EAIE Podcast

On 16 September 2022, Mahsa Amini died after having been arrested in Tehran for not wearing her hijab in accordance with government rules. Months of ongoing protests followed, with the situation now reaching new heights, including Iran’s removal from the UN Commission on the Status of Women and the use of death penalty charges by Iranian courts to try and crush the protests. While Iranian students and academics want to fight for academic freedom and social justice, they are also afraid of jeopardising their careers and personal lives. How did we get here? What do these recent events in Iran mean for the freedom of scholars/academics globally? And what actions can be taken by the international community to show support?  

In this first podcast episode of 2023, we talk to Daniel Munier, Senior Program Officer for the Scholars at Risk Advocacy team, and Encieh Erfani, who resigned from her academic post at an Iranian university in September 2022 in protest. They tell us more about the current situation in Iran, why this matters beyond Iran, and what might happen next.

About Encieh Erfani
Dr. Encieh Erfani was an Assistant Professor of Physics at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Science (IASBS), Iran. She resigned on 23 September 2022 due to the events in Iran. She obtained her Ph.D. from Bonn University, Germany (2012). Her research area is theoretical physics with a concentration on cosmology. She is a Junior Associate of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy, a Young Affiliate member of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), co-chair of the "Preservation of Science" task team of Science in Exile, and an executive committee member of the Global Young Academy (2021-2023). She is the founder of the Yar-e-Danesh Fund (2019) which provides financial support to students. She was on the board of directors of the Astronomy Society of Iran and the founder of its female branch. 

About Daniel Munier
As a Senior Program Officer for the Scholars at Risk (SAR) Advocacy team, Dan oversees SAR’s reporting of attacks on higher education communities for SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project, conducts case advocacy for the Scholars-in-Prison Project, and produces reports and publications, including SAR’s Free to Think report series, to raise awareness of global and regional issues. Before joining SAR, Dan worked in refugee resettlement at Catholic Charities Community Services, interned for the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, and worked in international education and English language programming in France and the US. He holds an M.A. in International Education from New York University and a B.A. in Economics and French from Nazareth College. 

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:

→ Scholars at Risk website: Host a scholar
→ Scholars at Risk website: Free to think 2022
→ The International Community of Iranian Academics (ICOIA) report on the government crackdown on university students and academics in Iran
→ Dangerous questions: Why not keep quiet?
→ Sinead O’Gorman - Academic freedom in a complex world

On 16 September 2022, Mahsa Amini died after having been arrested in Tehran for not wearing her hijab in accordance with government rules. Months of ongoing protests followed, with the situation now reaching new heights, including Iran’s removal from the UN Commission on the Status of Women and the use of death penalty charges by Iranian courts to try and crush the protests. While Iranian students and academics want to fight for academic freedom and social justice, they are also afraid of jeopardising their careers and personal lives. How did we get here? What do these recent events in Iran mean for the freedom of scholars/academics globally? And what actions can be taken by the international community to show support?  

In this first podcast episode of 2023, we talk to Daniel Munier, Senior Program Officer for the Scholars at Risk Advocacy team, and Encieh Erfani, who resigned from her academic post at an Iranian university in September 2022 in protest. They tell us more about the current situation in Iran, why this matters beyond Iran, and what might happen next.

About Encieh Erfani
Dr. Encieh Erfani was an Assistant Professor of Physics at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Science (IASBS), Iran. She resigned on 23 September 2022 due to the events in Iran. She obtained her Ph.D. from Bonn University, Germany (2012). Her research area is theoretical physics with a concentration on cosmology. She is a Junior Associate of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy, a Young Affiliate member of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), co-chair of the "Preservation of Science" task team of Science in Exile, and an executive committee member of the Global Young Academy (2021-2023). She is the founder of the Yar-e-Danesh Fund (2019) which provides financial support to students. She was on the board of directors of the Astronomy Society of Iran and the founder of its female branch. 

About Daniel Munier
As a Senior Program Officer for the Scholars at Risk (SAR) Advocacy team, Dan oversees SAR’s reporting of attacks on higher education communities for SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project, conducts case advocacy for the Scholars-in-Prison Project, and produces reports and publications, including SAR’s Free to Think report series, to raise awareness of global and regional issues. Before joining SAR, Dan worked in refugee resettlement at Catholic Charities Community Services, interned for the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, and worked in international education and English language programming in France and the US. He holds an M.A. in International Education from New York University and a B.A. in Economics and French from Nazareth College. 

