Patrick Rebuschat

New research projects focusing on Latin America were developed when a delegation from Lancaster University travelled to Portugal this month.

The delegation participated in a ‘Research in Latin America’ event organized by one of Lancaster’s strategic partners, NOVA University in Lisbon. The delegation included academics from Lancaster’s Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Science and Technology, Health and Medicine, and the Management School as well as professional service staff. A delegation from the University of Cambridge also participated in the workshop.

During the event, more than 60 academics from NOVA, Lancaster and Cambridge were divided into interdisciplinary groups, clustered around topics such as developmental economics, societal challenges, health research and technology. Groups developed new research proposals, which are now being prepared for submission to external funders.

Professor Robert Geyer, Lancaster University’s Interim Dean for Internationalization, said: ‘This was an excellent event for discussing linkages with NOVA and encouraging research interaction and relationships between Lancaster and NOVA academics. We look forward to taking part in the Asia Research event at NOVA in July and inviting NOVA staff to forthcoming Lancaster University research events and activities.’

Dr Patrick Rebuschat, Director of Internationalization, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and Senior Lecturer in Linguistics, said: ‘This was yet another very productive event with our partners at NOVA University. NOVA and Lancaster share the same ambition, to contribute research-led solutions to current and future societal challenges. It is clear that this can only be done effectively by engaging with other universities, businesses and local communities, and our partnership with NOVA University is a clear reflection of this.’

Lancaster University and NOVA University Lisbon established a strategic partnership in June 2018. The purpose of the partnership is to explore opportunities for collaborative research, joint teaching initiatives and strategic knowledge exchange including internationalisation, staff development and student recruitment.

This is the third Lancaster University delegation visit to Lisbon since the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding. A fourth visit will take place in July 2019, when Lancaster is co-organizing a ‘Research in Asia’ event together with NOVA University. To get involved, please email Joe Bourne, j.bourne@lancaster.ac.uk. To learn more about the partnership, including previous events, please visit the partnership website.

The Lancaster delegation in front of NOVA University’s Reitoria (main administrative building). From left to right: Allan Discua Cruz (LUMS), Amalendu Misra (FASS), David Sobral (FST), Céu Mateus (FHM), Robert Geyer (FASS), Patrick Rebuschat (FASS). Not in the picture: Joana Zózimo (LUMS) and Natasa Lackovic (FASS).

[Below is a news item from the LEAD website, announcing our funded STEM+LANG project. A great follow up to the Native Explorers event we organised in May 2018! To read the original, click here.]

Last October, the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network and the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology entered a new partnership with Native Scientist, an award-winning non-profit organisation that promotes cultural diversity in science, education and society.

We are now pleased to announce that we have been awarded a competitive grant from Tübingen’s Exploration Fund, which supports innovative and interdisciplinary research projects.

The Exploration Fund will provide financial support to evaluate how the Native Scientist workshops impact pupils’ attitude towards science and their heritage languages and the scientists’ motivation and perception towards their own work. Over 200 migrant pupils, aged 6-14 years old, and 40 scientists participating in workshops delivered mainly in Germany and the UK, will be tested. The initial focus will be on Portuguese as a heritage language, with the possibility of expanding to Spanish, German, French and Italian migrant children.

Professor Patrick Rebuschat, Distinguished International Professor at Tübingen’s LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, who is a collaborator in the project and led the application to the Exploration Fund, added: “This is a wonderful opportunity for a first systematic study of the impact of the Native Scientist workshops on both pupils and scientists. We can use this important data to further improve the quality of the workshops and to prepare future large-scale studies.”

Professor Ulrich Trautwein, Director of the Hector Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology and of the LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, and Dr Julia Schiefer, who are collaborators in the project,commented: “it’s a great starting point to get the evaluation of this concept of science  plus language workshops a step forward.”

Joana Moscoso and Tatiana Correia, founders and directors of Native Scientist, said: “Measuring and tracking the impact of our work has been a priority since day one, and we are thrilled that we will be able to do so in collaboration with leading scientists at Tübingen. We are very thankful to the University of Tübingen for their openness in embracing this project.”

