This application for a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (JMC) builds on the success of the existing EC-funded European Union Centre of Excellence (EUCE), to which Dalhousie University has been home since 2006. With the JMC, Dalhousie will consolidate and further expand its current offering of EU-related academic, outreach and networking activities with a view to enhancing the awareness of government stakeholders and the general public on a range of topics pertaining to the EU and EU-Canada relations, with a particular focus on the implications for Atlantic Canada. This region has strong economic, social and cultural ties with Europe, and the Centre will strengthen these ties by fostering the exchange of ideas and encouraging greater mutual engagement among various stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic. The proposed program for 2016-2019 targets three timely and pressing policy themes: 1) Identity and Security in the EU and Canada: reflecting on the challenges the EU is currently facing2) EU-Canada Trade and Economic Relations: analysing the impact of the trade agreement between Canada and the EU 3) EU Health and Social Policy in Comparative Perspective: evaluating policies in the EU and Canada that address the aging demographic in Europe and North AmericaThe Centre’s main activities will include the organization of academic conferences, a speakers’ series, a summer institute, joint academic projects with national and international partners and public outreach events involving local high schools, policy-makers and practitioners and members of the public. Students’ experience of the EU will be enhanced through support for academic exchanges and the granting of scholarships and awards for research related to the EU.