Research Groups leaders met IFCU President during annual meeting (Paris, 3-4 May 2026)
The International Research groups (IRG) leaders had the pleasure to meet up with the new IFCU President and UNIVA Rector, Father Francisco Ramírez Yáñez, during the annual meeting of the Council for Scientific Research (CSR), which was held at the IFCU headquarters in Paris, France, on 3-4 May 2026.
As a reminder, the Council, which is chaired by Prof. Vercauteren (Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium) and hosted by the CIREAD, is made up of the leaders from IFCU International research groups.
In its annual meeting, Council members exchanged about their own group activities, both past and future, discussed about joint endeavours to make their voice heard within the higher education landscape and in the public scene, while identifying opportunities for getting much more involved in other initiatives promoted by the Federation. Achieving social and intellectual impact, partnering with relevant external stakeholders, identifying potential funding sources to fund their activities, leveraging the groups’ expertise and further reinforcing their visibility were some of the main issues addressed.
Among the topics dealt with by IRGs right now, we may find artificial intelligence, youth and individualization, the Anthropocene, Common goods, Expanded reason, interreligious dialogue, and vulnerabilities.
On this occasion, we had the pleasure to exchange with Prof. Rita Bichi from the Social Sciences IRG (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano, Italy), Prof. Fernando Soler from the COCTI (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile), Prof. George Mutalemwa from the Peace studies group (St. Augustine University of Tanzania, Tanzania), Prof. Michel Younès from Pluriel (Catholic University of Lyon, France) and Prof. Javier de Cendra from Common Goods and Expanded Reason IRG (Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Spain).
For a full list and description of all the IRGs and similar research groups, kindly check the dedicated webpage on the IFCU website.
And do not miss the forthcoming IRGs Conferences:
- COCTI Symposium: AI and Human Intelligence in light of Biblical Wisdom (PUC Rio, Brazil, 25-28 May 2026);
- FIUCUP Psychology Congress: Contemporary Vulnerabilities (8-20 July 2026, UCLy, Lyon, France)
As a reminder, any scholar from an IFCU member university may join the research groups of their interest. We hope to have you onboard!
