Research Network 6: Learning Cities and Learning Regions
Network Coordinator:
Denis Barrett is Cork Learning City Co-ordinator with Cork City Council, a partnership including Cork Education and Training Board, Cork Institute of Technology, UCC and other statutory and non-statutory partners promoting learning of all kinds, for people of all ages interests and abilities.
A founder member of Cork Lifelong Learning Festival in 2003, of EcCoWeLL Cork in 2012 and of Growing Lifelong Learning in Cork (GlliC) in 2014, A key member of the team that partnered with UNESCO in hosting the 3rd International Conference on Learning Cities in 2017, Denis has presented on Cork Learning City at global conferences .
He has previously held many roles across Formal, Non-formal and Informal Education including in Third Level, Further Education, Second Level, Primary Level and Youthwork Services.
info@corklearningcity.ie
Network Coordinator:
Yukiko Sawano is currently a Professor in comparative education and lifelong learning at the Department of Education of University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo. From 1988 till 2005, she had been working at the Education Ministry of Japan, and at the National Institute for Educational Policy Research of Japan (NIER), where she was Head of Lifelong Learning Systems Section (2000-2001) and a Senior Researcher of the Department of Lifelong Learning Policy Research (2001-2005). She has also been socially contributing as an Overseas Research Advisor to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan (MEXT), Provisional Member of Lifelong Learning Sub-committee of Central Council of Educational Reform, a member of Lifelong Learning Council of Hamura City, former President and Board Member of the Japan Association of Lifelong Education, Board Member of Japan Association of Comparative Education, etc.
Her research interest is in globalization and regionalization of education and lifelong learning, looking at influence of international organizations and various networks in national and local education policies and practice.
European Network Coordinator:
Dr. habil Balázs Németh is a researcher on European adult and lifelong learning policy development and comparative adult education. He is an associate professor and reader in Adult Learning and Education at the University of Pécs and a founding member of the Hungarian Universities Lifelong Learning Network (MELLearN). Further research topics of his are: Politics and Adult Education; Comparative Adult Education; History of Modern European Adult Education and Learning City-Region Developments in association with the global network of learning cities programme (GNLC) of UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning.
Balázs Németh is a member of Steering Committee of EUCEN for 2015-19 period being responsible for policy affairs and talks. He is a vice-Director of PASCAL International Observatory for Central-East Europe, Executive President of MELLearN and the current president of the Adult Education Sub-Commission of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Németh has participated several European Erasmus, Grundtvig and recent Erasmus+ projects to deal with the professional development of adult education and provided surveys on adult learning and education in Central-East Europe for the European Commission on Quality in the Adult Learning Sector, Policy Developments in Adult Education.
Asian Network Coordinator:
Network Members:
Dr. Johan Heilmann is the Regional Director South East Asia for DVV International. Previously, he was the Senior Desk Officer South East Asia and Funding for DVV International. He holds a PhD in Political Science from Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg and a B.A and M.A in International Cultural and Business Studies from the University of Passau, Germany. He research interests include political science, history, and economics.