WHO WE ARE

The EXCELEM gathers the expertise and competences of leading high-level experts in the EM region. It further develops synergies between various disciplines and resources in EU Studies by providing a comprehensive coverage of the main disciplines involved in EU Studies, something that no single centre can do independently.

The ability to offer joint supervision between two national centres will enable students from a wider background of disciplines to undertake EU research and access to this multidisciplinary network, will offer new perspectives, and enhance both student and staff research. The multidisciplinary nature of the EXCELEM means that a wide variety of topics will be covered in the online research seminars. The cross-country research on the EU’s impacts in the EM will reflect the importance of collaboration and provide an important policy-informing output.

While this EXCELEM is primarily academic in nature, it also ensures openness to civil society and in particular to youth and it will promote the study of the EU within the wider communities of this regional network. A regional EXCELEM will highlight the importance and the centrality of the EU for the EM region and the EXCELEM will act as a focus for regional commentary. The main fora for interaction with the wider community will be via the online fora and online deliveries of Open Educational Resources (OER), seminars, as well as the Youth Forum. The seminars will offer the opportunity for non-academic speakers such as diplomats, government officials and local civil society and business leaders to deliver presentations and engage with regional academics, while the Youth Forum will give the opportunity for the emergence of fresh ideas and perceptions for/of the region. The study tour incorporated in the Greek Summer School will serve to provide participating students with a unique understanding of civil society in Greece through the organisation of meetings and tours with civil society actors. Student presentations and working papers from collaborative projects will be available on online OER, selected papers will be published annually in a Special Issue of the Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs (IJFA), and other publications will also be produced from the collaborative research on EU regional impacts.