UNITA

The name UNITA – almost the same as Italian unità (unity) – evokes the strong links and commonalities that bring us together to create a groundbreaking and innovative alliance aiming at a closer integration.

The subtitle Universitas Montium, written in Latin, stresses that UNITA universities all speak Romance languages and are committed to fostering linguistic diversity and to the development of rural and cross-border mountain areas. 

 Spanish version | French version | Italian Vesion

Who we are

We are an alliance of six comprehensive research universities from five countries with different sizes and trajectories gathering together more than 160 000 students and 13 000 staff members. From west to east: Universidade de Beira Interior, Universidad de Zaragoza, Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, Università di Torino, and Universitatea de Vest din Timisoara.

We are based on a solid background of experience in strategic university networks and joint research, as well as in educational and innovation projects. We share a firm willingness to cooperate on the basis of mutual trust in a transformational project aiming at establishing a new model of increasingly collaborative and integrated teaching, research and innovation through enhanced mobility and with strong links to our ecosystems.

Six of our institutions contributed to launch the UNITA Universitas Montium experience in its first phase. Four more universities sharing the common features that make up the UNITA identity were invited to join our alliance as associated partners: Instituto Politécnico da Guarda, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Università degli Studi di Brescia and Universitatea Transilvania Brasov.

Two more institutions within the European Higher Education Area partake of our ambitions and some activities as university associated partners: the Haute Ecole Spécialisée de Suisse Occidentale in Switzerland and the Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University in Ukraine.

UNITA is not only composed of Universities, but also of relevant actors in each regional ecosystem represented by the socio-economic sector, public authorities, policy-makers and civil organizations.

What brings us together

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Besides sharing the commitment to contribute to the development of our societies and territories in a European dimension, we also have in common three constitutive key features:

  • we are located in rural and cross-border mountain regions across southern, central and eastern Europe: Serra da Estrela (Beira Interior), the Pyrenees (Pau and Zaragoza), the Alps (Savoie Mont Blanc and Torino), and the Banat Mountains (Timisoara), i.e. in ecosystems sharing similar challenges;
  • we intend to actively use Romance languages in addition to English, thus enhancing linguistic diversity and promoting inclusion;
  • we share innovative educational and research areas, especially in the fields of Renewable energies, Cultural heritage, and the Circular economy, in particular the Bioeconomy, which yield a considerable propagative impact, both in terms of the sustainability of the ecosystems and in terms of employability for students and citizens.

The choice of these three areas matches several areas of the Smart Specialization Strategies developed by our Regions, thus contributing to reinforcing the synergies between universities and local actors in terms of financial support from the EU and the provision of graduates.

Our values, vision and mission

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Values

The UNITA partners are strongly committed to sharing and implementing common values for an innovative, European and future-oriented university:

Social responsibility:

Foster collective awareness of commitment to social well-being in its different dimensions (social, environmental, cultural);

 

Democratic Participation:

Creating a participative European university by promoting student and staff involvement;

 

Sustainability:

Use technical knowledge and skills to have a positive impact on protecting and improving the environment around us;

 

Inclusiveness:

Promote the interaction of diverse peoples with a view to making society more just, more balanced, more equal and inclusive;

 

Personal Development:

Promote the search for knowledge as a way of improving social well-being and strengthening the individual's understanding, crossing geographical boundaries;

 

European University:

Creating a participative, open, inclusive and effective European university, contributing to strengthening a European Identity.

Vision

The UNITA Alliance intends to build a fully-fledged European inter-university campus based on excellent teaching and learning, research and innovation, and on civic engagement. Its goal is to drive excellence in the European Higher Education area and become attractive also for students from other continents, especially Africa and the Americas, with whom we share common languages.

UNITA students will experience a challenging multilingual and student-centred environment, closely linked to research and entrepreneurship. They will be able to build flexible personalized curricula across the universities of the Alliance based on increased mobility, physical, blended and virtual, thanks to new tools and new digital spaces, and to the development of micro-credentials on inter-comprehension methods, especially among Romance languages.

