The UniGR Center for Border Studies was awarded the Interregional Research Award of the Greater Region on November 25, 2022. The award honours the exceptional achievements of researchers in cross-border research cooperation.
The UniGR Centre for Border Studies, which became a permanent interdisciplinary centre of expertise of the University of the Greater Region in September 2022, received the award for the successfully completed project “European Centre of Expertise and Knowledge for Border Studies” (2018-2022). The cooperation project was funded by the European program “Interreg VA Greater Region”, co-financed by the Région Wallonne and the Saarland and supported by the University of the Greater Region.
The award ceremony took place during the Conference of Ministers of Higher Education and Research of the Greater Region in Metz. The award was received on behalf of the interregional project team by the head of the UniGR Centre for Border Studies, Dr Christian Wille (University of Luxembourg) and the President of the University of Lorraine, Dr Hélène Boulanger.
In his thanksgiving, Dr Christian Wille underlined the strategic role of the award-winning project for the future of border research in the Greater Region: “Thanks to the EU funding, border researchers have been able to build up a unique cooperation network in recent years, which is now firmly anchored as an interdisciplinary UniGR Centre of Excellence. The science award confirms the strategy of the presidents and rectors to give border research in the Greater Region a future and will make the UniGR-Centre for Border Studies even more visible on the international stage.”
Besides funding international conference journeys to promote research results and establish new cooperation contacts, the award of 35,000 euros will be used to invite more international border researchers to the Greater Region in the coming years. Together with the invited guest researchers, new initiatives in border research are to be developed and implemented at the locations of the University of the Greater Region.
Results of the project here.
Detailed project summary available in German and French.
Contact: Christian Wille