Queen's Policy Engagement

Voices and views of 20th Century Belfast
2018-03-14 19:00 - 21:00 (Europe/London)
This talk explores aspects of 20th Century Belfast through the voices and visions of people outside the mainstream or struggling to survive in a challenging urban environment.
Our speakers will recover the voices of immigrant groups negotiating the polarities of a bifurcated society, including those of Belfast’s Jewish, Italian and Chinese communities, and review the contrasting images created by those who sought to expose the realities of poverty in the city through photography and others who offered escapism to the working classes through the mass medium of cinema.
‘Voices and Views of Belfast’ is hosted by the Institute of Irish Studies and Centre for Public History at Queen’s University and showcases the exciting new research on the city’s hidden histories by four of our early career researchers.

KESS Seminar - Using Technology in Social Care
2018-03-14 13:30 - 15:20 | Long Gallery, Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast, BT4 3XX, United Kingdom
1.30pm – RaISe – Welcome and Opening Remarks
1.45pm – Prof Shailey Minocha and Dr Ana-Despina Tudor (OU) – Role of digital health wearables in the well-being and quality of life of older people and carers

The number of adults aged 65 and over has increased by 2% across Europe in the past 15 years, and in Northern Ireland by 22% between 2003-2013. The proportion of the population in this age group is projected to increase by 63% to just under 0.5 million by 2033 – which will be a quarter of the population in Northern Ireland. Given Northern Ireland’s Active Ageing Strategy (2015-2021), there is an increasing focus on encouraging physical activity as we get older to preserve mobility and motor skills, and to enjoy the benefits of living longer and to minimise health problems associated with ageing. Over the last two years, we have been investigating the role of wearable activity tracking technologies in self-monitoring of activity by people aged over 55. Example technologies include activity trackers from Fitbit, Garmin and Samsung, and smart watches. Typically, these devices record steps walked, sleep patterns, calories expended and heart rate.
Based on empirical investigations, this presentation describes the benefits of activity monitors for people aged over 55 for self-monitoring of physical activity, for adopting healthy lifestyles, and for increasing or maintaining physical activity as a way to avoid high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and other medical conditions associated with weight or lower physical activity. It outlines the role of activity trackers in post-operative monitoring of mobility during rehabilitation, in caring, and for possible use of the data for diagnosis and medical interventions. It then discusses the challenges for adoption of these technologies, given currently, off-the-shelf devices are designed and calibrated for use by physically fit (typically young active people) with unrealistic fitness targets for the older generation.

2.05pm – Dr Hannah R. Marston (OU), Dr Shannon Freeman (University of Northern British Columbia, Canada), Dr Rebecca Genoe (University of Regina, Canada), Dr Cory Kulcyzki (University of Regina, Canada) and Dr Charles Musselwhite (Swansea University) – The Cohesiveness of Technology in Later Life: Findings from the Technology In Later Life (TILL) Project

Statistics show Northern Ireland (NI) ageing population (65+ years) has increased between 1974 (11.2%) to 2014 (15.5%). Estimated projections suggest this will reach 24.7% by 2039. Currently, 35,500 people are aged 85+ years, 12,200 (90-99 years) and it is estimated there are 280 centenarians (NISRA, 2016). The use and deployment of technology can assist in social connectedness reducing isolation, online shopping/bills, information acquisition, physical activity and maintaining intergenerational relationships. Between 2014/15, 69% of adults (60-69 years) had access to the Internet, unlike 40% of adults aged 70+ years; moreover, 82% of adults 60+ years owned a mobile phone. Understanding how technology can play an integral role in the lives of older adults has demonstrated the positive perceptions and behaviour to independent living. Literature, focusing on adults aged >70 years living in rural and urban areas, relating to technology use, behaviour and perception is limited.
This presentation concerns the international, multi-centred Technology In Later Life (TILL) study derived from the paucity of literature and studies focusing on technology use and behaviour by adults aged >70 years, employed a multi-methods approach. Its findings suggest participants were open to using and accessing different types of digital devices and technologies to enhance wellbeing and social connectedness which included sharing information with family members, communicating with grand/children living long distance and communicating news via the community. Its recommendations propose reducing privacy issues; while providing practical approaches and insights to technology use by older adults. The presentation adds to the paucity of work in the area of technology use in later life and could inform NI policy makers, health/NHS, communities, families and support networks, helping them to understand the barriers and enablers to technology use in later life. It also highlights that further work is needed to explore perceptual and behavioural concepts across these groups, to ensure ageing populations are confident in integrating technology into their lives.