This European University, committed to being open, inclusive and effective, will be developed through a step-by-step approach, involving students and staff in the project via participative governance, with a long-term vision leading to closer integration based on sustainability and aiming to become a model.

The Alliance is firmly committed to supporting the development of the societies and territories in which it is established, and particularly of those somewhat peripheral areas such as rural and cross-border mountain regions.

UNITA aims to respond to societal challenges and empower its students and staff to act as European and global citizens strongly committed to the UN sustainable development goals and the European Green Deal, and aware of cultural and linguistic diversity, and of the challenges facing rural and mountain territories.

Mission

Our shared vision and values drive us to pursue these key objectives:

  1. Creating a participative, open, inclusive and effective European university.
  1. Developing excellent research-driven and student-centred education.
  1. Promoting multilingualism and the diversity of languages in Europe.
  1. Reducing inequalities between core and non-central regions through the sustainable development of rural and mountain areas.
  1. Creating an inspiring learning environment.
  1. Reaching Mobility 4 all.
  1. Contributing to strengthening a European Identity.
  1. Ensuring the continuity and uptake of the UNITA approach.

 

 

Why UNITA?

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  • Excellence in teaching and learning strongly committed to our rural and cross-border mountain territories
  • Multilingualism promoting Romance languages and Inter-comprehension as inclusive instruments
  • Sustainability: Research and innovation in Renewable energies, Cultural heritage, Circular economy, in particular Bioeconomy, to strengthen our rural communities
  • European citizenship awareness of the challenges of climate change and of the importance of diversity in our common cultural heritage
  • Participation: student and staff involvement for responsible institutions fostering personal development

European Economic Interest Grouping UNITA-Universitas Montium (EEIG)

In January 2023, the six universities belonging to the UNITA alliance (University of Turin, University of Savoie-Mont Blanc, University of Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, University of Zaragoza, University of Beira Interior, University of Vest din Timisoara) signed the founding act of the European Economic Interest Grouping UNITA-Universitas Montium (EEIG), the first in Europe. A signature that represents an effective tool to strengthen institutional collaboration between the members of the alliance and constitutes an important step towards the goal of the European University. The EEIG will make it possible to experiment with new ways of transnational cooperation to facilitate transnational academic collaboration at European level, in line with the European Commission's strategies in the field of higher education.

The main objective is to support the functioning of the alliance on the institutional missions of the university, serving an audience of over 165,000 students and more than 15,000 teaching and technical-administrative staff. The EEIG will offer students excellent training and research staff strengthened and transdisciplinary partnerships capable of promoting innovation in the territories concerned and with a European dimension.

More info»

Read the paper:
The Path towards the European University in the Current EU Legal Framework: the Unita – Universitas Montium Experience

 

EEIG governance structure »

 

 

EGAI Project

In april 2023 the project “EGAI – Unita as a Model for Institutionalized University Cooperation: from the European Grouping of Economic Interest to the European Grouping of Academic Interest” was launched. EGAI is funded through the ERASMUS+ program, within the call "Pilot institutionalised EU cooperation instruments to explore the feasibility for a possible European legal status for alliances of higher education institutions".

EGAI Project intends to examine, test and facilitate the use of a European Grouping of Economic Interest (EEIG) as an instrument of institutionalized university cooperation, with the final goal of designing a new grouping, the European Grouping of Academic Interest (EGAI).

EGAI includes the members of UNITA-Universitas Montium alliance, supported by national authorities in the field of higher education, the other Universities associated to Unita, the Italian authority competent for the registration of the EEIG (CCIAA of Turin) and other alliances or entities interested. Moreover, the project intends to achieve beneficial results for the entire European Academic Community, and notably those alliances wishing to test the EEIG.

