Staff Mobility: From Teaching Innovation to New Research Opportunities
The European EURECA-PRO alliance offers staff of the alliance opportunities for mobility that promote the sharing of best practice, the development of new collaborations and pedagogical innovation.
In this account, Sergei Cherniak, a lecturer and researcher at ENSTIB (Université de Lorraine), reflects on his participation in the ‘Glocalising Universities’ event, held at Hasselt University (Belgium). This experience enabled him to enrich his teaching practices, expand his European network and open up new avenues for research.
Staff Mobility: From Teaching Innovation to New Research Opportunities
The European EURECA-PRO alliance offers staff of the alliance opportunities for mobility that promote the sharing of best practice, the development of new collaborations and pedagogical innovation.
In this account, Sergei Cherniak, a lecturer and researcher at ENSTIB (Université de Lorraine), reflects on his participation in the ‘Glocalising Universities’ event, held at Hasselt University (Belgium). This experience enabled him to enrich his teaching practices, expand his European network and open up new avenues for research.
What motivated you to choose a mobility within the EURECA-PRO alliance, and why this partner in particular?
I decided to attend the Glocalising event at University of Hasselt in February 2025 for several reasons. Since November 2025, we have been running a joint project entitled BINDER in collaboration with the University of Hasselt, namely with Prof. Wouter Marchal. In addition, I wanted to further develop my teaching skills. Therefore, in order to get closer to the EURECA-PRO environment, understand its flagship initiatives, visit our partner institution, and learn from the teaching professionals at UHasselt, I decided to attend this event.
How has your mobility enriched your teaching, research, or professional practice?
This event was an excellent combination of lectures, round tables, and case studies on teaching in the modern world, along with opportunities to discuss potential research collaborations with other EURECA-PRO partners. I learned several new and interesting methods for teaching courses and practical sessions, which I can now apply in my courses at ULorraine.
I now have a much better understanding of the structure and partnerships within EURECA-PRO. I met many colleagues from ULorraine and other universities and discussed future plans with them. These new connections have significantly expanded my network, which is a great advantage for future project applications and collaborations.
Overall, it was also interesting to observe the teaching workflow at Hasselt, as they face quite different challenges. In contrast to ULorraine (and ENSTIB in particular), they have many international, English-speaking students. While international students here may struggle to adapt to a French-speaking environment, in Belgium local students sometimes need to strengthen their English skills to communicate effectively with their classmates.
What ideas, methods, or best practices have you been able to bring back to your institution, and what future collaboration opportunities do you see emerging from this mobility?
Regarding teaching and PhD supervision, I learned about several platforms and practices (for example, Miro, flipped classrooms, etc.) that can improve interaction with students.
Networking with partners has also opened up opportunities for future Horizon call applications, as well as smaller calls within the alliance.
