A New Chapter for European Higher Education Digitalization
We are excited to share that our colleague Vlad Petcu from the West University of Timișoara, who represents the FOREU4ALL Digitalization and IT Subgroup as a Co-Chair and also coordinates the development of UNITA – Universitas Montium Digital Ecosystem, took part in recent discussions and initiatives aligned with the vision of the European Education Area, supported by the European Commission. On the 15th of January, the European Digital Education Hub proudly launched the European Higher Education Interoperability Framework. This groundbreaking initiative is set to revolutionize the higher education landscape across Europe by fostering a more collaborative and innovative ecosystem. Interoperability in higher education plays a vital role in unlocking immense benefits for students throughout Europe. By enabling seamless digital integration, this framework will enrich academic experiences, enhance mobility, and harness Europe’s full intellectual potential to address global challenges. Vlad shared his enthusiasm, stating: “I am truly inspired by the collective effort and dedication driving this mission forward. Together, we are building a connected, inclusive, and sustainable future for higher education.” This milestone highlights the collective dedication to advancing European higher education, creating opportunities for students and institutions alike. Let us continue to work together toward a brighter, more connected future!
UNITA 4 ALL
UNITA 4 ALL returns, an annual event organized by the University of Brescia to share the experiences and objectives achieved after one year of UNITA – Universitas Montium. Il 22 gennaio si è svolta la seconda edizione di UNITA 4 ALL un evento dedicato a tutta la comunità universitaria per raccontare gli obiettivi, i risultati e le esperienze vissute durante questo anno. L’incontro ha visto la partecipazione, al fianco del Magnifico Rettore Prof. Castelli, di numerosi relatori e relatrici che hanno portato la loro testimonianza. Il programma dell’evento: – Prof. Francesco Castelli, Magnifico Rettore – Prof. Roberto Ranzi, Prorettore alle Politiche di Internazionalizzazione e responsabile scientifico del progetto UNITA – Dott.ssa Aiko Terao, Responsabile UOCC Relazioni Internazionali e UNITA Office – Prof.ssa Elisabetta Ceretti, Responsabile Task 4.2 UNITA – Prof.ssa Carmen Marchiori, Delegata del Rettore all’Orientamento internazionale – Prof.ssa Irene Giustina, Referente HUB Cultural Heritage UniBs in UNITA – Dott.ssa Silvia Sidoli, esperienza di Staff Mobility presso due università dell’Alleanza UNITA – Dott.ssa Flavia Fertillo, esperienza di Blended Intensive Programme in Romania – Dott.ssa Francesca Tanghetti, finalista del concorso “My3 minutes PhD thesis” – Prof. Matteo Frau, UNITA European citizenship initiative – Marta Fieschi, presidente ESN – Erasmus Student Network Brescia – Dott.ssa Aurora Lako, Rappresentante delle studentesse e degli studenti in Senato Accademico L’obiettivo di UNITA 4 ALL è quello di coinvolgere l’intera comunità di UniBs per aumentare il senso di appartenenza ad UNITA e creare una comunità coinvolta e consapevole delle opportunità dell’Alleanza in ambito di didattica, ricerca e mobilità internazionale. Nel corso dell’evento sono stati toccati differenti aspetti tra cui la Brescia Declaration, gli HUB della Ricerca, la Cartografia, i Matching Event passati e futuri, gli Starting Grant, le Staff Mobility, i BIP, i contest e i premi in UNITA e le elezioni della Student Assembly. La presentazione si è conclusa con una sessione di domande e risposte in cui la platea si è dimostrata coinvolta e partecipativa.
