University College Cork to lead EU-wide multilingualism network

28 May 2025

• MultiLiLiTrans COST Action will unite researchers, educators, artists and practitioners to reframe multilingualism in Europe.
• The project aims to address rising social and political divides by promoting multilingualism as a path toward cultural understanding across Europe.
• Dr Barbara Siller will lead cross-European initiative to advance multilingual and inclusive practices in research, education, and literary fields.

A major network aiming to rethink the role of multilingualism in Europe has been awarded funding through the EU’s COST Action programme. The project seeks to address rising social and political divides by promoting multilingualism as a path toward greater inclusion, equality, and cultural understanding across Europe.

By highlighting the role of multilingualism, the network aims to foster greater cultural, scientific, and socio-economic fairness and to challenge the structures that contribute to marginalisation, racism and discrimination.

Led by Dr Barbara Siller of University College Cork (UCC), the project entitled MultiLiLiTrans - Literary Multilingualism and Social Transformations in Superdiverse Societies - will focus on reshaping how multilingualism is understood and supported across Europe and beyond. It brings together researchers, educators, and artists to build more inclusive structures that reflect the linguistic diversity of contemporary societies.

The project responds to the widespread gap between Europe’s multilingual realities and the monolingual systems that overlook them, aiming to raise awareness of the cultural and socio-economic experiences shaped by mobility, migration, and multilingualism.

“At a time when many European societies are seeing a rise in exclusionary and polarising political attitudes, our network aims to address social complexities and promote equality and inclusion. When we value the diverse range of languages people use, we open up more equal access to education, culture, and public life. It helps challenge exclusion, reduce racism and discrimination, and build more inclusive societies," Dr Barbara Siller, Senior Lecturer in the Department of German in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, UCC College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, said.

“For too long, academic research and education systems have been shaped by outdated ideas that treat languages as belonging neatly to individual nations. MultiLiLiTrans challenges those old boundaries and looks at how people actually speak, learn, and create across languages – across research, education and the literary world. Our aim is to translate findings from diverse disciplines into innovative practices, policies and models across Europe to reduce discrimination and promote integration - changes that will have a lasting impact,” Dr Barbara Siller said.

Starting in Autumn 2025, the four-year global project will build a collaborative network that connects researchers, artists, and educators across disciplines and national contexts across Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland and beyond.

Led by Dr Barbara Siller, the project was co-proposed by Dr Sandra Vlasta from the University of Genoa and Dr Hannes Schweiger from the University of Vienna.

COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding organisation for research and innovation networks. COST ‘Actions’ help connect research initiatives across Europe and beyond and enable researchers and innovators to grow their ideas in any field by sharing them with their peers. 

Professor John Cryan, UCC Vice President for Research and Innovation, said: “Securing funding in such a highly competitive call, where 8.3% of proposals were successful, is a significant achievement and a clear reflection of the strength and vision behind Dr Barbara Siller’s work. This recognition underscores the growing importance of interdisciplinary, collaborative research in shaping more inclusive and culturally responsive societies. We’re proud to see UCC leading this important conversation on multilingualism and its role in education, research, the arts, and beyond."