2.25pm – Dr Verina Waights (OU), Prof Panos Bamidis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece) and Ms Rosa Almeida (Fundacion Intras, Spain) – Technologies for care – the imperative for upskilling carers
Ageing populations, coupled with increasing retirement ages and lower ratios of workers to retirees, are negatively impacting health and social care. Currently, 11.8% of Northern Ireland (NI) residents are carers, but it is predicted that by 2025 the number of people aged over 65 will increase by 42%, with the number of people aged over 80 doubling by 2027. These projections place increasing demands on carers, especially when considered within the ‘changing ethos of health care in NI’ towards a self-management model. Carers increasingly use the internet to find health information, yet worldwide a significant number of people lack health literacy skills and/or digital skills. The EU-funded DISCOVER project involved over 650 carers, care workers and stakeholders in co-designing and co-producing an online learning platform to enhance carers’ and care workers’ health literacy, digital skills and caring skills. Engaging with DISCOVER also enabled carers to share concerns and supportive practices with other carers to help reduce social isolation. This presentation draws on research undertaken for this project and makes recommendations highlighting to policy makers, health care professionals, care agencies and technologists how the lives of carers, care workers and care–recipients could be enhanced in terms of improving their quality of life and reducing their social isolation.
2.45pm – Discussion

3.15pm – RaISe – Closing Remarks

3.20pm – Networking and Refreshments
Tea/coffee is provided following presentations and discussion. Free parking is available to all. Kindly allow time to pass through Assembly Security upon entry to Parliament Buildings; and ensure that you specify your special needs (for example, wheelchair accessibility) when registering. The Assembly is committed to fulfilling its equality-related roles and responsibilities and will take reasonable efforts to meet requests relating to them.
To view the programme, please refer to: https://kess.org.uk/series-7/
If you wish to reserve your place at a seminar, please register at: https://kess.org.uk/register/

Eight
2018-03-13 19:30 - 2018-03-15 21:30
EIGHT, by Ella Hickson, is directed by Rachel Coffey and produced in association with Queen’s University Drama.
We invite you to meet a snapshot of our generation from the noughties to now – a student, a cheater, a teenager, a parent, a socialite, a high flier, a rebel and a homosexual.
Whose story do you want to hear? Has the past informed the present? Have things really changed?
YOU decide. EIGHT people, ONE audience, SIX chances. Welcome to #ChaosTheoryTheatre

More human than human: the ethics of new intelligent life
2018-03-13 15:00 - 17:00 | Old Staff Common Room, Queen's University Belfast, University Road, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
With David Lawrence of Newcastle University.
In the future, we may truly make our own match – creating, or causing to be created, beings that could be considered persons just like us. Whether through gene editing, synthetic biology, or even artificial intelligence, we need to think seriously about how to treat these lifeforms. This talk will consider how future beings — intelligent androids, synthezoids, even alternate-substrate sentiences – might fit alongside the ‘baseline’ human and ask whether these alternate beings ought to be considered different to us, and why this may or may not matter in terms of a notion of ‘human community’. The film Blade Runner, concerned in large part with humanity and its key synthezoid antagonist Roy Batty, offers a frame for this discussion.
Organised by the NI Ethics Forum.

