European Institute Highlights: Term 1

This term has been a busy and productive one for the European Institute, from the launch of a new public exhibition in the South Cloisters, Lost & Found: Mapping European Literary London, to the announcement of a new strategic partnership with EISPS.   

Institutional Leadership on Europe 

We began the year with the welcome news that the Insitute has been awarded third consecutive Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence grant by the European Commission. This grant will run for three full years from October 2023 onwards, consolidating the European Institute as a focal point of competence on EU affairs – at UCL, in the UK and globally. We were also delighted to celebrate news of the UK’s association Horizon Europe, to consolidate our relationship with EISPS and to develop closer links with the EU Delegation in the UK, most notably by hosting an inaugural EU-UK Youth Gathering in October, which you can learn more about by listening to the EU Delegation’s podcast, featuring European Institute Student Ambassador Sofia Elena Massacessi.  

Innovative Practice-led Education

Alongside pro-actively including student perspectives in our public events, from Alastair Campbell’s visit to UCL co-convened with UCL Policy Lab and the Department for Political Science to the first UCL Europe Lecture with writer and journalist Ben Judah, we continue to offer popular policy masterclasses to students. This term, we were delighted to welcome UCL alumni, Krisztina Zálnoky, Senior Research Project Manager, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, for a masterclass on Agenda setting in the EU and Dr Daniel Bradley, Head of Climate and Environment at the UK Mission to the EU, for a masterclass about the EU climate policy and international climate negotiations. Next term, we look forward to delivering our Policy and Practice module for students on the MSc European Politics and Policy students, including a visit to Brussels in February.  

Supporting the Research Environment 

This autumn also marked the launch of our new workstream [Black Europe], with a lively programme of events from Hans Kundnani on his new book Eurowhiteness to Rachel Jean-Baptiste on Multiracial Identities in Colonial French Africa and plans in development for a Black Arts festival next summer, in collaboration with the SOAS Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies.  

We also delivered recommendations from the Commission on Policy engagement by Area Experts, co-led by Lucy Shackleton and Dr Ben Noble, Associate Professor of Russian Politics at UCL SSEES, to UCL senior leadership and celebrated the publication of Parliament Buildings: The architecture of power, accountability and democracy in Europe co-edited by Dr Uta Staiger, Dr Claudia Sternberg and Professor Sophia Psarra. 

Extending UCL’s Reach 

Finally, we have continued to place an emphasis on extending the reach of UCL ideas and expertise. As part of a broader initiative to support UCL academics to engage with international policy debates, we were delighted to co-convene a study visit to Geneva for researchers with an interest in climate and environmental governance, in partnership with the Geneva Science Policy Interface, UCL Global Engagement and Public Policy. 

And last but not least, we were thrilled to launch Lost & Found: Mapping European Literary London, an immersive, public exhibition at a special event with EU Ambassador, His Excellency Pedro Serrano. The exhibition, which runs until May in UCL South Cloisters, brings to life an online map which allows you to explore London through the eyes of European writers, artists and intellectuals through the ages, in over 20 European languages. 

We have been delighted to see the interest this exhibition has provoked – from the number and diversity of contributions shared in response to the exhibition’s central question ‘How has London changed you’, to the use of the exhibition in UCL teaching, and widening participation activities. Next year, we look forward to building on this with a European Literary Map of London Writer in Residency programme, a partnership with the European Writers’ Festival and the transfer of the exhibition to Europe House in Westminster.

Thank you

To deliver the above, we have worked closely with a range of partners and collaborators across UCL and beyond. We wish to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued collaboration and support – and to encourage you to stay up to date with events and opportunities by signing up to our newsletter, following us on Instagram, X and LinkedIn or by getting in touch with a member of the team.