Featured Post from Aston University

Aston University students take home two prizes from annual European Union simulation event

Jan 19, 2023

3 min


  • EuroSim is an annual international intercollegiate simulation of the European Union
  • More than 150 students, from universities in North America and Europe, participate every year
  • The Aston EuroSim Team was awarded best debater in two categories.


Aston University’s EuroSim team has returned from this year’s event with two awards.


The Aston EuroSim Team was awarded best debater in the European Parliament Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) and best in special roles (media/journalist).


EuroSim is an annual international intercollegiate simulation of the European Union (EU). The purpose of it is to provide a framework for a simulation of the EU decision-making on major current issues. More than 150 students, from 16 universities in North America and Europe, participate in the simulation. All students are assigned roles, including members of the European Parliament (MEPs), members of the European Commission, heads of government and national ministers.


The purpose of this module is to educate students about the inner workings of the European Union in order to enhance the learning experience for students.


This year it was hosted by the University of South Wales in Newport, the first time the event has been held in the UK.


Dr Patrycja Rozbicka, a senior lecturer in politics and international relations who is the lead for Aston EuroSim and was European associate director for EuroSim experience (2019-2023), said:


“Here at Aston University, the EuroSim module is one of the most innovative modules of the Aston Politics and International Relations Department’s undergraduate and MA programmes.


Amin Hassan, a final year international relations and English language student at Aston University, who took part in EuroSim, said:


“I would like to extend my gratitude to my team from Aston University, and special mentions to my lecturer Dr Patrycja Rozbicka and student director Chris Burden for organising and inviting us to this memorable trip.


“Representing Max Orville (my alter ego), MEP and Renew Europe Group, I worked together with my party and committee members with shared interests and values to ensure that no one is left behind by the proposed Social Climate Fund, which has recently been approved in real life.


“After three days packed with negotiations and meetings, we are pleased that the Social Climate Fund has been approved and we strongly believe that it will support vulnerable people, households, micro-enterprises and transport users at risk of facing higher costs as the bloc introduces new climate measures.”


Chris Burden, European students director at EuroSim and PhD researcher at Aston University, said:


“I had the greatest honour attending the EuroSim2023 meeting at the ICC Wales as the European student director and part of Team Aston.


“The work that goes into this conference is unbelievable, and the students had a fantastic time debating and simulating questions surrounding social and climate action within Europe.


“This Transatlantic conference is the highlight of any year.


“Thank you to our fantastic team from Aston University who brought home the two awards for their efforts.”


The next EuroSim will be held next year in Brockport, northern New York State, USA.


If you want to read more about the Aston EuroSim, click here.

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Regular seminars, fresh research, and close ties to industry keep the curriculum evolving and relevant, so students graduate ready to lead, adapt, and thrive in any business environment. Why does it matter? In a volatile, fast-paced economy, employers appreciate agility, teamwork and decisiveness. At Aston, every simulation and competition is geared towards sharpening these skills. Graduates emerge not only knowledgeable, but prepared for the job market. Engagement Our students have been embracing these opportunities. Six MBA/Msc teams developed their A4S videos, hoping to reach the final in Canada early in 2025, and three teams out of nine reached the national UBC finals. Additionally, the BISSEM simulation has just finished inspiring another group of MBA students (particularly as the prize for the winning team was tickets to a game at our local Aston Villa premiership football (soccer) club, currently riding high in the league!). Typical feedback from non-Finance specialists is that they suddenly surprised themselves during their participation in the simulation and were reconsidering the options of taking a career in Finance. It seems that our original purposes have been met – increased confidence, passion, deep learning and engagement have been achieved. To interivew Professor Higson, contact Nicola Jones, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7825 342091 or email: n.jones6@aston.ac.uk Elliott, C., Guest, J. and Vettraino, E. (editors) (2021), Games, Simulations and Playful Learning in Business Education, Edward Elgar. Kirillov, A. V., Vinichenko, M. V., Melnichuk, A. V., Melnichuk, Y. A., and Vinogradova, M. V. (2016), ‘Improvement in the Learning Environment through Gamification of the Educational Process’, International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 11(7), pp. 2071-2085. Olczak, M, Guest, J. and Riegler, R. 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