Debating urban violence in Rio
2018-03-12 20:00 - 22:00
A Belfast Brazilian CineClub film night.
This film night, organised by Belfast Brazilian CineClub, will present a selection of short digital documentaries related to urban violence in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, focusing particularly on social and cultural responses to it. Dr Tori Holmes, Lecturer in Brazilian Studies at Queen’s University, will introduce the programme and there will be time for discussion and debate after the films.

Homeward Bound - Imagine Belfast Festival Evet
2018-03-12 15:00 - 16:00
Homeward Bound is a 30 minute play which tells the true story of Lesley and her husband Seth Goodburn.
At 49 years old, Seth was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer following a short history of feeling unwell. He died just 33 days after diagnosis. This is a play, written by playwright Brian Daniels, to give people, especially health and social care professionals, the opportunity to reflect on the importance of compassionate person and family-centred care at the end of life and to help individuals to understand how little things mean a lot to the person who is dying and to their family.
The play draws its content from a series of letters written by Lesley before and after Seth’s untimely death. She articulates the journey from the first signs of his illness, through diagnosis, care and treatment and after his death at their local NHS Hospital. The play will be followed by a discussion with the actors and Lesley Goodburn. Organised by the NI Ethics Forum.
NB. Please note that the time on this event has changed from the previously published programme.

BrexitLawNI Newry Townhall Meeting Now Cancelled
2018-02-28 19:00 - 21:00 | Canal Court Hotel, Merchants Quay, Newry, Down, BT35 8HF, United Kingdom
BrexitLawNI will be hosting a Townhall Meeting in Newry. The purpose of this meeting is to share the findings of our research – specifically, how Brexit will likely impact YOU – and to hear first hand, from people living in the area, about how Brexit has impacted you, what your concerns are, and how these concerns can be addressed.
The findings from these meetings will be included in reports currently being drafted by the BrexitLawNI team. These reports will be distributed as widely as possible, with a particular focus on engagement with those involved in the Brexit process.
Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided and all are welcome to attend!

Human Rights in an Age of Trump and Brexit
2018-02-22 17:00 - 18:30
To what extent do the politics of Brexit and of President Trump affect human rights? Polarized debates about UK, European, and US politics and society have seen different anxieties expressed, and rival futures advocated.
In this public discussion, two of the world’s leading thinkers consider the continuities, complexities, and transformations involved in what some have seen as a new era of western politics.
Join Queen’s University and the British Academy on Thursday, 22 February 2018 at 5pm for the latest in our Global Challenge Debates with speakers Professor Chris McCrudden FBA, Professor of Human Rights and Equality Law at Queen’s University Belfast, and Onora O’Neill FBA, Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve, University of Cambridge.
Doors open 4.30pm. There is no need to register. Seats will be issued on a first come, first served basis.
Refreshments will be served following the debate in the Ground Floor Reception of the Main Site Tower (School of Law).
This event is organised in partnership between Queen’s University Belfast and the British Academy.

QPol Brexit Clinic February 2018
2018-02-20 12:15 - 13:45 | The Senate Room, Lanyon Building, QUB, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
QPol Policy Engagement at Queen’s invites you to the latest in its series of ‘Brexit Clinics’ bringing together academic experts and stakeholders to discuss the issues facing the UK, to consider the particular challenges the process poses for Northern Ireland and to provide informed insights into the process.
Whatever your particular interest is in Brexit and the EU, come along to the next Clinic on Tuesday 20 February at 12.15pm. The Clinic, led by Professor David Phinnemore, will consist of introductory comments on the process by senior Queen’s academics, followed by a Q+A session and discussion addressing issues raised by participants.
To this end, participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance by emailing qpol@qub.ac.uk
Places are limited so please register early by clicking here.

2018 Eaton Lecture
2018-02-16 09:45 - 11:00
Queen’s University Belfast is pleased to invite you to attend the 2018 Eaton Lecture. It will take place on Friday 16 February, 9.45-11am, in The South Dining Hall, on the main Queen’s University Lanyon site. The Guest speaker will be The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Canada, who will address ‘Sustainability and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals’.

