Photograph of Anshika Suri
13 March 2023

Let's Unite! - Get to know Anshika Suri

Anshika Suri, is based at the Unite! Secretariat and has been part of the Unite! community since October 2021. First she was involved in the UNITE.H2020 programme and as of November 2022 she is the Policy and Funding Advisor for the Unite! alliance.

Picture of Anshika Suri

Anshika Suri, is the Policy and Funding Advisor for the Unite! alliance. Her responsibilities under the Unite! Alliance Management and Governance include implementation and management of the seed fund, coordination of Student Liaison officers (along with Grenoble INP-UGA), coordination of thematic communities such as integration of Energy, AI, Industry 4.0 and, further funding and project development at Unite! In her free time, she likes travelling and exploring new places, she is an avid reader, ardent enthusiast of plays and musicals, indulgent baker and a trained Indian Classical Kathak Dancer. She is also passionate about intersectional research and currently co-editing a book by Springer on Inclusive urban development.

13/03/2023

What future Unite! project are you particularly excited about and why do you think it is important
for Unite!'s strategy?

I am excited about the implementation of the Unite! Seed Fund in 2023, which apart from being co-financed by Unite! partners and the Erasmus+ grant, is also aimed at providing an innovative and creative outlet for all teaching staff, researchers and students. The seed fund is envisioned as a step towards boosting collaborative and creative projects between three or more Unite! alliance partners, almost akin to angel investment in innovative ideas that are developed within our alliance. We want to give research and innovation a boost, and through the seed fund hope to also initiate potential future collaborations in diverse thematic areas, such as Energy, AI, amongst others.

What is happening in your Unite! expert community? Anything interesting to share with the Unite! community?

What has been an interesting development is the nomination of the Student Liaison Officer positions (SLOs) in our alliance. This is envisioned as a key role within Unite! 2.0. The SLOs are members who have extensive work experience and integral know-how on how to integrate students and their needs better within our alliance, through deeper inclusion with SURE!, within different communities of Unite! and to also boost visibility of all the attractive study offers such as blended intensive programmes and collaborative events such as the Unite! Student festival in 2023.

From your point of view, what is the advantage of working or studying at a Unite! university? What
do you think is special about the Unite! alliance?

I believe Unite! offers unique advantages for staff and students alike. The sharing of innovative resources such as the establishment of IRIS (integrated research and innovation services), open science and research data management trainings, blended intensive programs, benefit both academic staff and students alike. The seed fund also aims to provide students with the opportunity to come up with bottom-up solutions which could be funded for their innovative design and strategies.

Lastly, I believe the alliance provides opportunities through matchmaking events, which can benefit staff, academics and students to network and find common interests to collaborate on. More often than not, students and researchers spend a lot of time trying to find resources or existing knowledge on topics of their interest but the decentralised locations often deter further investigation. However, with an alliance like Unite!, they can find a centralised one-stop to help them optimise this journey, and also provide opportunities for collaborative, international exchange to boost their own interests.



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