scientific excellence a basis for innovation...scientific excellence – a basis for innovation...

Prof. Dr. Verena Lepper

President of the Arab-German Young Academy

of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA)

Speaker

Scientific Excellence – A Basis for Innovation Arab-German Young Academy of

Sciences and Humanities (AGYA)

MEDSPRING 25.02.2015

AGYA Facts

The AGYA is the first bilateral

young academy worldwide.

Since June 2014, 25 Arab and

25 German members are

working on different projects and

initiatives transcending

disciplinary borders.

Besides the scientific

cooperation between the Arab

world and Germany, the AGYA

also enhances the interaction

between the Arab countries.

The AGYA is the first bilateral

young academy worldwide.


Main goals of the AGYA

Projects at the interface of

academia and society

Innovative and interdisciplinary

research projects

Initiatives on questions of

science and education

policy

Promotion of active

engagement of early career

researchers in academic

management


Organization of the AGYA

The AGYA was established in

2013 at the Berlin-Brandenburg

Academy of Sciences and

Humanities and the Arabian Gulf

University (AGU) in Bahrain.

The AGU is an exemplary regional

university representing the Gulf

Cooperation Council Countries. The

AGU and the Arab AGYA office

organize and fund an annual AGYA

workshop.


The AGYA is mainly funded by the German

Federal Ministry of Education and Research

(BMBF) and the Qatar Foundation.

Individual AGYA projects are funded for example by

Volkswagen Foundation

Arabian Gulf University

German Embassy in Manama

Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation Jordan and Morocco

Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities

Egyptian Embassy in Germany

Ghorfa – Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation

Funding of the AGYA


AGYA bodies

Members Steering Committee

Advisory

Board

Arab

Office German

Office


Qatar Foundation

Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation Morocco

Arabian Gulf University

Egyptian Academy of Sciences

Lebanese Academy of Sciences

Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences

and Humanities (BBAW)

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

German National Academy Leopoldina

Goethe Institute

Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK)

Advisory Board


Eligibility for membership

Early-career scholars from

any field in Natural Sciences,

Humanities, Social Sciences,

Technical Sciences and Arts.

Ph.D. no longer than 3 to 10

years ago at the time of

application.

Affiliation with a university or a

research institution in Germany

or in an Arab country.

The working language of the

AGYA is English. No knowledge

of German or Arabic is

necessary.


Criteria of excellence

Membership in the AGYA

requires active engagement

and a fair amount of time

Proven record of highest

research excellence in

their field of specialization

Very strong potential for

academic leadership

Genuine interest in

interdisciplinary research

in an international

environment


A unique opportunity to develop

and implement ideas, visions and

projects in the framework of Arab-

German research cooperation.

Benefits for members

Membership is granted for up to 5

years followed by the

membership in a life-long Alumni

network, depending on evaluation

and funding availability.

Travel expenses to work

meetings and conferences are

covered for the members.


Network of excellence


1

2

4

1

2

1 1 1

2 2

1 1

2

3

1

0

1

2

3

4

5

Alg

eria

Ba

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in

Eg

ypt

Jord

an

Le

bano

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Mo

rocco

Om

an

Pa

lestine

Qa

tar

Sa

udi-A

rabia

Su

dan

Syri

a

Tu

nis

ia

UA

E

Ye

men

Members from the Arab countries

Country of work


Research areas

0

35

73

48 35

6

38

156

40

55

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Arts Humanities NaturalSciences

SocialSciences

TechnicalSciences

2013: 191 2014: 295


Gender distribution

32

18

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Male Female


November 2013

AGYA Events: Opening Conference in Doha

Formats

Kick-off plenary session

Keynote speeches

Advisory Board Meeting

Results

Inauguration of the first 24 AGYA

members

Members started developing working

groups and projects

Establishment phase of the AGYA

project has been completed


June 2014

AGYA Events: Opening Conference in Berlin

Formats

Open panel discussion

Plenary session

Working group meetings

Keynote lecture

Trainings on “Intercultural

Competence” and “Science

Slam”

Excursions with speeches,

round table discussions and

exhibitions

Results

Inauguration of the 26 new

members elected in 2014

50 elected members gathered for

the first time

Festive opening of the AGYA in

Germany


AGYA Working Groups

Common Heritage and Common

Challenges

Transformation Processes

Energy, Water & Environment

Innovation

Arab and German Education


Arab and German Education

Its objective is to describe and to

identify the major challenges with

regard to young scholar´s

professional prospects in today´s

academic landscape, but also

beyond it.

It seeks to understand how the

situation in the respective regions, as

conditioned by governmental policy-

makers and other stakeholders, has

an effect on their work.

AGYA Working Groups


Common Heritage & Common Challenges

The AGYA working group is dedicated

to explore the common heritage of

Europeans and Arabs from an

interdisciplinary perspective.

AGYA Working Groups

Projects

Antiquities in danger

Refugees as cultural brokers

Transfer processes around and

across the Mediterranean


Energy, Water & Environment

Finite resources are a general and

global challenge. They include the

finite supply of fossil fuel, in addition

to the natural resources of a clean

and habitable environment, fresh

water and food.

AGYA Working Groups

Projects

Perception of energy and

environment strategies

Impact of climate on water

Irrigation methods in arid regions


Innovation

Innovations, new technologies

and their acceptance in

society are strong economical

and social factors.

Understanding the process of

innovation, the challenges that

occur in the transition from

idea to product, as well as the

challenges in adopting new

technology is an essential

element in shaping a new

culture of innovation.

AGYA Working Groups

Projects

Future lab on market-oriented

utilization of research results

Patents or open source?

Innovative research formats


Transformation Processes

AGYA Working Group

Projects

Impact of the Arab uprisings on

the academic disciplines

Assessment of funding institutions

Diffusion of ideas, norms and

concepts in a context of mutual

exchange

What consequences has the Arab

Spring on academic research? How

can scientific cooperation between the

Arab world and Europe be improved in

the current political context?


November 2014

AGYA Events: Working Group Meeting in Manama

Formats

Meeting of the working group Arab

and German Education

Keynote speeches by international

experts on higher education

Public presentation of the first

results of the working group

Goals

Exchange with

international experts on

higher education

Discussion of critical

points in learning

biographies

Drafting of the projects

on early childhood

education and didactics

of sciences

Publishing of the first

results in form of a

brochure


May 2015 (upcoming)

AGYA Events: Workshop in Oberaudorf

Format

Writing workshop with

supervision of a

professional trainer

Results

Nomos publication on

“Academia in Transformation”

on the impact of the Arab

uprisings on academic

disciplines

Topics: Political Sciences,

Philosophy, Law, Sociology,

Communication Studies,

Computer Science, Islamic

Studies, Didactics of Arabic

Language, Archeology and

Economics


September 2015 (upcoming)

AGYA Events: International Conference in Malta

Formats

Interdisciplinary conference

with AGYA members and

international experts

Lectures in topic-related sites

Topics

Sweet & salt water

separation

Pure or mixed? Arabic

wine poetry on Malta

Representation of history

in Maltese TV series

Knowledge transfer

through refugees

Bringing education to the

West by Muslim presence

Energy of Migration –

Migration of Energy


AGYA Events 2013 - 2016


AGYA at a glance


The new AGYA website is online soon: www.agya.info

Prof. Dr. Verena Lepper

President of the Arab-German Young Academy

of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA)

Speaker

scientific excellence a basis for innovation...scientific excellence – a basis for innovation...

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