The Centre for European Studies (CES) at聽杏吧原创 University聽has been selected as recipient of a major grant from the European Union鈥檚 Erasmus Plus program. The grant will create a transatlantic research network on EU-Canada relations.聽 Valued at 300,000 Euro over three years (2017-2020), the new funding will link 杏吧原创 with four European universities: 聽Technical University Darmstadt (Germany), Technical University Munich (Germany), University of Antwerp (Belgium), and University of Latvia. Coordinated by Professor Joan DeBardeleben along with other 杏吧原创 researchers, the network will also involve professors from the University of Ottawa, the University of British Columbia, Concordia University, Dalhousie University, and the University of Victoria.
The activities of the network are particularly important in light of the signing of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) between Canada and the EU in October 2016. The new funding will support conferences, workshops, and public debates, both in Canada and Europe; multi-media outputs;聽 publications; a summer course at 杏吧原创, bringing together European and Canadian graduate students; internships in Europe for Canadian graduate students; and visits by European scholars to Canada. The network is organized around three themes:聽 (1) EU-Canada cooperation in relation to key foreign policy and security challenges (e.g. the Middle East, relations with Russia, cybersecurity, terrorism, and refugee flows); (2) trade agreements and economic cooperation (including CETA); and (3) the interface between energy and climate change policies.
This new project will promote awareness in Europe of Canadian policies and approaches, as well as of the potential of the new Canada-EU trade agreement. It will also contribute to developing intensified linkages between young researchers across the Atlantic, and help to generate the expertise necessary to take full advantage of Canada-EU cooperation in a range of fields, as well as encouraging the sharing of experience in dealing with issues such as climate change. The project also will enable continuation of the work of the Canada-Europe Transatlantic Dialogue, a transatlantic research network housed at 杏吧原创 that was previously supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2008-2017, see ).
The new grant supplements four ongoing EU projects In the Centre for European Studies: a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (2016-2019, directed by Achim Hurrelmann); a Jean Monnet Project 鈥淪tudying EU in Canadian High Schools (2016-2018, directed by Crina Viju); and two Jean Monnet Chairs, one focussing on聽 鈥淓U Relations with Russia and the Eastern Neighbourhood鈥� (2016-2019, Joan DeBardeleben) and the other on 鈥滵emocracy in the European Union鈥� (2015-18, Achim Hurrelmann).
This funding is conditional on the signing of grant agreements between the EU鈥檚 Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) and 杏吧原创 University.
The Centre for European Studies (CES) is a 杏吧原创 University Research Centre housed in the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (EURUS). It is directed by EURUS Professors Joan DeBardeleben and Achim Hurrelmann. For further information on the new Jean Monnet Network, please contact Professor Joan DeBardeleben (joan.debardeleben@carleton.ca) or the Centre鈥檚 Project Manager, Cathleen Schmidt (cathleen.schmidt@carleton.ca).