EPICUR Networking Conference 2022
"Diversity of the Regions"
The EPICUR Network Conference with the motto "Diversity of Regions" took place from May 18th - 20th, 2022 at the campus of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna. Associated partners, external stakeholders, speakers from the fields of "diversity" and "regional cooperation" and EPICURians from all nine EPICUR partner universities were invited.
The EPICUR Network Conference was the first opportunity for EPICUR to hold a live event on-site. In workshops on communication, research infrastructure, diversity and inclusion, distance internships for students and student participation, staff shared new ideas and evaluated the pilot phase.
In the evening, EPICUR accepted the invitation from the French Embassy and attended a panel discussion.
The conference day on May 19th was certified as a "Green Event" by the Austrian Eco-label. On the conference day, there were two presentations on regional cooperation and inclusion through innovation, as well as an EPICUR presentation on equity, diversity and inclusion measures, and a panel discussion at the end.
A broad cultural program was also provided with a queer sightseeing tour, a Viennese waltz dance class and a wine tasting.
Photo gallery of the EPICUR Networking Conference
©Christoph Gruber | BOKU-IT
EPICUR in Vienna
The EPICUR tree in the BOKU garden
At the end of the festivities, EPICURians gathered in the BOKU garden behind the main building for the planting of a wild apple tree. BOKU rector Eva Schulev-Steindl, accompanied by the BOKU choir, broke ground before the EPICUR team freed the young tree from the netting, filled the hole with soil and watered it. The EPICUR tree is a symbol for biodiversity, a good urban climate and sustainability. It is a promise for a bright future.
Prof. Karl-Georg Bernhardt from the Institute of Botany at BOKU about the importance of biodiversity:
"Biodiversity increases the resilience of habitats. Biodiversity should not only be preserved in nature reserves, but especially in the cultural landscape. Plants, animals and fungi share the habitat here with people and it is to our own advantage if we also preserve a species-rich cultural landscape.
But diversity is also important for our mental well-being, since an environment without the concert of bird calls or without a variety of flowers that delight us with colors and scents provides less relaxation and joy. The wild apple represents the connection between nature and people. It is one Origin of cultivated apple varieties and thus also the source of crop diversity. The diversity of plants and animals cultivated by humans also ensures our own survival."
Timetable Conference Day
TIMETABLE (May 19th)
| 13:00 | REGISTRATION OF PARTICIPANTS Entry to seminar room 29 |
| 14:00 | WELCOME SPEECH AND INTRODUCTION by BOKU’s vice-rector for teaching, continuing education and students Karsten Schulz and video statement by president Michel Deneken EPICUR's strategic coordinator and vice president of the University of Strasbourg Jean-Marc Planeix warmly welcomes six associated partners: Eucor – the European Campus, ICA-CASEE, the ICA network for Central and South East Europe, BSUN – Black Sea Universities Network, AER – the Assembly of the European Regions, ESN – the Erasmus Student Network Europe and ECOLAS – the European Consortium of Liberal Arts and Sciences |
| 14:45 | KEYNOTE on "Interregionnal cooperation for better regional policies and practices” by Vivian Stribos, EU Lobbyist at Huis van de Nederlandse Provincies in Brussels and representative of the Province of Gelderland (NL) at the Assembly of the European Regions (AER) |
| 15:30 | COFFEE BREAK AND NETWORKING |
| 16:00 | KEYNOTE on "A common approach to leaving no one behind: how to reduce inequalities through innovation" by Billy Batware, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (Read the abstract here.) |
| 16:45 | PRESENTATION OF EDI MEASURES & BEST PRACTICES by Margarita Calderón-Peter and EPICUR's EDI working group |
| 17:15 | COFFEE BREAK AND NETWORKING |
| 17:45 | PANEL DISCUSSSION on "Regional Collaboration and its impact on diversity and inclusion" with our keynote speakers Billy Batware (UNODC) and Vivian Santos (AER), Jean-Marc Planeix (University of Strasbourg, Strategic coordinator of EPICUR), Maria Fritz (Impact Hub Karlsruhe) and Radoslaw Stanislawiak (Adam Mickiewicz University, EPICUR Student Board) |
| 18:30 | DINNER AND CULTURAL ENTERTAINMENT Franz Schwackhöfer-Haus (Aula and SR6) |
Keynote Speeches
Billy Batware (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC) on "A common approach to leaving no one behind: how to reduce inequalities through innovation".
Abstract:
In 2015, 62 of the world's wealthiest people possessed as much as the poorest half of the world's population. On a global scale, this inequality has been increasing, and substantial gaps in access to basic services including education, healthcare, and sanitation persist. Vulnerable groups, such as migrants, women, children, individuals with disabilities, ethnic and religious minorities, and indigenous peoples are all disproportionately affected by such discrepancies. Addressing these deeply persisting inequalities will require innovation across actors, regions and sectors. The speaker will contribute to this timely conversation focusing on different aspects of inequalities and innovation, including challenges that can hinder the access to innovation and on different types of inequalities including social, economic and environmental aspects.
Maps BOKU Campus
