Maynooth University is delighted to congratulate Prof John O’Brennan and Prof Tobias Lock on receiving Jean Monnet Awards under the EU’s Erasmus+ programme.
The Jean Monnet programme is designed to promote excellence in teaching and research in the field of European Union studies worldwide. Its activities foster dialogue between the academic world and policy makers, in particular with the aim of enhancing governance of EU policies.
Maynooth University has been awarded almost €100,000 for a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence to be led by Professor John O’Brennan, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration and Director of Maynooth Centre of European and Eurasian Studies. The award is for three years.
Maynooth will receive over €40,000 for a Jean Monnet Chair in EU Law and Fundamental Rights to be led by Professor of Law Tobias Lock. The award for Prof Lock is the only Jean Monnet Chair awarded to an Irish university this year and will be the only Jean Monnet Chair in the field of law in Ireland. This funding is for a three-year period.
Jean Monnet Chairs, awarded through the EU’s Erasmus+ programme, are teaching posts with a specialisation in EU studies for university professors.
The award for the Maynooth Centre for European and Eurasian Studies will support the consolidation of inter-disciplinary research on South Eastern Europe at Maynooth, harnessing the capacities of high level experts in history, politics and sociology and creating new partnerships with universities in South Eastern Europe.
The research activity will help advance the 'state of the art' knowledge about South Eastern Europe in both history and politics/sociology. The History dimension will examine the modern history and development of the Balkans, and the interface between European developments and domestic Balkan dynamics.
The Politics/Sociology lens will evaluate a range of areas, including EU enlargement policy, rule of law issues and European integration in the Western Balkans. It will also include an important comparative dimension, including the evaluation of conflict resolution frameworks in the Balkans and Northern Ireland.
The project will facilitate the exchange of faculty and postgraduate students between Maynooth University and partners in Sofia University and the University of Ljubljana and help foster significantly deeper cooperation with institutions in South Eastern Europe.
It will enhance Maynooth University's links with practitioners and civil society organisations located in/working on South Eastern Europe, to share knowledge and provide input into public policy-making, at local, national and European level.
Prof John O' Brennan said: "This award constitutes recognition of the important research achievements and international academic standing of the Centre, since its foundation in 2007. It will allow us to further position Maynooth as one of Ireland's key centres for engaging with contemporary Europe, and facilitate important dialogue with policy-makers working on European integration and South Eastern Europe.”