The CIVICA Faculty Short Visit scheme has just concluded its eighth call for applications. The scheme provides opportunities for faculty and postdoctoral researchers in CIVICA universities to visit another CIVICA university for between 2 - 5 days, to foster collaborative activities between institutions.
Several LSE Faculty have successfully applied to the scheme and have benefitted from visiting partner institutions to collaborative on projects, research initiatives or networking to establish new connections. We spoke to some of the LSE Faculty who have been involved with the Faculty Short Visits scheme this year to see what they thought about the scheme.
Dr Anthony Miro Born, ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Methodology, visited the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence in June 2025.
"I thoroughly enjoyed my Faculty Short Visit at the European University Institute in Florence! The experience was both intellectually stimulating and collegial, allowing me to forge new academic connections and to further share my research comic on housing inequality and social mobility."
Photo: © Anthony Miro Born
Professor Aaron Reeves from LSE's Department of Sociology also visited the European University Institute in Florence under the CIVICA Faculty Short Visit scheme. Aaron's research is focused on understanding the causes and consequences of social and economic inequality across countries, and his visit to EUI in May allowed him to participate in the Florence Population Studies group to support this research:
"I wanted to gain feedback on some preliminary research focussed on mortality rates over the long-run. This was a wonderful opportunity to receive feedback from a group of researchers who are thinking about related issues from a variety of perspectives."
Reflecting on his visit to the EUI, Aaron stated that he was "able to gain insights into core problems I was working on related to this project - as well as some opportunities to consider those issues in other fora, such as future workshops. I was able to begin conversations that I hope will lead to future collaborations flowing from the work that we are doing on this project."
Dr Bruno Leipold of the Department of Government recently visited Sciences Po in September 2025. Reflecting on his visit, Dr Leipold stated:
"The CIVICA Faculty Short Visit scheme enabled me to spend a hugely enjoyable and stimulating few days at Sciences Po, Paris. As part of a collaboration between the Sciences Po Political Theory Seminar (SPOT) and EHSS's le Seminaire Marx, Samual Hayat organised a roundtable for my book Citizen Marx, with excellent comments from two PhD students, Guilhelm Meve and Alix Stéphan. I then held a masterclass with Sciences Po PhD students, exploring the academic job market and the publication process behind articles and books. I really enjoyed this as it was an opportunity to share what I learned from my time as a post-doc. Finally, I had the unexpected pleasure of meeting with the prospective French translator of my book!"
Photo: © Bruno Leipold
Dr Paroma Bhattacharya, Head of Social Innovation for LSE Generate, recently visited Hertie School, Berlin, in November 2025.
Reflecting on her visit, Dr Paroma stated: "My goal for the CIVICA Faculty Short Visit was to engage in collaborative knowledge exchange across academia and practice, making the Hertie School an ideal fit. My primary academic motivation was to learn from Professor Johanna Mair, a globally renowned scholar whose work has significantly shaped my interest in Open Social Innovation (OSI).
I presented my work-in-progress on the impact of OSI initiatives to Prof. Mair and the Social Policy Research Group, gaining valuable, collaborative guidance that will shape my future research. I also exchanged ideas and shared career guidance with the early-career researcher community. To fulfil my practice related goals, I co-organised a “Women in Entrepreneurship” Breakfast Event for LSE and Hertie School alumni in Berlin, co-hosted by LSE Generate, Hertie School Alumni Affairs, and Alma Angels. It was a true pleasure to engage with founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, investors, ecosystem stakeholders, and policymakers – to collectively learn from each other and contribute towards building a vibrant support community for women in entrepreneurship in Berlin.
I am truly grateful to CIVICA for giving me the opportunity to represent LSE and visit the iconic Hertie School, as part of the CIVICA Faculty Short Visit programme. This visit has equipped me with valuable knowledge, important networks and new-found inspiration that will undoubtedly have a positive impact on my academic career going forward."
Photo: © Ibrar Mirzai
Congratulations to all LSE colleagues who took part in the CIVICA Faculty Short Visit scheme during 2025! If you are interested in applying to the CIVICA Faculty Short Visits scheme, please regularly check LSE's CIVICA webpage - the next call for applications will be announced in Winter 2026.