About the speaker:
The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell was invested as Ontario’s 29th Lieutenant Governor on September 23, 2014. Her eclectic public service career has spanned provincial, federal, and international borders, and has transcended disciplinary and sectoral lines.
Ms. Dowdeswell began her professional career as a teacher and university lecturer. After serving as the Deputy Minister of Culture and Youth for the Government of Saskatchewan, she held increasingly senior positions in the Canadian public service, most notably as head of the Atmospheric Environment Service. Throughout this period, she managed several public inquiries and royal commissions.
Her international negotiating experiences prefaced her election in 1992 as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. Upon returning to Canada in 1998, she established an international consulting practice and became the founding President and CEO of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization. Immediately prior to her appointment as Lieutenant Governor, Ms. Dowdeswell was the President and CEO of the Council of Canadian Academies. She has also served on numerous boards of corporate and non-profit organizations.
Ms. Dowdeswell was born in Northern Ireland and immigrated to rural Saskatchewan with her parents in 1947. She earned a Bachelor of Science in home economics and teaching certificate from the University of Saskatchewan (1966) and a Master of Science in behavioural sciences from Utah State University (1972). An Officer of the Order of Canada, Ms. Dowdeswell holds 11 honorary degrees.
In the 2018 Eaton Lecture Ms Dowdeswell will emphasize the imperative of sustainability and its three interrelated components: inclusive economic prosperity, environmental stewardship, and social cohesion. She is currently focused on drawing attention to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for encouraging people to think globally while acting locally.

About the Eaton Lecture Series:
The Eaton Lecture Series at Queen’s was established in 1994 and is intended to cement connections between the University and Canada, by bringing eminent Canadians to Queen’s. The Eaton Foundation was set up by the family of Timothy Eaton, a native of Ballymena who, upon emigrating to Canada in the nineteenth century, founded the T. Eaton & Co. Limited (Toronto) chain of department stores.

To register to attend please click here.

The Implications of Brexit for Migrant Workers: What to watch out for
2018-02-13 09:30 - 15:30
The Implications of Brexit for Migrant Workers: What to watch out for” takes place on 13th February from 9.30am-3.30pm, in The Junction, Dungannon and will address the concerns of migrant communities in Northern Ireland. It is held in partnership with STEP, the Stronger Together Network and the Equality Coalition and will look at the disproportionate impact that Brexit is going to have on migrant workers from the EU and beyond.
The exact implications of Brexit are difficult to determine: precise government policy is yet to be decided in many areas and the positions and proposals set out to date can be subject to change. This event is interested in hearing how Brexit is already impacting on migrant worker communities in Northern Ireland and will share information as to what is known of governments’ intentions to date as well as being a listening exercise on current experiences, views and concerns on the implications for migrants in the future.

EMU, New Economic Governance & Social Justice Research Seminar
2018-01-26 13:00 - 16:30 | The Senate Room, Lanyon Building, QUB, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
This interdisciplinary research seminar addresses whether the legal frame of Economic and Monetary Union is in irreconcilable tension with the EU’s renewed social agenda, also questioning whether the recently proclaimed European Pillar of Social Rights is sufficient to revive the EU’s original socio-economic model in the face of ongoing global economic distortions.
Speakers include Prof Ulla Neergaard (Professor of Law at University of Copenhagen), , Dr Bart Vanhercke (OSE – European Social Observatory) and Prof Fabian Amtenbrink (Professor of Law, University of Rotterdam and convenor of EURO-CEFG).
To register, please click here.