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:

→ Scholars at Risk website: Host a scholar
→ Scholars at Risk website: Free to think 2022
→ The International Community of Iranian Academics (ICOIA) report on the government crackdown on university students and academics in Iran
→ Dangerous questions: Why not keep quiet?
→ Sinead O’Gorman - Academic freedom in a complex world

In the current age of social media, we see influencers popping up everywhere, including in the field of (international) student marketing and recruitment. Influencer marketing is evolving rapidly, and the Covid pandemic has sped up this process considerably. Higher education institutions are using micro- and nano-influencers to raise awareness of their educational programmes, activities, initiatives and even institutional values, in different ways. But what exactly leads to the decision to invest in this particular form of marketing and visibility raising? How does an institution deal with these “stray cats” of the marketing world? And what is next in the world of influencer marketing?

In this podcast episode we speak with Kirstin Edgar, Communications & Content Coordinator for the Anglo-American University in Prague (Czech Republic), and Lucila Morales de Mittag, International Office Coordinator at Europa-Universitaet Flensburg (Germany). Both work at institutions that have built up considerable experience working with student influencers and join us to share their good practices and lessons learned. What advice do they have in terms of managing the messages that influencers put out there? How do you strike the right tone in the messaging? Listen to this last podcast episode of 2022 to find out more! 

About Kirstin Edgar
Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, Kirstin studied at the University of Edinburgh and graduated with an MA in Chinese Studies in 2019. After moving to Prague, Czech Republic, Kirstin assumed a variety of roles before joining Anglo-American University as a copywriter in the Marketing Department. In her position, she primarily writes articles, and video scripts, and oversees content creation within the Marketing team for the main website and various social media channels. 

About Lucila Morales de Mittag
Lucila Morales de Mittag is an International Coordinator and Intercultural Trainer with 19 years of experience working within the International Center of Europa-Universität Flensburg, Germany. Before moving to Europe, she spent 13 years in the US working in media communications and marketing. At Europa-Universität Flensburg, Lucila specializes in project management and concept development, student integration and support, and marketing for international and incoming students. She is responsible for helping international students of all backgrounds to integrate into the university culture. 

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:

→ Education Marketer

→ Branding and bonding: the key to competing in the digital age

→ The metaverse: the next frontier of marketing and recruitment

In the current age of social media, we see influencers popping up everywhere, including in the field of (international) student marketing and recruitment. Influencer marketing is evolving rapidly, and the Covid pandemic has sped up this process considerably. Higher education institutions are using micro- and nano-influencers to raise awareness of their educational programmes, activities, initiatives and even institutional values, in different ways. But what exactly leads to the decision to invest in this particular form of marketing and visibility raising? How does an institution deal with these “stray cats” of the marketing world? And what is next in the world of influencer marketing?

In this podcast episode we speak with Kirstin Edgar, Communications & Content Coordinator for the Anglo-American University in Prague (Czech Republic), and Lucila Morales de Mittag, International Office Coordinator at Europa-Universitaet Flensburg (Germany). Both work at institutions that have built up considerable experience working with student influencers and join us to share their good practices and lessons learned. What advice do they have in terms of managing the messages that influencers put out there? How do you strike the right tone in the messaging? Listen to this last podcast episode of 2022 to find out more! 

About Kirstin Edgar
Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, Kirstin studied at the University of Edinburgh and graduated with an MA in Chinese Studies in 2019. After moving to Prague, Czech Republic, Kirstin assumed a variety of roles before joining Anglo-American University as a copywriter in the Marketing Department. In her position, she primarily writes articles, and video scripts, and oversees content creation within the Marketing team for the main website and various social media channels. 

About Lucila Morales de Mittag
Lucila Morales de Mittag is an International Coordinator and Intercultural Trainer with 19 years of experience working within the International Center of Europa-Universität Flensburg, Germany. Before moving to Europe, she spent 13 years in the US working in media communications and marketing. At Europa-Universität Flensburg, Lucila specializes in project management and concept development, student integration and support, and marketing for international and incoming students. She is responsible for helping international students of all backgrounds to integrate into the university culture. 

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:

→ Education Marketer

→ Branding and bonding: the key to competing in the digital age

→ The metaverse: the next frontier of marketing and recruitment

Who doesn’t like the movies, and don’t we all spend time every day pouring over media of different sorts? The world of film and media studies plays a key role in producing the professionals who make these resources and cultural artifacts possible – and it turns out there’s a European University alliance focused specifically on these fields: FILMEU. So, what’s driving film and media studies in Europe today? What are the strengths and challenges currently facing these fields? And how does a highly specialised European University alliance like FILMEU position itself in the complex, dynamic and competitive field of higher education in Europe?  