The mission of Native Scientist is to inspire ethnic minority pupils to pursue higher education and to careers in STEM (MINT) disciplines and, to empower international scientists to increase the impact of their research, and to build a community of advocates for diversity and equality in education and science. Founded in 2013, their work reaches over 1,200 pupils a year and they count with a network of over 1,000 international scientists. To get in touch with Native Scientist, please email Joana (joana.moscoso@nativescientist.com).

In the photo, from left to right: Prof Patrick Rebuschat, LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tübingen, and Native Scientist R&D Advisor; Prof Jessika Golle, Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen; Dr Joana Moscoso, Co-founder and Director of Native Scientist; Dr Julia Schiefer, Hector Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen; Prof Ulrich Trautwein, Director of Hector Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology and of the LEAD Graduate School & Research Network, University of Tübingen.

Press release on the NOVA University website. To access the original, which includes photography from the event, please click here. The Portuguese version can be found here.

On January 10 and 11, the Campolide campus hosted the “Research in Europe” event, organized by NOVA University Lisbon in partnership with Lancaster University.

In the opening session, the Rector of NOVA, Professor João Sàágua highlighted the importance of enhancing collaborative research opportunities by arguing that “it is clear that current top-level research can only be developed within relevant international networks, and supported by international funding. This meeting is an excellent opportunity to make this possible”.

Over the two-day event, participants and speakers from academia, business and politics shared their insights regarding potential scientific projects, the European research agenda and the future of collaborations between British and continental universities.

More than 60 researchers of NOVA and Lancaster worked together to either identify or stimulate the development of ideas for collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects. The researchers were distributed in five thematic sessions – Industry and Competitiveness, Innovative Solutions, Health Challenges & Policies, Societal Impact and Sustainability.

In his intervention, the Minister of Science Technology and Higher Education, Professor Manuel Heitor, stressed the desirable continuity of the joint work between Portugal and the United Kingdom, as well as its universities, regardless of the trajectory of the Brexit process.

This was, in fact, a common message conveyed by all those involved in the various panels.

The British Ambassador to Portugal, Chris Sainty, and Dr. Filipe Gaspar, Vice-President for Research and Development at Hovione, left their testimonies about the importance of partnerships such as the one existing between NOVA and Lancaster University.

Watch the videos:

– Chris Sainty, British Ambassador to Portugal

– Dr. Filipe Gaspar, Vice President of Research and Development at Hovione

The event was a step further towards strengthening the link between NOVA and Lancaster University which signed a Memorandum of Understanding in June 2018 with the objective of exploring opportunities for collaborative research, joint teaching initiatives and strategic knowledge exchange including internationalization, staff development and student recruitment.

“Research in Europe” was the second event in the regional conference cycle promoted by NOVA In The Globe – Institute for Global Development, and was preceded by “Research in Africa” which took place last October.

Very proud to have played a role in the formation of this new and important partnership between Native Scientist and the University of Tübingen (LEAD Graduate School and Research Network; Hector Research Institute for Education Sciences and Psychology). I look forward to working with colleagues at both institution on science education and heritage language learning.

To access the original, please click here. To see a press release on the Native Scientist website, please see here.

Below is a reproduction of the press release on the LEAD website:

New partnership with Native Scientist

The goal is to assess science workshops for migrant children and adolescents

The LEAD Graduate School & Research Network and the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology are pleased to announce a new partnership with Native Scientist, an award-winning non-profit organization based in United Kingdom.

The mission of Native Scientist is to inspire ethnic minority pupils to pursue higher education and to careers in STEM (MINT) disciplines, to empower international scientists to increase the impact of their research, and to build a community of advocates for diversity and equality in education and science. Since its foundation in 2013, Native Scientist has organized over 150 workshops in ten different languages, reaching over 1,000 pupils every year in six European countries (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, The Netherlands and Norway).

The objective of this partnership is to evaluate the effectiveness of innovative educational programmes that promote both science and heritage language skills in migrant children and adolescents throughout Europe.

Dr Joana Moscoso, one of the founders of Native Scientist, says: “Our dream is not only to deliver great programmes for speakers of heritage languages, but also to understand why our programmes work and how we can further improve them. We are therefore thrilled to be collaborating with the University of Tübingen, which will take our evaluation procedures to the highest level.”