Programme
1pm-1.30pm Welcome lunch
1.30pm-1.40pm Introduction by Prof. Dagmar Schiek, Queen’s University Belfast
1.40pm-2.40pm Session 1

The impact of eurozone reforms on the EU social dimension – Prof. Ulla Neergaard, University of Copenhagen
Macroeconomic supervision and social policy concerns in the EU: A view from Portugal – Martinho Lucas Pires, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Discussant: Prof. Dagmar Schiek, Queen’s University Belfast

2.40pm-3.25pm Session 2

Socialising the EMU through the European Semester – Dr. Bart Vanhercke, OSE-European Social Observatory
Discussant: Dr. Sara Clavero, Queen’s University Belfast

3.25pm-4.25pm Session 3

New Economic Governance and the EMU – A critical legal analysis – Prof. Fabian Amtenbrink, Erasmus University of Rotterdam
Rethinking policy-making in the EMU: Institutional social responsibility and the Fiscal Reform Act – Matteo Laruffa, LUISS Guido Carli University (Rome)
Discussant: Dr. Dieter Pesendorfer, Queen’s University Belfast

4.25pm-4.30 pm Close

NERI Seminar BELFAST: Bordering on Brexit: Local communities' views and the response so far
2018-01-25 15:30 - 16:45
Dr Katy Hayward is a political sociologist with a particular focus on conflict/post-conflict transitions. Her research is actively interdisciplinary, traversing fields of border studies, conflict studies, European studies, and Irish studies. This means that she is particularly well-placed to speak to the implications of Brexit for the island of Ireland, and Northern Ireland in particular. Indeed, she has written and presented widely on this matter, and has given evidence before parliamentary committees in both the UK and the Republic of Ireland. She is one of the leading political sociologists of the island of Ireland (e.g. co-ed. Dynamics of Political Change in Ireland , 2017), with a high profile in relation to European integration (e.g. co-ed. The Europeanization of Party Politics in Ireland , 2010), political violence (e.g. co-ed. Nationalism and Organised Violence , 2013), and the application of discourse analysis (e.g. co-ed. Political Discourse of Peace and Conflict , 2009).

Abstract:
This paper presents the findings from the ‘Bordering on Brexit study’ led by Dr Hayward on behalf of the Irish Central Border Area Network, which gathered the views of those on both sides of the border regarding Brexit. The paper considers the degree to which these perspectives have been taken into account in the approach taken to Brexit by policymakers at local and national levels. It looks in particular at the Joint Report agreed by the EU and UK negotiators on 8th December and assesses whether it constitutes firm reassurance on Ireland/Northern Ireland issues, especially for those living and working in the border region.

Christmas Brexit Clinic at Queen's
2017-12-20 12:00 - 13:30 | Moot Court Room, School of Law, Tower Building, Belfast, Antrim , BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
The European Council is due to meet on the 14-15 December, during which the EU 27 will review the latest developments in the negotiations following the UK’s notification of its intention to leave the EU. Will there have been any progress since the disappointing outcome for the UK at the October meeting?
QPol Policy Engagement at Queen’s invites you to the latest in its series of ‘Brexit Clinics’ bringing together academic experts and stakeholders to discuss the issues facing the UK, to consider the particular challenges the process poses for Northern Ireland and to provide informed insights into the process.
Whatever your particular interest is in Brexit and the EU, come along to the next Clinic on Wednesday 20 December at 12.00 noon. The Clinic will consist of introductory comments on the process by senior Queen’s academics, particularly in light of the outworkings of the European Council meeting, followed by a Q+A session and discussion addressing issues raised by participants.
To this end, participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance by emailing qpol@qub.ac.uk
Places are limited so please register early.

The good, the bad and the ugly
2017-11-10 10:00 - 13:00 | Riddel Hall, 185 Stranmillis Road , Belfast, Co Antrim , BT9 5EE, United Kingdom
When it comes to the world of business, it’s not enough anymore for businesses just to make a profit. There is an expectation on them to play a wider role in society and to engage in a much more positive way. So what exactly should the relationship be between the business world and the wider society?
Join Dr Shirley-Ann Hazlett to discuss the role of business in society and to find out why some businesses are better at it than others.
This event is aimed at young people aged 16-18 years.