Our guest in this podcast episode is Manuel José Damásio, professor at Lusófona University in Lisbon, Portugal where he leads the Film and Media Arts Department and serves as Coordinator of FILMEU. He is also chair of the European Association of Film and Media Schools (GEECT). Manuel José provides us with the perfect lens through which to explore this culturally significant and quite internationalised field within the European higher education sector.

About Manuel José Damásio
Manuel José Damásio is a Professor at Lusófona University in Lisbon, Portugal where he leads the Film and Media Arts Department (DCAM) in addition to sitting on the management board of CICANT, the Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Arts and Information Technologies. He is also the Coordinator for FilmEU – The European University of Film and Media Arts. Manuel José Damásio holds a PhD in Communication and Multimedia Systems from Universidade Nova de Lisboa. He has worked extensively both in industry and academia as a trainer, consultant and producer in the audiovisual industry at European and international levels for more than twenty years. He also has experience as head researcher and project manager in several national and European research projects, along with being the author of more than 80 papers and chapters in international peer reviewed journals and publications.

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ FILMEU website
→ FILMEU YouTube channel
→ European Universities: balancing excellence, exclusiveness and inclusion
→ 2022 Summer Forum - Collaborative Europe

Who doesn’t like the movies, and don’t we all spend time every day pouring over media of different sorts? The world of film and media studies plays a key role in producing the professionals who make these resources and cultural artifacts possible – and it turns out there’s a European University alliance focused specifically on these fields: FILMEU. So, what’s driving film and media studies in Europe today? What are the strengths and challenges currently facing these fields? And how does a highly specialised European University alliance like FILMEU position itself in the complex, dynamic and competitive field of higher education in Europe?  

Our guest in this podcast episode is Manuel José Damásio, professor at Lusófona University in Lisbon, Portugal where he leads the Film and Media Arts Department and serves as Coordinator of FILMEU. He is also chair of the European Association of Film and Media Schools (GEECT). Manuel José provides us with the perfect lens through which to explore this culturally significant and quite internationalised field within the European higher education sector.

About Manuel José Damásio
Manuel José Damásio is a Professor at Lusófona University in Lisbon, Portugal where he leads the Film and Media Arts Department (DCAM) in addition to sitting on the management board of CICANT, the Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Arts and Information Technologies. He is also the Coordinator for FilmEU – The European University of Film and Media Arts. Manuel José Damásio holds a PhD in Communication and Multimedia Systems from Universidade Nova de Lisboa. He has worked extensively both in industry and academia as a trainer, consultant and producer in the audiovisual industry at European and international levels for more than twenty years. He also has experience as head researcher and project manager in several national and European research projects, along with being the author of more than 80 papers and chapters in international peer reviewed journals and publications.

Additional resources
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ FILMEU website
→ FILMEU YouTube channel
→ European Universities: balancing excellence, exclusiveness and inclusion
→ 2022 Summer Forum - Collaborative Europe

A lot has been happening in Europe within the field of research and innovation policy. Horizon Europe, European Universities alliances and science diplomacy are just a few of the programmes and topics that continue to grab the attention of the higher education sector. But how can we best describe the current state of the European research and innovation field? Which important developments should we be aware of and what does the future hold? 

In the latest episode of the EAIE podcast, we sat down with Florin Zubascu to ask him some of these questions. Florin is Executive Editor at Science|Business, leading their news coverage on research and innovation policy in Europe. With the help of his expertise, we take a closer look at the opportunities and challenges within the European research and innovation field at this moment in time.

About Florin Zubascu
Florin is Executive Editor at Science|Business, leading news coverage on research and innovation policy in Europe. Specifically, he covers EU R&D policy, the Horizon Europe programme, Europe’s ‘innovation divide’ and R&D policy reforms in central and eastern Europe. He has managed the Science|Business newsletters since 2014 and, in 2017, he helped implement a complete redesign of www.sciencebusiness.net. Previously, Florin worked as a political science researcher and web producer for various organisations and think tanks in Romania and Hungary. He holds degrees in political science from Central European University in Budapest and Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca.

Further reading
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ Science|Business
→ Collaborating with African universities through European University alliances
→ Didi Griffioen: Teaching and research – a balancing act

A lot has been happening in Europe within the field of research and innovation policy. Horizon Europe, European Universities alliances and science diplomacy are just a few of the programmes and topics that continue to grab the attention of the higher education sector. But how can we best describe the current state of the European research and innovation field? Which important developments should we be aware of and what does the future hold? 

