The document discusses the International Federation of Catholic Universities' (IFCU) plans to promote action research projects and establish research centers over the next few years. Some of the key action research projects IFCU and its members will focus on include education in South Asia, food security and democracy, education for young migrants and refugees, and inclusion of disabled students. IFCU will also work to create networks like one between business schools and UNIAPAC focused on sustainable business practices. The organization represents over 220 Catholic universities worldwide and aims to foster cooperation and share research findings across members.

1. Focus on… Action Research
During the next years, IFCU will promote and coordinate several action-re-
search projects. Those would allow its members to reinforce their links with
partner institutions, reflect and act ont the new challenges our societies
have to face, provide a field magnitude to academic knowledge, impact on
the crisis the World faces, in accordance with the encyclical letter of Pope
Francis « Laudato si’ », subtitled «On Care For Our Common Home“.
IFCU motto will then be acted, we’ll gain knowledge to serve: Sciat Vt Serviat.
Education In South Asia:
This project will be led in 3 South Asian countries, so as to analyse the
brakes to scolarity and how they could be overcome.
Right to Food, Peace and Democracy:
IFCU and several affiliate universities have initiated this action-research to
tackle the issue of poverty and lead to the empowerment of the population
by achieving food independence and therefore acquiring full citizenship.
Young Migrants/Refugees Education:
IFCU in collaboration with its European and Lebanese affiliates wishes to
assist, notably through a virtual university, the young migrants that have left
schools and universities so as to help them build their future whether they
return to their country or not. By providing them both theoretical lessons and
human mentoring, we intend to support them in the migration crisis.
Business Schools-IFCU-UNIAPAC Network:
IFCU and UNIAPAC share an innovative vision of the university and the
company in favor of a global model that combines economic perfor-
mance with social and environmental responsibility. Through the creation
of this network, we aim to reflect on the training of future managers-
entrepreneurs and raise today’s business leaders’ awareness in order to
encourage the establishment within companies, equitable systems and
sustainable governance.
Rotary-IFCU Chair for Peace:
A collaboration endeavor between the two organizations has been
initiated to establish links at the academic level, in the field of
action-research and teaching peace building. This initiative will lead
to the creation of a ROTARY-IFCU Chair for Peace in the international
university network of the Federation, with the collaboration of interna-
tional Institutions.
Both organizations will focus on the issue of peace (from risk analysis to
conflict analysis), in order to draw conclusions for action-research.
The Inclusion of Disabled Students, ”Toward an Inclusive Culture and
Pedagogy”:
This project aims at bringing together IFCU members from different
continents around the issue of inclusion in order to improve the
conditions of disabled students within Catholic higher education
institutions.
The project is grounded on the results of a worldwide study conducted
by CRESGE-Catholic University of Lille, France, in collaboration with the
Federation.
International Federation
of Catholic Universities
IFCU
Sciat Vt Serviat
« Your motto is also a programme for the Federation’s future:
« Sciat Vt Serviat », to know in order to serve. In a culture which
demonstrates: a lack of wisdom and reflection, a lack of thinking
capable of formulating a guiding synthesis, faithful to their own
identity which makes Christian inspiration a defining feature,
Catholic universities are called to promote a new humanistic
synthesis, knowledge that is wisdom capable of directing man
in the light of his first beginnings and his final ends, knowledge
illumined by faith. »
Pope Benedict XVI
« Catholic academic institutions cannot isolate themselves
from the world, they must know how to enter bravely into the
aeropagus of current culture and open dialogue, conscious of
the gift that they can offer to everyone. »
Pope Francis
Strategic Planning
2016 – 2017:
Creation of a Training Department: Created in 2016, the Training
Department aims to promote leading national and globally relevant
universities, foster the education and development of 21st
century
students and further a humanistic management throughout all its
members’ work.
It has established a 3-year strategic planning of research.
International Research and Decision-making Center - It aims
at fostering research that will be useful for action and social
transformation, involving dissemination of research findings and
their translation into recommendations. The Center also favours
the meeting with decision-makers and international organizations
Its work tends to strengthen and change the way of being present in
international bodies: making it possible for IFCU experts to speak in
international forums.