Social science meets arts and culture in Northern Ireland
2017-11-09 17:00 - 19:00 | Brian Friel Theatre, 20 University Road, Belfast, Antrim, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
Join us for an evening of sharing and discussion about new research on arts management and cultural policy from students of the MA in Arts Management at Queen’s University Belfast and guest speaker Katherine Bond, Director of the Cultural Institute at King’s College London.
Presentations and discussion will include research on understanding how NI entrepreneurs are developing sustainable creative businesses, the protection of cultural heritage, and addressing emotional dynamics in the film industry’s work culture. A reception will follow.
Katherine Bond will reflect on The Creative Role of Research and share the Cultural Institute’s report of the same name, which reviews the impact of the strong relationship King’s College has had with the arts and cultural sector.
This event is hosted by the School of Arts, English and Languages at Queen’s University Belfast in collaboration with Arts Council Northern Ireland.

Police stop and search in Northern Ireland
2017-11-08 18:30 - 20:00 | The Black Box (Main Room), 18-22 Hill Street, Belfast, Co Antrim, BT1 2LA, United Kingdom
The use of stop and search powers by the Police Service of Northern Ireland remains a relatively unchallenged policing tactic, but is being used at a higher level than any other police service in the UK.
Evidence shows that stop and search has little impact on overall crime figures. So why has this police power become the norm?
Join Dr John Topping as he examines the impacts on crime and the social costs of police stop and search powers in Northern Ireland.

History by numbers
2017-11-08 10:00 - 15:30 | Riddel Hall, 185 Stranmillis Road , Belfast, Co Antrim , BT9 5EE, United Kingdom
Ever wondered how the economics of the past can shed light on how our world has been shaped and continues to develop? Queen’s University’s Centre for Economic History is at the forefront of exploring the economics of the past.
This closed workshop is aimed at invited A-level students who are interested in learning more about the crossover between economics and history and the tools of the economic historian.

Economics as story telling?
2017-11-07 18:30 - 20:00 | Canada Room and Council Chamber, Queen's University Belfast, University Road, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
Do your eyes glaze over whenever you hear the word ‘economics’? Are you intimidated or impressed by economists commenting about the state of the economy and the prospects of economic growth? Is there a ‘magic money tree’?
Join Professor John Barry from Queen’s University as he lifts the veil on economics with his entertaining and critical account of economics as a form of storytelling.

Can we improve wellbeing for pupils?
2017-11-07 10:00 - 12:00
A lot of research looking at young people’s wellbeing has been carried out in schools but little is known of what impact this research has had in terms of informing policy.
This closed session will bring together researchers, pupils and teachers to discuss what we can learn from research and each other about pupil wellbeing. We’ll also share our findings from the Wellbeing in Schools study.

Brexit clinic: Northern Ireland in a changing Europe
2017-11-06 19:30 - 21:00
With the imminent UK withdrawal from the EU, there has never been a bigger appetite for information on how negotiations are progressing and what the implications are for every aspect of our lives.
So if you want to know what the Great Repeal Bill is or what’s going to happen to such things as our borders and the environment, then come along to our Brexit clinic for a consultation with a difference.
Panel members include:

Prof David Phinnemore
Prof Lee McGowan
Dr Viviane Gravey
Dr Graham Brownlow

Beyond Hillsborough: Researching social justice
2017-11-04 11:00 - 18:00
Professor Phil Scraton, widely recognised for his in-depth research with families and survivors on the Hillsborough disaster and principal author of the Hillsborough independent Panel’s ground-breaking report, will lead a seminar exploring the significance of critical research in securing institutional changes and social justice. He will also discuss his most recent work on the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Other contributions will focus on investigative research in prisons and with children and young people.
This interactive seminar will be followed by a screening of the BAFTA award-winning documentary, Hillsborough, followed by a discussion on inquiries, inquests and legal reform.