UNITA Universities in Action: Advanced Animal Reproduction Research Presented at Fertility 2025
Results from a project developed by the Department of Veterinary Sciences at UniTO in collaboration with the University of Zaragoza were showcased at the international Fertility 2025 congress in Liverpool. The project, funded by the Grant For Internationalization, exemplifies the cooperation among partner universities of the UNITA Alliance. A significant milestone for research within the UNITA Alliance. During the annual congress of the Society for Reproduction (SRF) held in Liverpool, Irene Viola, a research fellow at the Department of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Turin, had the honor of presenting the findings of an innovative study born from collaboration with the University of Zaragoza. The Fertility 2025 congress brought together researchers from around the globe to share the latest scientific advancements in reproductive medicine. In this prestigious setting, Dr. Viola had the opportunity to present the results of a research project that involved international expertise. Initiated in 2023, the project emerged from a collaboration between the Department of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Turin and the Department of Animal Production at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Zaragoza in Spain. The study was funded through the Grant For Internationalization, an initiative by the University of Turin to promote global collaboration. Professors Paola Toschi and Silvia Miretti from the University of Turin combined their expertise with Professor Alfonso Abecia from the University of Zaragoza to advance research on the physiology of animal reproduction. This synergy between the two research groups exemplifies how the UNITA Alliance fosters collaboration among universities from different countries to drive scientific progress. UNITA: An Alliance for International ResearchThe University of Turin and the University of Zaragoza, both members of the UNITA Alliance, continue to strengthen international research cooperation. This partnership not only advances veterinary science but also highlights how the UNITA Alliance promotes dialogue among universities across nations, creating opportunities for growth and innovation on a global scale.
Apply Now for the 2025 Université d’été on Cultural Heritage and Responsible Tourism
The 2025 edition of the Université d’été, a summer course on enhancing cultural heritage for responsible tourism, is open to UNITA students. Taking place in Sant’Anna di Valdieri, Italy, from August 25 to 30, applications are open until March 31. The 2025 edition of the Université d’été, a summer course on enhancing cultural heritage for responsible tourism, is open to UNITA students. Taking place in Sant’Anna di Valdieri, Italy, from August 25 to 30, applications are open until March 31. The Université d’été 2025 is inviting applications for its upcoming multidisciplinary summer course, focused on the enhancement of cultural heritage for responsible tourism in cross-border areas. Set in the picturesque town of Sant’Anna di Valdieri (Cuneo, Italy), the program will run from August 25 to 30, 2025, offering a unique opportunity for students to explore these crucial themes in an immersive, hands-on environment. The course is open to 20 students from the UNITA Alliance. Applicants should have a good command of Italian, the course’s official language. During the 6-day program, students will engage in lessons, workshops, and guided tours designed to provide in-depth knowledge on responsible tourism practices and cultural heritage conservation. Accommodation and meals for the duration of the course will be covered by the Organising Association. Students will stay at the Casa Alpina in Sant’Anna di Valdieri, where the academic activities will take place. However, participants are responsible for their own travel expenses to and from the venue, as well as any insurance costs not covered by their home university. Applications for the program are open until March 31, 2025. Interested students can apply through the official form provided here. Flyer FR Flyer IT For more details, students can reach out to Professor Cristina Trinchero at cristina.trinchero@unito.it. This summer course represents a unique chance for students to gain valuable knowledge and experience in the fields of cultural heritage and sustainable tourism while enjoying the beauty of the Italian Alps.
CONNECT UNITA: the Time-Spatial-Linguistic Teaching and Learning Travel Machine
