Website
http://en.unesco.org/unitwin-unesco-chairs-programme
Sponsor
United Nations (UN)
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Amount
The amount is unspecified. The initial period of a Chair is four years. A Network is concluded for a period of six years.
The overall success of the programme depends on financial and in-kind support. UNESCO, not being a funding agency, cannot be a major donor. For this reason UNESCO encourages the institutions to mobilize financial partners at the time when they are preparing the project proposals and also offers its services in helping to mobilize resources. There is a wide range of possibilities for mobilizing resources, as follows:
1. Bilateral cooperation – many bilateral donors, individual country cooperation development agencies such as CIDA (Canada), SIDA (Sweden), French Development Agency, DFID (United Kingdom), NORAD (Norway) and Italy and Japan, have funds reserved for research and training and will promote cooperation among universities across borders
2. Multilateral cooperation, including intergovernmental organizations (UNDP, UNICEF, UNIDO, World Bank, EU, ISESCO, ALECSO) – accessing resources from such agencies normally requires that the project fit into the development initiatives at country, regional and international levels; development banks that implement technical assistance programmes could be explored
3. Private sector organizations (Toyota, Shell, Mitsubishi) – these are the prime sources of financial support for the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme
4. Non-governmental organizations and private foundations tend to be more flexible and depose to finance innovative ideas
5. Host institutions – many universities have allocations for promoting international cooperation
6. UNESCO Participation Programme – a proposal for funding a UNITWIN project may be made to the National Commission for UNESCO in the country concerned
7. UNESCO regular programme budget – under special circumstances “seed funding” may be considered by UNESCO, principally for least developed countries and post-conflict countries
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Requirements
Academic Institution
Government
Nonprofit
Citizenship or Residency
Unspecified
Activity location
Unspecified
Abstract
Launched in 1992, the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme promotes international inter-university cooperation and networking to enhance institutional capacities through knowledge sharing and collaborative work. The Programme supports the establishment of UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks in key priority areas related to UNESCO’s fields of competence – i.e. in education, the natural and social sciences, culture and communication.
Through this network, higher education and research institutions all over the globe pool their resources, both human and material, to address pressing challenges and contribute to the development of their societies. In many instances, the Networks and Chairs serve as think tanks and as bridge builders between academia, civil society, local communities, research and policy-making. They have proven useful in informing policy decisions, establishing new teaching initiatives, generating innovation through research and contributing to the enrichment of existing university programmes while promoting cultural diversity.
In areas suffering from a dearth of expertise, Chairs and Networks have evolved into poles of excellence and innovation at the regional or sub-regional levels. They also contribute to strengthening North-South-South cooperation.
A UNESCO Chair can be established as a new teaching and research unit or may be developed within a department by reinforcing an existing teaching/research programme in a particular field within the domains of competence of UNESCO, and giving it an international dimension. An agreement is concluded between the Director-General of UNESCO and the rector or president of the university.
Since the UNESCO Chairs are joint undertakings in which UNESCO joins forces with interested institutions, associations, agencies and organizations as well as with potential donors, the Chairs may have a joint designation, for example, UNESCO/IGO Chairs; UNESCO/NGO, agencies Chairs; UNESCO/Consortium of universities Chair(s); UNESCO/Industry Chairs.
A Network consists of a number of universities in different countries that join forces and collectively sign a joint agreement with UNESCO.
A group of universities in different countries (North-South, South-South or North-South-South) may decide to pool their competences to address a need in the development context, and in so doing establish a network. Within this network, each participating institution may or may not have an individual Chair. However, in practice, institutions in the network progress towards establishing individual chairs.
Existing inter-university networks may express an interest in becoming a UNITWIN Network by gearing their activities towards the priorities of the organization and the needs of higher education institutions in the developing countries.
Universities and other higher education institutions hosting UNESCO Chairs may come together to form a UNITWIN Network. In this case, the network is formalized by an exchange of letters between UNESCO and the hosting institution.
Universities, already twinned with other universities by virtue of bilateral agreements, may decide to expand these bilateral agreements into a multilateral one and apply to become a UNITWIN Network.
University cooperation programmes (training and research) in a particular field may be turned into more stable mechanisms of co-operation by the participating institutions agreeing to associate their activities with the goals and objectives of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme.
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Eligibility
The programme is open to universities and other institutions of higher education and research that are recognized as bona fide institutions by the competent national authorities in the respective country and accepted by UNESCO; NGOs working in the field of higher education and research; other academic associations; inter-university and other academic networks that wish to establish a link between their own activities and the Chairs Programme; and national, regional and international public or private institutions and agencies that currently have or intend to develop cooperative links and arrangements with UNESCO in the field of higher education.
Proposals for a UNESCO Chair or UNITWIN Network should be submitted to UNESCO by an institution eligible to participate in the programme. However, UNESCO Chairs or UNITWIN Networks may only be established at
– universities;
– other institutions of higher learning; and
– research institutions in higher education.
A Chair may be established at a university or other institution of higher education and/or research. Such a unit should include
– a Chair holder as its academic head;
– a team composed of lecturers and researchers from the host institution and from other institutions, both in the country concerned and in other countries, who are associated with the activities of the UNESCO Chair; and
– students and researchers from the host country and from other countries who are pursuing postgraduate studies or high-level training and research under the UNESCO Chair.
It is import ant to note that a UNITWIN project is established between UNESCO and the institution and not with an individual.
When the project proposal concerns the establishm ent of an inter-university network, it can be submitted either by the heads of all institutions involved, or by a single institution which takes the lead, acts as the focal point and ensures the development of the network. When this is the case, the respective participating institutions should provide a letter of commitment to the proposed network, signed by the head of the institution.
UNESCO encourages a tripartite relationship in the preparation of the proposal for a UNESCO Chair. The national level team should comprise the university, the UNESCO office and the National Commission for UNESCO. When this is the case, the proposal should be submitted to the Director-General of UNESCO by the university with evidence of the cooperation process. In countries where there is no UNESCO office, participation in this mechanism is not feasible, and the proposal should be submitted through the National Commission and the Permanent Delegation.
Submission of the network to the Director-General of UNESCO should be made by a representative of the host institution (President, Rector …). Every project must be accompanied by a letter of support from the National Commission and supporting documents from institutional and financial partners.
UNESCO Chair holder or Network coordinator:
The host institution makes individual proposals for a UNESCO Chair holder or a coordinator of a UNITWIN Network.
Criteria for the selection of a Chair holder or coordinator:
– academic reputation (he or she should be a renowned specialist in the domain(s) to be covered by the Chair or network);
– have the capacity and experience to prom ote cooperation at national, regional and international levels;
– be willing and able to mobilize resources from private and public sectors.
In its efforts to promote gender equality, UNESCO encourages the nomination of women as UNESCO Chair holders or heads of UNITWIN Networks.
Appointments to a UNESCO Chair or UNITWIN Netwok may also be made on a rotating basis among partner institutions.
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Keywords
- Agriculture and Food Sciences
- Higher Education
- Educational or Cultural Exchange Programs
- Law
- Social Sciences
- Arts and Humanities
- Business, Management and Commerce
- Engineering
- Natural and Physical Sciences, Mathematics and Technology
- Education
- Health and Medicine
- Energy Sciences
- Area Studies
Upcoming Deadlines
Date
What’s Due
Notes
30 Apr 2014
Confirmed
Full Proposal
Sponsor deadline – required
The deadline for submission of new proposals is April 30 of each… more »
