RCE Graz Styria-2011

rce_proj_title
Submitted by thomasdrage on Thu, 2011-07-07 16:50
1. General Information
Contact Name(s): 
Mario Diethart
Organizational Affiliation : 
University of Graz
E-Mail Address(es): 
mario.diethart@uni-graz.at
Project-relevant information: 
www.copernicus-alliance.org
2. Project Information
1. Project title: 
The COPERNICUS Alliance
2. Project Description: 
The COPERNICUS Alliance is the European Network on Higher Education for Sustainable Development. It brings together institutions from all over Europe to jointly work on Education for Sustainable Development. Given that the network contains members from different institutional levels and various fields of expertise its aims and focuses are widespread.They include:
- Networking: Exchanging and enhancing knowledge on Education for Sustainable Development between European Higher Education and student organizations that work for sustainability
- Policy: Promoting Higher Education for Sustainable Development in European policy making
- Service: Disseminating tools for sustainability integration in higher education
- Outreach: Promoting sustainable development in European Higher Education
- Representation: Representing European Higher Education for Sustainable Development in international committees on Education for Sustainable Development
3. Project Status: 
Ongoing
4. Key Words
Other: 
Networking, Europe
5. Project categories
Project categories: 
Awareness building
Influencing policy processes
Networking and partnership development
6. Expected outcomes:: 
Bringing together multiple institutions in a network offers possibilities for communication and sharing of experiences at European level. It fosters an exchange of ideas and helps to initiate projects between partners. At the same time it communicates a clear message of the importance of cooperation for ESD to non-COPERNICUS Alliance members.
7. Duration of the Project:: 
July 2010 - ongoing
3. Project Leadership & Vision
8. Project coordination (e.g. teams): 
The COPERNICUS Alliance is a registered NGO under German law. Therefore it has president, vice-president and scientific board, as well as a coordination office at the president's university.
9. Leadership structure
a. Administration: 
2
b. Transactional: 
2
c. Transformational: 
6
4. Project results
10. Project results : 
One basic outcome, which is not clearly measurable though, is the "sustainable message" a Europe-wide network like the COPERNICUS Alliance states just by its existence. For its members it offers various possibilities to exchange, share, and develop ideas together. In working groups members can cooperate on different focuses such as implementation of sustainability in universities, policy lobbying or outreach. In this respect the COPERNICUS Alliance is very much a continuous process with step-by-step results rather than one end result.
11. Contribution to reforms and innovations: 
The COPERNICUS Alliance effects its members at institutional level from a European perspective. Through an exchange among its members good practices from one institution can be spread to others member institutions, influencing e.g. their policy.
12. Unexpected / unplanned results: 
In a network certain things can be planned, however, even more it is the task of its members to take initiative themselves to "produce" results by establishing cooperations etc.
13.Core Partners: 
Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany, University of Graz, Austria
5. Partnership and networking
14. Project Network
a. Information network: 
5
b. Knowledge network: 
3
c. Innovation network: 
2
6. Participation
15. Type of involvement: 
Once a year members are invited to a meeting. There participants have the chance to decide together about the further development of the network, which is at the moment still rather young. The president and vice-president are elected democratically. Furthermore communication is possible via email and a communication platform.
16. Participation opportunities
a. Informational participation: 
4
b. Consultation participation: 
2
c. Decision influencing participation : 
4
7. Education & Learning
18. Learning activities: 
Via a communication platform (available from August 2011) effective joint learning and reflection processes can take place.
19. Educational activities
a. Theory: 
3
b. Discussion: 
3
c. Interactive and Multidimensional "action oriented education": 
4
8. Research Integration
21. Research partners: 
COPERNICUS Alliance members (as of July 2011):

University of Graz; Austria
University of Music and Performing Arts Graz; Austria
University of Technology Graz; Austria
WU Vienna University of Economics and Business; Austria
Aalborg University; Denmark
Leuphana University Luneburg; Germany
University of Bremen; Germany
Open Universiteit in the Netherlands; The Netherlands
London South Bank University; UK
University of Gloucestershire; UK
Medical University Graz; Austria
Modul University Vienna; Austria
University Innsbruck; Austria
University of Eastern Finland; Finland
Universitat Rovira i Virgili; Spain
Bern University of Applied Sciences; Switzerland
Teacher University of Zurich; Switzerland
Schumacher Institute for Sustainable Systems; UK
22. Description of research
a. Disciplinary: 
1
b. Interdisciplinary: 
5
c. Transdisciplinary: 
4
Type: 
Project Reports
Region: 
Europe
Community: 
Higher Education
Community_second: 
Pollicy Engagement
Issue: 
Higher Education
One More Issue: 
Policy
Country: 
Austria