A team composed by 15 legal and/or economic experts from all the partners will conduct an in-depth analysis to define the activities to be entrusted to the EEIG, the legal tools to ensure the sharing of personnel, data and material resources within the EEIG, and its economic and financial needs. The testing will be completed through the organization of a lifelong learning activity to be carried out by the EEIG. These analyses will lead to a proposal for the improvement of the existing institutionalised cooperation EU instruments. Results will be presented in a scientific conference and in a winter school at the conclusion of the project.

 

EGAI Project Kick off meeting video

 

Kick off program

Presentation of the EGAI Project
Barbara Gagliardi, EGAI project coordinator, Università di Torino

The EEIG as an Instrument of Academic Cooperation
Arnaud Lecourt, Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour

Testing the EEIG for Academic Cooperation: The Legal Tools
Ana Gascon Marcén, Universidad de Zaragoza

Testing the EEIG for Academic Cooperation: the Training Activities
Claudia Martins and Tatiana do Adro, Universidade da Beira Interior

The Contribution to the European Debate: The EGAI Winter School
Sorina Doroga and Raluca Bercea, Universitatea de Vest din Timișoara

Final Remarks and Perspectives: from the European Grouping of Economic Interest to the European Grouping of Academic Interest
Alexandre Guigue, Université Savoie Mont Blanc

 

Contacts:

Barbara Gagliardi (Project Coordinator)
egai@unito.it

European Citizenship

The European Citizenship as axis of the UNITA Alliance

European Citizenship can be seen with a double approach. From a legal point of view, it is configured as a set of rights in addition to the one that an individual bears as a citizen of a Member State of the European Union. However, from the political perspective, it is an element that acts in favor of the formation of an authentic European Identity.

Regarding the set of rights, their enjoyment is associated with the condition of citizen of a Member State of the European Union, reinforcing the rights inherent to it. Among those rights the following ones can be highlighted:

  • The right to move and reside freely in the territory of the Member States;
  • The right of active and passive suffrage in the elections to the European Parliament and in the municipal elections in the Member State in which one resides;
  • The Citizens' Initiative, the right to petition the European Parliament and the right to appeal to the Ombudsman in relation to cases of maladministration in the activities of EU institutions or bodies; or
  • The right to write to any EU institution or body in one of the languages of the Member States and to receive a reply in the same language.

As an element of progressive consolidation of a European Identity, European Citizenship allows beneficiaries of those rights feel that the European Union makes them participants in a project founded on characteristic values and principles, in which the protection of the person occupies a central place.

The UNITA Alliance assumes a double commitment regarding the European Citizenship. On the one hand, to disseminate knowledge of it among the inhabitants of the territories in which the Alliance member Universities are located, with special attention to certain groups such as rural migrants and refugees.  And, on the other hand, to bring to the appropriate instances the approximation that regarding this concept is made in those territories, which present common elements such as being cross-border regions of mountainous nature located in the southern zone of the European Union and all of them with Romance languages.

The achievement of these objectives is proposed through activities in three areas of action:

  • The collection of the different perceptions of European Citizenship. To this end, various workshops and activities, such an Interactive Forum or contests, are launched.
  • The research activity, including a doctoral thesis on the different perceptions collected with the aforementioned instruments. In this area two one-day conferences can be also mentioned, for offering both members of the UNITA communities and society in general the opinion of experts on these issues. In addition, two calls for Prizes for Bachelor's and Master's dissertations were launched trying to direct the research of students towards issues connected with European Citizenship and Identity.
  • The organization of courses with open access to the general public, especially high-school students, migrants, refugees and rural populations.

 

Civic Calendar

Associated Partners

International organizations:

National Organizations:

Local Authorities:

 

Universities:

 

University Associated partners:

 


Representatives of the socio-economic world:

 

Best Practices

Universities live in a competitive and challenging environment and have to improve their quality to attract students while tackling with the demands of their societies. UNITA was born to serve its students and regions with this objective it aims to collect best practices in teaching and research but also those related with strengthening the links with the societies they pertain to.

