At the 12th ICA Rectors and Deans Forum in October 2022 focusing on Bending the Curve for Biodiversity: challenges and opportunities for life science universities an important Communiqué was published, in which ICA members pledged to put biodiversity conservation at the heart of their activities.

With this ICA Biodiversity Challenge 2023 we put forward an activity for all ICA members that is fun, brings our staff and students together, and sparks engagement with biodiversity, particularly relating to this part of the pledge made in the Communiqué:

“We will engage to protect and enhance the biodiversity of our own life science university grounds, campuses and other estates, for them to become enlightening examples and teaching tools for biodiversity-based development.”

EUROPEAN LIFE SCIENCES UNIVERSITIES
ADDRESSING THE URGENT NEED TO BEND THE CURVE OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS

We, the Rectors, Deans and Senior Management of the Association for European Life Science Universities at our Forum, held in Kaunas, Lithuania on 20 and 21 October 2022, addressed the challenges of stabilising and even reversing the loss of biodiversity.

Recognising that university education, research and innovation are vital pillars for the transition to a sustainable circular bioeconomy that conserves, restores and enhances biodiversity; and

Placing biodiversity conservation, restoration and enhancement together with climate neutrality and sustainable food production at the centre of our learning and research, in collaboration with societal partners, and in our campus operations;

Pledge to political leaders, societal influencers, businesses, and the general public that:

• We will share our understanding of biodiversity, its intrinsic heritage value, its trends and dynamics and its functional significance for the sustainability of natural and urban ecosystems;
  
  
• We will combine fundamental research on biodiversity with a quest for nature-based solutions, contributing to conservation, restoration and enhancement of biodiversity along with climate neutrality nd sustainable food production in a sustainable circular bioeconomy;
  
  
• We will encourage our students – the professionals and decision makers of the future – to internalise all available understanding of the need, means and paths for society to conserve, restore and enhance biodiversity in all types of terrestrial and marine ecosystems;
  
  
• We will engage to protect and enhance the biodiversity of our own life science university grounds, campuses and other estates, for them to become enlightening examples and teaching tools for biodiversity-based development.
  
  
• We will seek active collaboration with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC), the European Commission and with urban planning and other economic and societal sectors in our regions across Europe. We will engage with the marine, agrifood, forestry, and biobased industries, to stimulate and implement concrete behavioural and institutional changes to effectively curb, and even reverse, the downward trend of biodiversity, and advance the transition to a circular, climate neutral society.

Download the full text COMMUNIQUÉ

Was held on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 October 2022
at the Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy, Kaunas, Lithuania

Two themes were addressed

Bending the Curve for Biodiversity: challenges and opportunities for life science universities
&
Life science universities addressing Knowledge Security

see the keynote Presentations here

The ICA General Assembly was also held on Wednesday 19 October at the Vytautas Magnus University

ICA Network for Innovation in Life Sciences Higher Education (ICA-Edu)

Read the Report of the Colloquium here

The Colloquium explored the opportunities and challenges of mainstreaming blended learning in Life Sciences Higher Education: through institutional, student and lecturer perspectives. Blended-learning practices and experiences may vary widely in design and execution. Improvements in both university curricula and learning technologies, together with the impacts of the COVID pandemic, means that it is a learning mode that continues to gain momentum and usage.

ICA Community of Practice for Bioeconomy Education (ICA CoP Bio-Edu)

Read the Report of the Colloquium here

The Colloquium addressed Interdisciplinary Education for the Bioeconomy: embedding the mindset of the bioeconomy in the curricula of Bachelor degree programmes. Students follow many different Bachelor degree programmes which provide opportunities for careers in the different fields of the bioeconomy. The Colloquium will address how an interdisciplinarity mindset of the sustainable circular Bioeconomy can be embedded throughout the curricula of these Bachelor degree programmes.

This is the first year that ICA has awarded an ICA Excellence Award. The purpose is for ICA to recognize individuals who have achieved excellence in furthering the values and mission of ICA.

ICA received a number of outstanding nominations and we are grateful to both the nominators and those nominated for presenting them to the Selection Panel.

As you might expect, the Panel were challenged in selecting the award winner and the decision was not easy. None the less, the ICA Board approved the recommendation that the 2022 ICA Excellence Award is presented to Professor Dr. hab. Marek Stefan Szyndel from Warsaw University of Life Sciences.

The Citation was read by Alex Evans and the trophy was presented to Marek Szyndel by ICA President Arthur Mol on 20 October at the ICA Rectors and Deans Forum 2022