The aftermath of migration on Kos
2017-11-04 09:00 - 2017-11-11 17:00
In the summer of 2015 the migration crisis hit the shores of the Greek island of Kos, with thousands of refugees given temporary accommodation in an abandoned hotel.
This powerful photographic exhibition shows images of the hotel and the many and various objects left behind, and gives us a snapshot of life as a refugee, as well as the aftermath of the migration crisis.
The exhibition will run throughout the Festival week. No registration required. Please just drop in!

Informing NI Brexit Considerations
2017-10-25 13:30 - 16:00 | Long Gallery, Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast, BT4 3XX, United Kingdom
The first of this year’s KESS Seminars will take place on Wednesday 25 October from 1.30pm. The title of the seminar is Informing NI Brexit Considerations and will feature speakers from Queen’s University, Ulster University and the Open University.
To register please click here.

QPol Brexit Clinic
2017-10-25 12:30 - 14:00
QPol Policy Engagement at Queen’s invites you to the latest in its series of ‘Brexit Clinics’ bringing together academic experts and stakeholders to discuss the issues facing the UK, to consider the particular challenges the process poses for Northern Ireland and to provide informed insights into the process.
The European Council will meet on the 19-20 October, during which the EU 27 will review the latest developments in the negotiations following the UK’s notification of its intention to leave the EU. Will a decision be taken that the Brexit negotiations are progressing well enough to move to the next stage?
Whatever your particular interest is in Brexit and the EU, come along to the next Clinic on Wednesday 25 October at 12.30pm. The Clinic will consist of introductory comments on the process by senior Queen’s academics, particularly in light of the outworkings of the European Council meeting, followed by a Q+A session and discussion addressing issues raised by participants.
To register please click here.

Brexit and the Japan-UK relationship
2017-09-29 12:00 - 13:00 | Canada Room and Council Chamber, Queen's University Belfast, University Road, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
Mr Shinichi Iida, Minister for Public Diplomacy and Media at the Embassy of Japan in the UK will visit Queen’s University on 29 September to deliver a lecture entitled “Brexit and the Japan-UK relationship.”
Minister Iida will discuss Brexit and its impact on business in the light of Japan’s role as the second-largest non-EU investor in Britain, based upon a long-term and cooperative relationship. He will also refer to the core principles that Japan and the UK share, including adherence to the rule of law and respect for human rights, and to the two countries’ commitment to working together to tackle a range of weighty global issues.
Minister Iida will also touch upon the importance of cultural and people-to-people exchange between Japan and the UK as a springboard for advancing dynamic, forward-looking bilateral ties for the benefit of future generations.
About the Speaker
Mr Shinichi Iida, was born in 1967 in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture. He passed the diplomatic service examination in his third year at the Faculty of Law in University of Tokyo. After entering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), he studied at Amherst College in Massachusetts, USA. After working for the Permanent Mission of Japan to the UN in New York from 2003 to 2006, he held positions as Director for Oceania Division, Director of Global Issues Cooperation Division, and Director of Consular Policy Division at MOFA. In July 2016, he was assigned to the Embassy of Japan in the United Kingdom as Minister for Public Diplomacy and Media.

BREXIT 15 months on – socio-legal perspectives for the EU and Europe
2017-09-23 09:00 - 17:15
15 months after the UK has lodged its intention to withdraw from the European Union (EU), there is limited information on what exactly the UK wishes to achieve. However, this does and should not prevent the EU from responding to this withdrawal with a programmatic renewal. Clearly, the EU’s social legitimacy is one of the areas where renewal is dearly needed – as is the question how the EU’s visions are communicated and realised at its new borders, especially to the West and the East.
Because the EU is and remains a Community of Law, new perspectives will impact on its legal nature, giving much food for thought to socio-legal academics.