Best Practice 01 | Rural Mobility

Best Practice 02 | Intercomprehension

Best Practice 03 | BIPs

Best Practice 04 | Involvement of student representatives and proactive role within the alliance

Best Practice 03 | Hubs > Cartography, Online catalogue, weekly talks

Best Practice 04 | Promoting European Citizenship

Best Practice 05 | Teaching &  learning center networks

Best Practice 06 | Geminae project

Best Practice 07 | Legal Entity

Best Practice 08 | Building UNITA Community: UNITA Days, Virtual Campus, Matching event)

 

UNITA Junior Academy

UJA - UNITA Junior Academy promotes different activities (conferences, experiences, visits) to allow students from primary to high schools to have an experience in an academic environment.

The UJA aims to be a space for discussion, reflection, experimentation, questioning and learning of science and its applications. It works annually at each UNITA university, with the participation of teachers from all UNITA universities and partners.

Flyer»

KIT UJA

Intercomprehension clothing set

This activity developed by UBI is aimed at young people from six to 10 years old. The escape room helps students to play with the Romance languages while learning the possibilities of intercomprehension.
It was presented and carried out in the European Researcher's Night making an online game between students from the different regions of UNITA.

 

"Hearts & Hands" Manual

 

"Montanhas de Água" Journal


If you want to replicate this initiative, please contact UNITA OFFICE UBI: unita@ubi.pt

 

Escape Room for intercomprehension purposes 

An escape room is a live-action, puzzle-solving experience where participants of all ages must work together to solve a series of challenges and puzzles. An escape room is often based on a story to engage participants more emotionally. In the case of the escape room held during the Researchers' Night at the University of Turin, the story is about the disappearance of a student called Mihaela. Participants are told in advance that the student was translating a document when she suddenly disappeared. The escape game is considered successful when the participants have understood where Mihaela has gone.

By incorporating language-based puzzles and exercises, escape rooms can be used to improve intercomprehension skills, as participants have to communicate and work together to understand the clues and solve the puzzle to move on to the next exercise. This challenge can help break down language barriers, improve cross-cultural communication and increase language fluency, as was successfully demonstrated during the event.

 

 

If you want to replicate this initiative, please contact: UNITA OFFICE TURIN unita@unito.it

 

CATPAT: Cataloging heritage

The objective of this activity is to promote the valuation and understanding of cultural heritage. For this, the students actively participate in its cataloging and its dissemination through an APP. This APP has
been designed within the framework of a citizen science project and allows users to create files on heritage assets, automatically locating them on the map.

You can work from mobile devices exploring the territory or from the computer if the images and voiceovers have been previously prepared. The sheets can be shared on social networks and comments can be added to sheets made by other users. The first experience has been carried out on the occasion of World Heritage Day in April 2022 in Zaragoza. It is recommended to work on it from secondary school, but the use of the application is open to all types of public. In the school context, the activity is carried out in three sessions: the first for reflection on the concept of heritage and explanation of the APP, the second for exploration of the environment or data collection and the third for documentation work, preparation of the sheets and updating the platform.

Access and downloads can be done from https://civitas.unizar.es/catpat

To replicate the activity, contact Pilar Rivero (privero@unizar.es).

 

Unita Junior Academy Quiz on Europe

The aim of this game is to pass on information and knowledge about Europe in a fun way, by answering questions in teams or individually.

The game consists of 36 cards divided into 6 categories: economy, communication, European values, history/heritage, mobility and ecology. The questions are of two types: either MCQs or True/False. No open-ended questions are asked, so as not to challenge participants knowledge. Each cardcontains the question, the answer and an explanation that provides additional information on one aspect of Europe.

The game can be played individually to test one's knowledge or in teams: a 6-coloured die (to be printed), a bingo or a wheel of fortune (to be designed) determine the category of the question.

When the question is asked, the members of each team work together to give a single answer. To do this, they have to discuss and negotiate. A point is scored when the answer is correct.