Professor Ulrich Trautwein, Director of the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology and of the LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, added: “The Native Scientists program is a highly innovative and ambitious educational intervention that is based on a profound theoretical framework. We are excited to study and, perhaps, add to the effectiveness of the program by applying rigorous research designs.”

Professor Patrick Rebuschat, Distinguished International Professor at Tübingen’s LEAD Graduate School and Research Network, commented: “This is a wonderful opportunity for all involved. Native Scientist has done impressive work over the past six years, motivating thousands of young migrant children throughout Europe to consider a career in STEM. We are thrilled to be joining forces to further improve the effectiveness of their excellent STEM+LANG workshops.”

For more questions, or to get involved, please email Ulrich Trautwein or Patrick Rebuschat.

From left to right: Patrick Rebuschat, Native Scientist R&D Advisor (LEAD), Jessika Golle (Hector Research Institute/LEAD), Joana Moscoso, Co-founder and Director of Native Scientist, Julia Schiefer (Hector Research Institute/LEAD), Ulrich Trautwein (Hector Research Institute/LEAD)

As part of the recently established strategic partnership between Lancaster and NOVA University Lisbon (see here for original news item), a delegation returned to Lisbon in early October to discuss research links, future steps, etc. Please see below for the official press release from our university website. To get involved in the NOVA Lancaster partnership, please send me a message. (I serve as the partnership’s Liaison Officer.)

To see the news item on our university website, please click here.

10 October 2018 18:27

Lancaster academics at forefront of international talks about Africa and health research

Ambitious new research projects focusing on Africa and on health innovation were discussed when a delegation from Lancaster University travelled to Portugal this month.

The delegation included academics from Lancaster’s Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Science and Technology, as well as Health and Medicine.

A ‘Research in Africa’ event, staged by NOVA University in Lisbon, showcased an impressive range of Africa-related research conducted across NOVA’s nine Faculties, from business studies, information management and social sciences to engineering, health research and natural sciences.

Lancaster University and NOVA University Lisbon established a strategic partnership in June 2018. The purpose of the partnership is to explore opportunities for collaborative research, joint teaching initiatives and strategic knowledge exchange including internationalisation, staff development and student recruitment.

Professor Robert Geyer, Lancaster’s Interim Dean International, said: “This was an excellent event for discussing linkages with NOVA and good progress was made on a number of areas. We look forward to exploring further research linkages on Europe with NOVA and inviting NOVA staff to forthcoming Lancaster University research events and activities.”

Dr Céu Mateus, Senior Lecturer in the Division of Health Research, Faculty of Health and Medicine, said: “Both NOVA and Lancaster have strong, cross-disciplinary research groups that focus on the use of health care technologies in ageing populations. We look forward to working together on this topic and to explore collaborations in other health research areas.”

Professor Kirk Semple, Director of International Engagement, Lancaster Environment Centre, said: “It was wonderful to hear about the range of projects that NOVA is working on with Lusophone African partners. It is clear that NOVA and Lancaster have similar ambitions for international collaboration. This strategic partnership offers exciting possibilities for our universities to work together on meaningful projects with African researchers.”

The visit concluded with a tour to the new campus of NOVA’s highly-ranked School of Business and Economics. This impressive new development features state-of-the-art teaching and research infrastructure, including a tunnel that leads staff and students to an adjacent beach. The project was financed by a 47M EUR fundraising campaign.

For more information on the NOVA Lancaster partnership or to get involved, please email Dr Patrick Rebuschat, p.rebuschat@lancaster.ac.uk.

From left to right: Professor Joao Amaro de Matos, Vice Rector, NOVA University Lisbon; Professor Kirk Semple, Director of International Engagement, Lancaster Environment Centre; Professor Joao Sàágua, Rector, NOVA University Lisbon; Professor Robert Geyer, Interim Dean International, Lancaster University.

We have prepared a PDF of the summer school program. This contains all the information in one place, including schedule, abstracts, practical information. You can download the document by clicking this link:

Summer school program

Please note that participants will not receive a printed version of this document. However, you will find a one-page print out of the schedule, name badges, notepads, pens, and maps of Tuebingen on the registration desk on Monday, July 23.

Looking forward to welcoming an excellent group of keynotes, faculty and participants to the Tuebingen Summer School in Second Language Acquisition soon! Our 80 Summer School participants come from 34 institutions, representing 12 different countries. Thanks to the University of Tuebingen for making this free event possible.

