International Research Collaboration Fund supports UNESCO Chair collaboration on lifelong learning in migratory contexts

A new collaboration project, 'Lifelong learning in migratory contexts: Accelerating collaboration between UNESCO Chairs in the UK, the Netherlands and Uganda', has received funding from the International Research Collaboration Fund (IRCF). The project brings together the UNESCO Chair in International Education and Development (University of Nottingham, UK) and the UNESCO Chair in Lifelong Learning, Youth and Work (Gulu University, Uganda, and University of Groningen, the Netherlands) to strengthen collaboration and lay the foundations for a shared research agenda and future joint funding applications.

The project will deliver a focused programme of activities designed to accelerate joint working across the partner institutions. It will centre on a hybrid symposium and sandpit hosted by the University of Groningen, bringing together colleagues from Nottingham, Groningen and Gulu in person, alongside invited external speakers and other participants who will join online. Alongside structured discussion, there will be a sandpit to seed collaborative ideas, identify shared research directions, and outline next steps for joint work.

The project will also include a strategic planning workshop at the University of Nottingham, where the partnership will be formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two UNESCO Chairs/three universities. 

The collaboration will explore three interrelated themes of lifelong learning and migration, considering both practice and policy implications across the UK, the Netherlands and Uganda:

1. lifelong learning for older adult migrants (including refugees, asylum seekers, marriage migrants and diaspora communities), with particular attention to how gender shapes participation and opportunities for more gender-responsive educational practices
2. migrant youth transitions into education and work, including strategies to strengthen employability and enable smoother transitions
3. international student and high-skilled migrant mobility, focusing on skills recognition, labour market integration, access to continuing education, and how mobility intersects with lifelong learning systems to inform more inclusive policy approaches across contexts

Porject lead: Dr Alicia Bowman
Co-leads: Professor Juliet Thondhlana, Dr Sharon Clancy, Dr Eugenia Katartzi