This game has been used with primary school pupils (11 years old) and within the framework of the Cordées de la Réussite at UPPA with secondary school pupils aged 12 to 15.

There is also a slightly more difficult version for high school students and adults.

Download Cartes à jouer pour jeu UNITA JUNIOR »

Download Cartes à jouer UNITA EUROPE ACADEMY ADULTES»

Download Dé »

 

For more information, contact Géraldine Larguier (Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour),: geraldine.larguier@univ-pau.fr
Designed in collaboration with the SAPS department of UPPA.

Repository

UNITA Mission Statement in Romanian

UNITA Mission Statement in English

 

Global Report - 1st Year (nov. 2020 - nov. 2021)

Global Report - 2nd Year (nov. 2021 - nov. 2022)

Manifesto for the future of universities in Europe

Papers

The Path towards the European University in the Current EU Legal Framework: the Unita – Universitas Montium Experience
Barbara Gagliardi - Università di Torino
Arnaud Lecourt - Université de Pau and Pays de l’Adour
Irina Macsinga - West University of Timisoara
Marcella Costa - Università degli Studi di Torino
Mario Giacobini - Università degli Studi di Torino

 

WP3
D3.1
D37
State of the art on intercomprehension
UNITO
Report
Public
31 Jan 2021
WP3
D3.2
D38
Report on the evaluation of existing training programs on IC
UNITO
Report
Public
31 Mar 2021
WP8
D8.5
D96
UNITA visual identity
UBI
Report
Public
30 Apr 2021
WP8
D8.7
D98
Contents to press and UNITA Channels
UBI
Report
Public
30 Apr 2021
WP3
D3.6
D42
Inter-comprehension competence framework
UNITO
Report
Public
30 Jun 2021
WP8
D8.1
D92
Report on EU and international regulations on the organization and status of multiverse universities
UBI
Report
Public
31 Jul 2021
WP8
D8.6
D97
Communication Plan
UBI
Report
Public
31 Jul 2021
WP2
D2.9
D35
Report on benchmarking quality assurance approaches
USMB
Report
Public
30 Sep 2021
WP2
D2.1
D27
Online matrix
USMB
Report
Public
31 Oct 2021
WP2
D2.2
D28
Network of the Hubs of success
USMB
Report
Public
31 Oct 2021
WP2
D2.6
D32
Report of the workshop on student-centred pedagogies
USMB
Report
Public
31 Oct 2021
WP4
D4.2
D51
An operational model for the R&I Hubs (including Action Groups)
UPPA
Websites, patents filing, etc.
Public
30 Nov 2021
WP5
D5.1
D60
Services for UNITA Campus
UVT
Report
Public
31 Dec 2021
WP2
D2.7
 D33
Report of the staff week on digital learning
USMB
Report
Public
21 Mar 2022
WP5
D5.2
  
D61
UNITA common collaborative digital platform
UVT
 Other
Public
30 Apr 2022
WP5
D5.9
  
D68
The guides and tutorials for a better integration and  adaptation to academic life
UVT
  
Report
Public
30 Apr 2022
WP7
D7.4
  
Publication of the Synthesis of the contest ideas
UNIZAR
  
Public
6 May 2022
WP5
D5.3
  
UNITA Mobile application
UVT
  
Public
30 June 2022
WP2
D2.10
  
Templates for survey of students' evaluation of teaching and courses
USMB
  
Public
30 September 2022
WP4
D4.3
  
A strategic five-year R I plan in the three thematic areas
UPPA
  
Public
31 October 2022
WP6
D6.9
  
Framework of skills developed during the UNITA mobilities
USMB
  
Public
31 October 2022
 WP8
 D8.3
 
Final definition of UNITA EUROPEAN SOCIETY by laws for the post-project phase
 UNITO
 
