OSUN Science Shop at EHU

OSUN Science Shop is a new opportunity offered by the European Humanities University for the implementation of project activities in the field of civic engagement. The program is specifically aimed at delivering the projects by the students with the support of their teachers and supervisors within the training courses, as well as course and annual projects at EHU. What is important, research topics and project directions are proposed by civil society organizations and independent researchers, taking into account their real needs and requests. On behalf of EHU, OSUN Science Shop is acting as an intermediary in the process of facilitating partnership contacts between academia and civil organizations, providing coordination and support for all participants involved in project activities. Thus, the goal of the program is consistent with the mission of the University – to support the development of civil society for students from Belarus and the region, through quality education, promoting European values and agility as a timely and adequate response to changes in external and internal social environments.

Partners and Implementation Plan

The OSUN Science-Shop partnership program was launched at Central European University (CEU) together with EHU with the support of the Open Society University Network (OSUN) in the 2021/2022 academic year. In the 2022/2023 academic year, BRAC University (BRACU) joined the partner network, and in 2023/2024 academic year also American University of Central Asia (AUCA). The program is aimed at project activities in the field of civil initiatives, and its objectives are:

to strengthen ties between the academy and civic organizations in Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Hungary, Kyrgryzstan and Lithuania;
to research local civic initiatives in the context of current developments in civic engagement;
to support and develop the practices of experiential learning, engaged and service learning, community-based teaching and learning, civic engagement, citizen science and participatory action research;
to support the inter-institutional relations and exchange of experience between AUCA, BRACU, CEU and EHU in the framework of OSUN, as well as including the establishment of new academic contacts with other academic institutions to promote the activities of the universities aimed at the development of civil society.

During the 2021/2022 academic year, the OSUN Science Shop partnership program facilitated 6 projects implemented at EHU with the participation of civil society organizations, as well as EHU students and faculty. In addition, in July 2022, the results of the partnership work between CEU and EHU with the support of OSUN were presented at the University of Groningen in the format of the workshop “Changing Role of Science-Shops in a Politically Charged Environment” at Living Knowledge international conference, which brings together various projects implementing their activities according to the Science-Shop model.

In the 2022/2023 academic year, OSUN Science Shop at EHU delivered a new stage of the program implementation and invited non-commercial Lithuanian civil society organizations, Belarusian civil organizations relocated to Lithuania, Poland and Georgia, as well as other civil society initiatives, cultural and educational platforms, and research centers, interested in cooperation, regardless of their location. In total, there were 12 projects successfully implemented this year, and 4 more projects will continue its implementation in the fall of 2023. In the new 2023/2024 academic year, OSUN Science Shop will continue its work on joint projects by EHU students and faculty at the request of civil and cultural organizations, with a focus on research within diploma projects. In addition, there will be an opportunity for more active inter-university project cooperation with AUCA, BRACU and CEU.

Call for social partners 2023/2024

A Year of OSUN Science Shop 2022/2023 celebration brochure (English language)

A Year of OSUN Science Shop 2021/2022 celebration brochure (English language)

If you are interested in cooperation, please email us via:

ehuscienceshop@ehu.lt

OSUN Science Shop offers:

information meetings and workshops for teachers and supervisors of courses and annual projects at EHU, including those in partnership with CEU;
information meetings and workshops for students, including those in partnership with CEU;
information meetings for representatives of civic organizations;
“NGO-Fairs” with the participation of civic organizations;
mediation and contact in communication between researchers and civic organizations;
financial support for research (e.g. mobility of students and representatives of civic organizations and other project expenses, excluding stipends or honoraria).