Media

OTTAWA, September 20, 2011  —  The University of Ottawa’s Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) and the Centre on Governance will participate in the Languages in Urban Communities – Integration and Diversity for Europe (LUCIDE) project that has just received funding confirmation from the Lifelong Learning Program of the European Union.

LUCIDE will assemble a comprehensive picture of how communication occurs in multilingual/multicultural settings across the EU and beyond, the objective being to support institutions (councils, schools, hospitals) and national economies in using diversity more productively as an economic resource. LUCIDE also expects its work to enhance social cohesion by fostering better communication and mutual understanding. 

On the strength of its expertise, OLBI will be called upon to coordinate the contribution of Canadian knowledge, experience and input in the area. Together with the Centre for Studies in Governance, it will establish a network of Canadian researchers that will share analysis, research, discussions, good practices and policy development. The network will look at  Canada’s multilingual and multicultural dimension, in contrast with the European context, in cities like Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

The three-year project has received an impressive €500,000 to reach its objectives. LUCIDE’s partners include 12 prestigious European institutions and organizations, including the London School of Economics and Political Science. Only two non-European institutions are participating in the project, including uOttawa’s OLBI and Centre for Studies in Governance in Canada, and the University of Melbourne in Australia.