15 projects have been selected in the framework of the UNITA Starting Grants for Research on cultural heritage and green energy for a sustainable future, involving faculty members and researchers from ten partner universities within the UNITA Alliance.
These initiatives bring together international research groups composed of scholars, post-docs, and PhD students, focusing on Cultural Heritage and Green Energies. The goal is to strengthen transnational academic collaboration and promote innovation.
The call, launched to encourage the creation of new projects or the consolidation of existing collaborations, requires participation from at least three UNITA universities per proposal and has a maximum duration of 12 months.
Ten projects have been selected within the Cultural Heritage field, addressing topics such as the enhancement of intangible heritage, multilingual rural literature (Literature about/in the village), the use of digital tools for sustainable tourism (Smart Rural Heritage), and the historical memory of conflicts (Sharing historical interpretations of rural heritage).
Five projects have been approved in the Green Energies category, focusing on innovative themes such as bioelectrochemical systems for sustainable hydrogen production (BIOHYDROMILL), energy self-sufficiency for isolated rural activities (IDEA-ERA), and energy-conscious communities in mountainous regions (Redefining sobriety in mountainous areas).
These projects mark a significant step forward in building a shared research network among European universities in the UNITA Alliance, with a strong impact on local communities and the challenges of ecological and cultural transition.
A new edition of the UNITA Starting Grants for Research is open until May 12, 2025, for projects in:
- "Social, economic, and legal challenges for environmental sustainability and the circular economy"
- "Technical and innovative solutions for environmental sustainability and the circular economy"
All details are available on the UNITA website