This project aims to design and deploy CONNECT-UNITA solutions that enable the interconnection of students and teachers of the universities that are part of the European UNITA alliance. CONNECT-UNITA proposes solutions to build technological infrastructures that enable the interconnection of classrooms and learning management systems. Our solutions include digital components and methodological approaches that enable pedagogical innovation for teaching and learning by facilitating interaction between teachers and students in any language, from anywhere and at any time. L’objectif principal de ce projet est le développement d’une plateforme collaborative et d’une méthodologie pour l‘innovation dans l’enseignement et l’apprentissage qui non seulement vise à atteindre le succès dans l’acquisition de connaissances et de compétences mais permet également de briser les barrières de la distance géographique, linguistique, temporelle et sociale favorisant ainsi l’inclusion et la coopération internationale. Progrès réalisés Durant ces trois années, les progrès avec les résultats ci-dessous ont été réalisés : Création d’un Living Lab international d’enseignement et d’apprentissage pour les enseignants et les étudiants de l’alliance UNITA, ainsi que pour la communauté internationale, grâce à la co-conception et la coproduction des enseignements, orientés à la fois au transfert et à la multiplication des compétences en matière d’innovation technologique et pédagogique ainsi que sur les thématiques prioritaires pour l’alliance UNITA (patrimoine culturel, énergies renouvelables et économie circulaire). Le living lab d’enseignement et d’apprentissage permettra également le développement de mobilités virtuelles entre les membres du consortium UNITA ainsi que d’autres membres externes et offrira un espace de coopération en matière d’innovation pédagogique et numérique. Prochaine étape : évènements à venir Tous les partenaires de Connect UNITA organise de manière simultanée une présentation finale (Final Multiplier Event) de vulgarisation des résultats du projet Connect UNITA portant sur l’intégration des innovations numériques et pédagogiques pour favoriser la collaboration internationale au sein de l’alliance européenne UNITA. Cet évènement aura lieu le 30 janvier 2025 à 14h dans les différentes universités de l’alliance UNITA, partenaires du projet (UBI, UPPA, USMB, UVT, UNITO et UNIZAR) et nous souhaitons aussi une participation des partenaires locaux et régionaux, issus de l’industrie et des établissements d’enseignement. To know more: http://connect.univ-unita.ubi.pt
The first meeting of the Renewable energy for transport vehicles project it has been a success
UNITA researchers from the project Renewable energy for transport vehicles had a successful first meeting at the University of Zaragoza. “It was great. The meeting was quite useful. We were looking at the possibilities of working on renewable electric mobility and we also shared the tasks for the following meetings”, answered Ángel Bayod, researcher at the University of Zaragoza. This project has received a Starting Grant from UNITA in order to begin working together on research into renewable energy in the automotive sector. During the workshop, the project members and collaborators from each university presented their research areas. “The researchers were very kind. I feel like we’re going to work well together”, continued Angel. The meeting also included a discussion on the types of renewable energy applied to transport vehicles. “We achieved the objectives of getting to know each other and sharing the topics. At the University of Zaragoza, for example, we are going to work on the photovoltaic part”, explained him. The meeting was attended by researchers Radu Tarulescu and Stelian Tarulescu, Lecturer from Universitatea Transilvania Brasov (UTBV), Frederico Miguel Freire Rodrigues and Kateryna Shvydyuk from Universidade de Beira Interior in Portugal (UBI), Ángel Bayod and Amaya Martínez (UNIZAR), and also featured a presentation from the Universitatea de Vest din Timisoara (UVT). In addition to the presentations and discussion, the UBI’s work on plasma-enhanced vertical axis generators was presented and UNIZAR provided insights into the possibilities and requirements of photovoltaic systems associated with electric vehicle chargers. Ángel Bayod, researcher at the University of Zaragoza, presenting the project to his colleagues The project continues The working team will meet in person at two additional meetings during 2025, the first one in Timisoara and the second one in Brasov. The results will be shared at conferences and academic journals to jointly advance research on the possibilities of mobility associated with renewable energy. UNITA’s Starting Grant initiative, in which the project is integrated, consists of awarding research start-up grants to strengthen collaboration between at least three UNITA universities through the implementation of new projects or the consolidation of existing projects. The maximum amounts in the last edition were €15,000 for projects with three partners, and €25,000 for those involving five or more partners.