Prospective Department and Advocacy - IFCU has created this
department to promote collective reflection on the stakes of higher
education and research, to reflect on new challenges in the evolu-
tion of our societies, to introduce a capacity for prospective reflection.
It is promoting research on a new international ranking mobilizing our
network for the next Synod.
International Conference on Migrants/Refugees in a globalized world
and the Role and Responsabilities of Universities.
2018:
• General Assembly : Catholic Universities as actors of local and global
change
• Synod on youth and vocations and IFCU mobilization

2. TheInternationalPresenceofIFCU
As a proponent of international cooperation, our Federation enjoys
consultative status with the following organizations, where it also
maintains an active presence:
• The United Nations (UN), New York
• The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Vienna
• The Commission of Human Rights, Geneva
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO), Paris
• The Council of Europe, Strasbourg
• International Catholic Center for UNESCO (ICC).
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Vienna.
In addition, IFCU also actively works with other university organizations
at the national, regional and international level.
HistoryandFoundingPrinciples
Embodying the work started in 1924 between several institu-
tions, the International Federation of Catholic Universities was
established in 1949, decreed by the Holy See. The organiza-
tion of pontifical right arises from the willingness of several
Catholic universities to cooperate following the motto: Sciat Vt Serviat.
Sciat: worldwide, Catholic Universities promote higher education
and scientific research. In accordance with the Gospel, knowledge is
considered as a gift to grow, share and spread.
Vt Serviat: Catholic Universities are as various as their teachings
and geographical locations. Nevertheless, as diverse and singular each
of them may be, they do not consider academic teaching as an end in
itself. Catholic Universities are fully dedicated to the same goal to serve
humanity.
Therefore, they rely on IFCU to share their vision, their values and
their future expectations, to support their action-research projects, to
elaborate mutual advocacies, to represent and promote their common
foundations.
IFCU is the only international and intercultural federation of Catho-
lic universities in the world. It also is the sole international Catholic
federation to be a partner of the Congregation for Catholic Education.
John Henry Cardinal Newman, IFCU Patron
« The Catholic university community has the honour and
the responsibility of being unreservedly consecrated to the
cause of truth. This is the community’s own way of serving at
once the dignity of man and the cause of the Church, which
possesses «the fi rm conviction that truth is its real ally and
that knowledge and reason are loyal dispensers of the faith »
John-Paul II, Ex Corde Ecclesiæ, §4
John Henry Cardinal Newman, The Idea of a University, London,
1931, p. XI.
Activities
The International Federation of Catholic Universities currently
represents 220 universities and higher education institutions settled
all over the world.
IFCU promotes and coordinates scientific work, nets synergies
between all the members of its worldwide family.
Bringing together theologians, doctors, agronomists, psychologists,
educators..., cooperation takes place via Sectorial Groups such as:
• Education
• Philosophy
• Theology
• Family
• Communication
• Political science
• Health sciences
• Social sciences
Beyond cooperating within these groups, most universities are also
part of Regional Associations that allow them to reinforce their
continental links.
Hosted at the IFCU headquarters, the International Research and
Decision-Making Center coordinates scientifically, strategically and
administratively the research activities jointly driven by the affiliated
universities, the IFCU Sectorial Groups and any relevant partner.
Particular attention is paid to showcase their scientific results to
a various public and to contribute to the decision-making process.
The contributory aspect of these projects shows the Center’s strong
ethos of solidarity.
From now on, our Federation alos provides the following new services
and activities:
- Creation of and cooperation between Sectorial Research Groups
- International Training Department
- International Commission on the Catholic Identities of our univer-
sities
- International Mediation Commission, in order to provide support to
universities facing crisis or tension
- International Task Force in Multi-Track Diplomacy to support
Catholic Universities dealing with at-risk countries and to reinforce the
Holy See’s expertise.
IFCU / FIUC
21, Rue d’Assas
75270 PARIS, France
Tel. +33-1-44.39.52.26
Fax +33-1-44.39.52.28
sgfiuc@bureau.fiuc.org