Pintra (EN) Blog
The opening of the new academic year is the perfect moment take a moment to look at the familiar streets and squares of our Stadscampus through a different lens: Rector Herman Van Goethem guides us along seventeen special locations with the aid of an app and old photos.
How do you create societal or economic added value with research? ‘More and more researchers are thinking about valorisation, but do not know how to go about this. That is what we are here for.’ Kris Asnong of Antwerp Valorisation & Development, Jurgen Joossens of the Valorisation Office and Professor Silvia Lenaerts, Vice-Rector for Valorisation, explain why and especially how our university wants to stimulate valorisation.
With the transition to the new UAntwerp house style, our merchandise was in need of a makeover. Various items with the new logo – from flash drives and ballpoint pens to teddy bears and cheerful socks – will soon be on sale. Sustainability, corporate social responsibility and creativity were top priorities in our search for a new supplier.
How do you welcome new employees in times when a face-to-face chat or breakfast with the whole team is not an option? The obvious answer is online, but is that enough? ‘While we miss the social aspect of face-to-face meetings, there are also advantages. We’ll definitely keep doing some things online in the future’, says the HR Department.
With a major prevention project, our university is focusing even more strongly on the mental well-being of its students. Truyken Ossenblok and Femme Swinnen from the Study Advice and Student Counselling Service are in charge of this project. And they want to involve as many colleagues as possible.
How do our employees feel in their day-to-day work? What causes stress? And how has the coronavirus pandemic affected our wellbeing? At UAntwerp, we’ve launched a new wellbeing survey to find the answers to these questions. ‘The more people participate, the better we can make our policies.’
‘Impact on the world, connection, innovation and quality: these are our core values and we want to shine an extra spotlight on them’, says Rector Herman Van Goethem. This sharper focus also serves as the foundation for the new house style. A double interview with the rector and Elisabeth Vanhoutte, head of the Communications Department.
After a sixteen-year career in politics, Inga Verhaert has returned to the University of Antwerp full of enthusiasm as the new head of the International Relations Office – where more than one challenge awaits her. ‘The traditional Erasmus programme is not going to disappear, but we need a broader palette of opportunities if we want to keep growing.’
What if we professors were to do something for the most vulnerable victims of the corona crisis? Professor Lieven Bervoets from the Department of Biology and historian Professor Marnix Beyen had the same idea. The solidarity initiative 1000 x 1000 has raised 700,000 eurosand collected more than 1200 signatures in a call for more social justice.
The collaboration between our university and the Port of Antwerp is flourishing as never before. Some thirty research projects are currently underway. ‘The technologies we are investigating today could be part of our daily lives in just a few years’ time’, says project coordinator Svetlana Samsonova.
In early June, our university launched an appeal to share experiences and suggestions with the aim of improving diversity, which was named ‘Black Lives Matter @ UAntwerp’. This resulted in a flurry of reactions and initiatives. But what has happened since then? Time for an update.
Where do I get textbooks? What activities should I know about? Where can I buy a bike? Finding your way around a new university isn’t always easy. The Buddy Project App aims to give international students, researchers and employees a helping hand by putting them in touch with local hosts.