In the latest episode of the EAIE podcast, we sat down with Florin Zubascu to ask him some of these questions. Florin is Executive Editor at Science|Business, leading their news coverage on research and innovation policy in Europe. With the help of his expertise, we take a closer look at the opportunities and challenges within the European research and innovation field at this moment in time.

About Florin Zubascu
Florin is Executive Editor at Science|Business, leading news coverage on research and innovation policy in Europe. Specifically, he covers EU R&D policy, the Horizon Europe programme, Europe’s ‘innovation divide’ and R&D policy reforms in central and eastern Europe. He has managed the Science|Business newsletters since 2014 and, in 2017, he helped implement a complete redesign of www.sciencebusiness.net. Previously, Florin worked as a political science researcher and web producer for various organisations and think tanks in Romania and Hungary. He holds degrees in political science from Central European University in Budapest and Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca.

Further reading
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ Science|Business
→ Collaborating with African universities through European University alliances
→ Didi Griffioen: Teaching and research – a balancing act

Students are often encouraged these days to think more seriously about entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship advances innovation, results in job creation for others and helps students engage creatively beyond their specific fields of study to meet new needs and solve persistent problems. Higher education generally – and international education, specifically – has a role to play in fostering entrepreneurship, but how exactly do we encourage young people in Europe to engage in entrepreneurial activities and what are the challenges and opportunities that complicate and enrich this work?

In this latest podcast episode, we talked to Fabrizio Bitetto, Chief Executive Officer of the garagErasmus Foundation and a former Erasmus student and young entrepreneur. garagErasmus is the professional network of the Erasmus Generation that aims to support the shaping of a better-integrated, and of course more entrepreneurial, Europe. Their mission is to improve the lives of people who have international study or work experiences by enabling them to access opportunities that can make their careers more impactful within and for Europe.

About Fabrizio Bitetto
Fabrizio Bitetto has been Chief Executive Officer of the garagErasmus Foundation since August 2017. A former Erasmus Student in 2008, he went on to earn a Master's degree in Urban Planning and Policy Design at the Polytechnic University in Milan in 2013. While still a university student, Fabrizio began to undertake some entrepreneurial activities  and decided to continue his Erasmus experience by supporting Erasmus students, first at the Polytechnic University in Milan and then as President of Erasmus Student Network Italy. During his term as ESN Italy National President, he coordinated the participation of ESN in EXPO 2015 as Civil Society participants and promoted the approval of a national law to grant Italian Erasmus students abroad the right to vote remotely. He started his adventure with garagErasmus Foundation in 2016. 

Further reading
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ garagErasmus
→ Erasmus Skills: unpacking the employability benefits of mobility
→ Education abroad and the student employability gap
→ The employability dimension in joint programmes
→ EAIE 2020 Summer Forum: Employability for the 21st century

Students are often encouraged these days to think more seriously about entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship advances innovation, results in job creation for others and helps students engage creatively beyond their specific fields of study to meet new needs and solve persistent problems. Higher education generally – and international education, specifically – has a role to play in fostering entrepreneurship, but how exactly do we encourage young people in Europe to engage in entrepreneurial activities and what are the challenges and opportunities that complicate and enrich this work?

In this latest podcast episode, we talked to Fabrizio Bitetto, Chief Executive Officer of the garagErasmus Foundation and a former Erasmus student and young entrepreneur. garagErasmus is the professional network of the Erasmus Generation that aims to support the shaping of a better-integrated, and of course more entrepreneurial, Europe. Their mission is to improve the lives of people who have international study or work experiences by enabling them to access opportunities that can make their careers more impactful within and for Europe.

About Fabrizio Bitetto
Fabrizio Bitetto has been Chief Executive Officer of the garagErasmus Foundation since August 2017. A former Erasmus Student in 2008, he went on to earn a Master's degree in Urban Planning and Policy Design at the Polytechnic University in Milan in 2013. While still a university student, Fabrizio began to undertake some entrepreneurial activities  and decided to continue his Erasmus experience by supporting Erasmus students, first at the Polytechnic University in Milan and then as President of Erasmus Student Network Italy. During his term as ESN Italy National President, he coordinated the participation of ESN in EXPO 2015 as Civil Society participants and promoted the approval of a national law to grant Italian Erasmus students abroad the right to vote remotely. He started his adventure with garagErasmus Foundation in 2016. 

Further reading
For further insights into the topics touched on in this episode, the following resources may be of interest:
→ garagErasmus
→ Erasmus Skills: unpacking the employability benefits of mobility
→ Education abroad and the student employability gap
→ The employability dimension in joint programmes
→ EAIE 2020 Summer Forum: Employability for the 21st century