Time for an official hashtag!  If you are on Twitter, please use #TuebingenSLA when tweeting about the Summer School.

To see the tweets associated with this hashtag, just click here. 

The occasional power cut has its perks. With LancasterUni campus shut down, we had to make alternative arrangements for lunch. Luckily, Lancashire provides gorgeous locations for working  with Padraic Monaghan and Morten Christiansen

Nice coverage of Luso 2018, and especially of the morning session public policy, in Portuguese daily Observador. You can read the original here.

Ministro da Educação encoraja cientistas a serem mais interventivos na política

Para o ministro da Educação, os cientistas precisam de ser de ser mais ativos civicamente e politicamente para influenciarem as políticas públicas relacionadas com a investigação e educação.

Os cientistas precisam de ser mais ativos para influenciarem as políticas públicas relacionadas com a investigação e educação, exortou este sábado o ministro da Educação, Tiago Brandão Rodrigues, num evento na universidade britânica de Lancaster.

“Os cientistas em geral não são muito interventivos, vivem no seu mundo, apesar de terem conhecimento e competências”, afirmou, durante o debate de abertura do Luso, o encontro dos estudantes e investigadores portugueses no Reino Unido.”

Brandão Rodrigues, que é formado em bioquímica e foi investigador nos EUA, Espanha e na cidade britânica de Cambridge, admitiu que a maioria dos cientistas podia, mas não é ativa civicamente e politicamente.

O ministro avisou que “se os cientistas não participarem, outros vão fazê-lo. Se não falarem, outros podem falar na vez deles e muitos são populistas que oferecem soluções imediatas e ilusórias que as pessoas gostam”.

Mike Galsworthy, cofundador do movimento “Cientistas pela UE”, criado depois do referendo que votou pelo Brexit em junho de 2016, vincou que “a comunicação de ciência é mais do que falar das estrelas no céu“.

Além de investigador na London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Galsworthy tem feito trabalho como consultor independente em política de investigação e inovação, em particular sobre as relações entre o Reino Unido e a União Europeia.

A criação do movimento surgiu após surgirem sinais que o resultado do referendo, mesmo antes de o ‘Brexit ser uma realidade, perturbou colaborações científicas, congelou trabalhos e investimento, levou pessoas a recusarem posições no Reino Unido e causou ansiedade com o sentimento de xenofobia.

Desde então, a pressão colocada através da comunicação social e redes sociais permitiu sensibilizar os cidadãos para a questão e confrontar políticos.

“A ciência como política pública é hoje estratégica para o Governo e para os países de oposição, que prometem aumentar o financiamento e formas de continuar a atrair talento”, referiu.

Robert Geyer, Professor de Política e Complexidade e diretor académico da Universidade de Lancaster, qualificou a atualidade “um momento importante para a democracia”, com o ‘Brexit’ e a presidência de Trump, que é perturbadora e fascinante ao mesmo tempo.

Na sua opinião, existe o desafio de “criar uma crença dos cidadãos nos serviços públicos, que a sociedade pode criar mundo melhor” perante um sentimento de antagonismo perante o Estado.

“Como é que podemos criar uma crença no Estado que nos permita criar as políticas que possibilite esse processo de criar o futuro?”, lançou.

Cerca de 50 pessoas participam hoje na 11.ª edição do encontro anual promovido pela Associação dos Estudantes e Investigadores Portugueses no Reino Unido (PARSUK na sigla inglesa).

A Universidade de Lancaster, onde se realiza o evento este ano, possui cerca de 14 mil estudantes, dos quais uma centena são portugueses, frequentando licenciaturas, mestrados e doutoramentos.

Na segunda-feira, uma delegação da universidade parte para Lisboa, onde vai assinar um memorando de entendimento com a Universidade Nova, o qual vai juntar a parcerias já existentes com países como Malásia, Gana e China.

A universidade possui também uma dezena de professores portugueses e na história recente um episódio ligado a Portugal.

Em 1986, distinguiu com um doutoramento ‘honoris causa’ o então recém-eleito presidente da República, Mário Soares, o primeiro chefe de Estado estrangeiro a visitar Lancaster.

PARSUK Conference