Plenary Panel I: The EU’s social legitimacy after the UK’s withdrawal
Free Movement of People in the EU after “Brexit”
Prof. Catherine Barnard, University of Cambridge, UK
The implications of “Brexit” for EU Social Policy
Prof. Mary Daly, University of Oxford, UK
A European Social Union after the crisis
Prof. Frank Vandenbroucke , University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Plenary Panel II: Perspectives for the EUs Eastern and Western Fringes
The EU’s role in policing the rule of law: reflections on recent Polish experience
Prof. Robert Grzeszczak and Dr. Stephen Terrett, University of Warsaw, Poland
European solutions for the island of Ireland
Prof. Dagmar Schiek, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland
The De-Europeanisation of border conflicts: the Brexit effect on UK territorial borders
Dr Nikos Skoutaris, University of East Anglia, UK
To view the full conference programme, click here.
To register, click here.

Feeding nine billion: the ultimate global challenge
2017-09-20 17:00 - 18:30 | Great Hall, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
Join Queen’s University for the first in a major new series of Global Challenges Debates where a leading Queen’s academic engages in debate with a leading figure from another major institution, to consider an issue of global significance.
The first debate will feature:

Professor Chris Elliott, Queen’s University Belfast, Founder of the Institute for Global Food Security and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
Michelle Grant, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Executive Director of the World Food System Centre, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich)

Following the presentations, a debate will be chaired by Professor Nigel Scollan, Director of the Institute for Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast
Doors open 4.30pm Seats will be issued on a first come first served basis (no registration required) Refreshments will be served following the debate.

The Annual Chief Executives’ Club Leadership Lecture - Navigating a World of Unprecedented Volatility
2017-09-12 17:30 - 19:30 | Riddel Hall, 185 Stranmillis Road , Belfast, Co Antrim , BT9 5EE, United Kingdom
The Chief Executives’ Club at Queen’s and the Queen’s Management School, are delighted to welcome Mr Declan Kelly, Chairman & CEO, Teneo to deliver its inaugural Annual Leadership Lecture. Mr Kelly will discuss the unprecedented global environment companies must navigate today as well as his work personally advising the CEOs of many of the world’s largest companies at Teneo. He will also reflect on his term as US Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland, appointed by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2009.
An entrepreneur, Irish-American business executive, and philanthropist, Mr Kelly is widely known for his corporate problem solving skills, due to the impact he has had on the American corporate world.
His company, Teneo, provides services that span the range of strategic communications; government affairs, investment banking, cyber security and risk management, management consulting, investor relations, corporate governance, advisory and executive recruitment, amongst many others. The firm has nearly 700 employees and offices in 17 strategic markets around the world. Before founding Teneo in 2011, Mr Kelly acted as US Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland after being appointed to the post in 2009 by then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Today he advises several of the world’s most recognised CEOs and leaders of the world’s largest companies.
To register, please click here.

QPol Brexit Discussion: an update on key policy considerations
2017-08-30 12:30 - 14:00 | Moot Court Room, School of Law, Tower Building, Belfast, Antrim , BT7 1NN, United Kingdom
Having set in motion the formal process for leaving the EU, the UK government is almost six months into a two-year negotiation process that continues to take place in a context of political uncertainty within the UK and the EU. QPOL Policy Engagement at Queen’s invites you to the latest in its series of ‘Brexit Clinics’ bringing together academic experts and stakeholders to discuss the issues facing the UK, to consider the particular challenges the process poses for Northern Ireland and to provide informed insights into the process.
So whether your particular interest is the economy, borders, the enviroment or the Brexit process itself, why not come along to the next Clinic on Wednesday 30 August at 12.30pm. The Clinic will consist of introductory comments on the process by senior Queen’s academics, followed by a Q+A session and discussion addressing issues raised by participants. The panel members are:

Professor David Phinnemore
Professor Lee McGowan
Dr. Katy Hayward
Dr. Viviane Gravey
Dr Graham Brownlow

To this end, participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance by emailing qpol@qub.ac.uk
Places are limited so please register early.
