For the third time in its history, the Institute for European Studies (now: Brussels School of Governance) has been awarded the title of 'Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence'. Through a project, led by Prof. Dr. Christian Kaunert and Mr Silviu Piros, the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence title is ensured for a further three years. Jean Monnet Centres of Excellence are a part of the prestigious Life Long Learning programme of the European Union. Each award is worth € 100,000. This award underlines the research prestige of the school, being a recognised global leader in research, at the back of two Jean Monnet Chairs (Prof. Dr. Kalimo and Prof. Dr. Kaunert) and multiple Jean Monnet modules. It also underlines the outstanding quality of teaching at the Brussels School of Governance.
The aims of the awarded Jean Monnet Centre, entitled "Virtually Excellent: Opening Europe to the World through Innovative Education (VOWED)" are fourfold. First, to ensure students positively benefit from high-quality, research-based, multi-disciplinary teaching on a wide variety of EU integration and foreign affairs issues. Second, to provide a foundation by which academics and students alike are beneficially influenced via a series of innovative blended and distance learning formats. Third, to offer a series of outputs by which a wide cross-section of motivated members of civil society can be viably informed of the rich variety of contemporary EU developments. Fourth, to reinforce the various Jean Monnet activities currently running at the Brussels school of Governance, under the aegis of Jean Monnet Chair Professor Harri Kalimo.
Professor Christian Kaunert, who also holds a Jean Monnet Chair, said, “It is a tremendous boost to get this support from the European Commission. It testifies to the University’s expertise in European studies. The funding will allow us to further develop our interdisciplinary teaching and research activities and our international partnerships in this field. We are also planning a series of public engagement events, so that we can disseminate the knowledge we produce as widely as possible.”