 Public
 27 January 2023
WP7
D7.6
  
Publication of dissertations
UNIZAR
  
Public
31 January 2023
WP1
    
UNITA QEB 2nd Self-Assessment Report on Good Practices
UNITO
  
Public
15 February 2023
WP2
  
D2.8
  
Report of the workshop on connected campuses
USMB
  
Public
30 April 2023
WP7
D7.2
  
Report about EC rural workshops
UNIZAR
  
Public
9 May 2023
WP8
D8.12
  
Kit and UJA
UBI
  
Public
9 May 2023
WP5
D5.10
  
Report on UNITA contests linked to sustainable development
UVT
  
Public
15 May 2023
WP3
D3.3
  
Reports on the effectiveness of training programs
UNITO
  
Public
3 July 2023
WP3
D3.4
  
IC Guidelines and Training Models
UNITO
  
Public
3 July 2023

 

UNITA Universitas Montium Prizes for Bachelor’s and Master’s degree dissertations - 2022


UBI Winner

MASTER Prize : 

 

UPPA Winners

BACHELOR Prize:

MASTER Prize: 


UVT Winners

BACHELOR Prize: 

MASTER Prize: 

 

UNITO Winner

BACHELOR Prize:


MASTER Prize: 

 

UNIZAR Winner

BACHELOR Prize:

MASTER Prize:

 

UNITA Universitas Montium Prizes for Bachelor’s and Master’s degree dissertations - 2021


UBI Winner

MASTER Prize : 

 

UPPA Winners

BACHELOR Prize:

  • Title: "La fracture Nord-Sud dans l'UEM"
    Author: Tom Tahitoa Eckenschwiller
    The work is on differences in the Economic and Monetary Union and identifies north/south discrepancy in the organization / functioning of eurozone.  


MASTER Prize: 

UVT Winners

BACHELOR Prize: 

  • Title: THE INFLUENCE OF THE ERASMUS + PROGRAM ON EUROPEAN IDENTITY
    Author: Safta Andrada-Maria, Faculty of Political Science, Philosophy and Communication Sciences, study program: International Relations and European Studies
    Paper summary: `One of the main aims of the paper is to provide a description of the common foundations and spheres that lead to a European identity so that the results of the research provide answers to questions such as Participation in the Erasmus + program contributes to the development of a European identity? If so, what aspects of European identity are enhanced by involvement in this program? The aim of the paper was also to investigate one of the main objectives of the Erasmus + program, as the European Commission states in its numerous reports, one of which referred to the "Mid-Term Evaluation of the Erasmus + Program (2014-2020)", namely, to encourage a sense of European identity and citizenship among its participants. `

MASTER Prize: 

  • Title: DISPARITIES AT EUROPEAN LEVEL ON DECISION-MAKING IN THE FIELD OF E-HEALTH ADOPTION
    Author:Țăran Alexandra, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, study program: Taxation and Tax Consultancy
    Acknowledgment: The Master's Research was published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health in July 2021. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.728287
    Paper summary: `The paper comprises both a theoretical and a practical approach to the adoption of e-health in European countries. Thus, in the first part of the paper, we made a bibliometric analysis that can be considered a starting point in future research on the adoption and implementation of e-health, resulting in a bibliometric mapping of major countries, authors, institutions, and keywords used in the field our research period, the analysis period between the years 2000-2020. Such an analysis has been applied because of the existence of vast and complex literature on e-health. The second part of the research, dedicated exclusively to empirical analysis, highlights the purpose of the analysis and the implications of applying the relative distances method, a method that allows combining different criteria to obtain the hierarchy of countries analyzed from the perspective of e-health adoption`.

 

UNITO Winner

MASTER Prize: 

 

UNIZA Winner

BACHELOR Prize:

Contacts

UBI: unita@ubi.pt

UPPA: unita@univ-pau.fr

USMB: unita-office@univ-smb.fr

UVT: unita@e-uvt.ro

UNITO: unita@unito.it

UNIZAR: unitaeducation@unizar.es

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