgium on 21 and 22 October 2021;
Recognising that university education, research and innovation are a vital pillar for transitioning to a sustainable bioeconomy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions;
Placing climate change and climate neutrality at the centre of our learning, research, our collaboration with societal partners, and in our campus operations;

Pledge to leaders at COP26:
1. We will enhance our understanding of climate change and transition pathways in our curricula and provide our students – the future professionals and decision makers - with all available understanding of the need, means and paths for society to move to climate neutrality,

2. We will enhance our research into understanding of and integral solutions for climate neutrality, designing concrete pathways towards sustainable bioeconomies,

3. We will seek active collaboration with the agrifood, biobased, marine, forestry and other economic and societal actors and sectors in our locations across Europe to help implement concrete products, technologies, activities and practices that severely reduce climate change impacts and advance net-zero greenhouse gas emissions systems, and

4. We will engage with our life science institutions and campuses in moving towards climate neutrality so that they become beacons of progress and exemplary for other research and teaching institutions.

Signed by 66 Attendees of the Rectors and Deans Forum

Download the full text COMMUNIQUÉ with the list of signatories

11th ICA Rectors and Deans Forum 2021 was held Thursday 21 and Friday 22 October 2021. The Forum addressed "The Role of Life Science Universities in Transitioning to Climate Neutrality and Open Science". The Forum was held at the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven, Belgium. See the programme and the presentations.

The Board of the Association for European Life Science Universities (ICA) sends a strong message of support to the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine and to Dmytro Motornyi Tavria State Agrotechnological University who are members of ICA, and to all universities in Ukraine. 

As ICA, we strongly condemn President Putin’s military invasion of your country, of your democratically elected institutions and of your citizens. Everything we, as European citizens and European scientists, stand for – freedom, democracy, peace, evidence, facts – is being violated. Know that your ICA colleague institutions are behind you. Each in their own way will support Ukraine, morally, politically and materially. To know more about the support which ICA institutions have established for Ukrainian staff and students please visit the ICA member institutions here. 

The ICA Board stands against the decision of the Russian Union of Rectors supporting President Putin's devastating war on the people of the Ukraine. The Board calls upon all life science universities worldwide to cease all cooperation with those Russian universities. The ICA Board stands with the sacrifice made by those Russians who are standing out against this war.

On behalf of the ICA Board,

Professor Arthur Mol
President of ICA

13 March 2022

Download the Greeting 2022

Date for your Agenda: ICA Rectors and Deans Forum 2022 will be held on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 October

First International Conference on Sustainable Entrepreneurship Education was held online on 25 and 26 November 2021 from BOKU, Vienna.  The Conference will Blend the Three Colours of Sustainability, Entrepreneurship Education and Higher Education for Sustainable Entrepreneurship Education.  Download the conference flyer and view the programme and presentations on the website

The focus of the conference is to inspire and engage higher education teachers to embed Sustainable Entrepreneurship
Education in Life Science degree programs

The ICA Board is pleased to be a partner in the ERASMUS + Strategic Partnership Project led by the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU). The INTRINSIC project addresses Innovative Education for Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Life Sciences - download the flyer and goto to the project website

ICA Rectors and Deans Forum 2022: 20 and 21 October

The ICA General Assembly 2022 will be held on 19 October

ICA Board Committees Events

ICA-Edu Special Interest Group for Sustainable Bioeconomy Education:  18 May 2022, Ghent Belgium

ICA-Edu Colloquium: 19 to 20 May 2022, Ghent Belgium

ICA CoP Bio-Edu Collqouium: 19 to 20 May 2022, Ghent, Belgium

ICA CoP Bio-Edu Summer School for the Bioeocnomy: 5 to 9 September 2022, Thessaloniki, Greece

ICA Standing Committees face to face Events

AGRINATURA Conference: 18 to 20 May at University of Cork, Ireland

CASEE Conference: 22 to 24 June 2022 in Chisinau, Moldova

IROICA Conference: 8 to 10 June 2022 at Mendel University, Brno, Czech Republic

SILVA Network Annual Conference: 28 - 30 June 2022 at University College Dublin, Ireland,  Higher Forestry education in times of multiple crises: crises as framework conditions, topics, challenge and as a trigger for improvements

ISLE 10th Anniversary Conference 26-29 Sept 2022 in Palencia, Spain

ISEKI Conference, 2023 in Paris