A joint Research Group on Cross-Border Cooperation between the National University of Public Service and CESCI has been established
Border studies + RGBS | 29 March 2022
On 24 March 2022, the joint Research Group on Cross-Border Cooperation, which was established as the fourteenth scientific and professional research group of the National University of Public Service (UPS), held its inaugural meeting. The Research Group provides an institutional framework in collaboration with the National University of Public Service and the Central European Service for Cross-Border Initiatives (CESCI) that can link the civil and academic spheres, combining theoretical research with practical implementation. During the joint work CESCI – as a recognized international professional organization – can bring in its widespread scientific connections and many years of excellent professional history, while UPS contributes to the successful operation with its academic research network and extensive higher education capacities.
Norbert Kis, the vice-chancellor overseeing the Research Group, said at the inaugural meeting that he sees the collaboration as a real partnership and is confident that the initiative can become a nationwide center for border research.
Zsuzsanna Fejes, the head of the Research Group, who is also the vice-president of CESCI, emphasized that due to the interdisciplinary nature and complexity of border research, UPS provides an excellent academic environment for cooperation and provides opportunities for scientific and professional dissemination and networking on the international stage. The collaboration between researchers at CESCI and the University can also bring significant results in putting theoretical research into practice.
Gyula Ocskay, Secretary General of CESCI, welcomed the establishment of the Research Group with great expectations and emphasized that he considered UPS to be the most important academic partner in border research, as the University has many educational and research areas closely related to the Research Group’s topics.
The research program comprehensively covers the subject areas and sub-disciplines of contemporary border science, from geopolitical, legal, governance, security policy issues to international, EU and Central European studies to political theory, critical-historical, geographical and sociological aspects. Due to its educational and research profiles, UPS is the most appropriate institutional framework for the interdisciplinary foundation of border research and for the integration of the border studies into the university education.
Earlier this year, the parties submitted a joint application to the European Union’s Horizon Twinning program with three international universities [University of Eastern Finland, Karelia Institute (Joensuu); European Academy, EURAC (Bolzano); Lisbon University Institute (Lisbon)] with the main aim of strengthening scientific and administrative capacity.