ESA 2025 applications are now open
The European Student Assembly (ESA) is the flagship initiative of the EUC Voices Erasmus+project. This annual event brings together approximately 250 selected European students to discusscritical themes concerning the European Union. The event will take place in Strasbourg on 26-28 May 2025, but selected students qwill be engaged incommon online activities since february 2025. Students form UNITA Universities are encouraged to apply as participants or coordinators to jointhe Assembly and contribute to a discussion panel of their choice. Selection CriteriaApplicants are evaluated based on: The home university of each applicant will select the participants. Panel Coordinators, who play a key role in the European Student Assembly, are chosen for theirstrong motivation and prior experience as group leaders in similar initiatives. Why join? Participate in ESA in Strasbourg for a unique opportunity to represent students from across Europe,engage in meaningful debates, and contribute to shaping policy recommendations directly at theEuropean Parliament. The deadline to apply is the 1st december. Apply here: https://forms.office.com/e/6TgV5ctPWD More info: https://www.eucvoices.eu/it/node/56 Information session
A Successful Interuniversity Exchange Between Timișoara and Turin
At the end of November 2024, the Center for Romance Studies of Timișoara (CSRT), affiliated with the West University of Timișoara (UOT), organized, through its literary circle La Pléiade, an interuniversity exchange activity in partnership with the University of Turin (UniTo), Department of Humanities. Financé par le Ministère roumain de l’Éducation dans le cadre du programme FSS International Student – Next Step in Education, ce projet poursuivait deux principaux objectifs : d’une part, renforcer la collaboration éducative et scientifique entre les deux universités par l’échange de méthodes pédagogiques innovantes dans l’enseignement supérieur ; d’autre part, promouvoir l’internationalisation des activités impliquant des étudiants de licence, de master et de doctorat. Le groupe d’étudiants de l’UOT, coordonné par les professeurs Ramona Malita et Claudiu Gherasim, a participé à une série d’activités enrichissantes organisées par leurs collègues italiens, les professeurs Paola Cifarelli et Monica Pavesio, à Turin. Une semaine riche en activités La semaine du 18 au 23 novembre 2024 s’est révélée particulièrement fructueuse, avec : La rencontre doctorale a confirmé le solide partenariat avec l’École doctorale de Turin dans le domaine des sciences humaines. Une thèse sur la littérature française contemporaine (doctorant : Claudiu Gherasim) est actuellement co-dirigée par Ramona Malita et Paola Cifarelli, avec le soutien de Monica Pavesio. Un accueil chaleureux et des perspectives prometteuses L’équipe de Timișoara a été chaleureusement accueillie par les professeurs Marcella Costa et Alessandro Mengozzi, directeurs des départements des langues modernes et des sciences humaines à l’UniTo, respectivement. Tous deux ont exprimé leur appréciation pour cette initiative et leur espoir de voir des projets similaires prospérer à l’avenir. Ils ont souligné comment de tels échanges renforcent la visibilité internationale des deux universités et du consortium universitaire européen UNITA auquel elles appartiennent. Cet échange constitue un exemple réussi de coopération interuniversitaire, démontrant comment l’éducation et la recherche peuvent prospérer grâce à des collaborations internationales innovantes.
Community of practice for European universities alliances and beyond
In a significant step towards realising the full transformational potential of the European Universities initiative, the FOREU4ALL community of practice has officially started its operations. The community will bring together all 64 European Universities alliances and other higher education stakeholders like student organisations and university associations. A platform for peer learning and dissemination FOREU4ALL is a community of practice that connects European universities and the wider higher education sector, fostering closer cooperation. Its two main objectives are: Concrete steps towards a more collaborative future To achieve its objectives, FOREU4ALL will Visit the Linkedin of the FOREU4ALL project: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foreu4all/
From East to West, the RandoPat series of BIPs travels across UNITA
The series of Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) ‘RandoPats/HeriTrails’ (‘Randonnées du Patrimoine / Heritage Trails’) was brilliantly launched in Romania two years ago by ‘Mushrooms, herbs and raw food : practices and beliefs’, UVT, 7-11 November 2022.This was followed, in summer 2023, by an equally successful second edition in France: ‘Sur les Chemins de Roland’, UPPA, 12-16 June 2023. In November 2024, we reached Portugal: Randopat-Heritrail 3: ‘Cultural Heritage Food & Craft in Serra da Estrela : mushrooms, cheese and wool ’, UBI 11-16 November 2024. The planning of RandoPat-Heritrail 3 began, indeed, two years ago, by discussions had during the RandoPat organized by our UVT colleagues. We thought we could develop some of the themes, in particular the use of mushrooms in local cultures, this time moving to another UNITA territory, i.e. Serra da Estrela. Our UBI and IPG colleagues then thought to consider also other traditional local resources, namely cheese and wool, in particular from the perspective of their valorisation in cultural tourism. The programme conceived by our UBI host, Cristina Estevao, with the invaluable help of our IPG colleague Rui Cerveira, was a very rich one, allying high quality lectures by academics, specialists and cultural tourism professionals, to hands-on workshops and fieldwork, in the true spirit of the RandoPat series, whereby the idea is to learn by walking and interacting together in local landscapes. In RandoPat-HeriTrail 3 we also repeated, mutatis mutandis, a successful feature of the ‘Sur les Chemins de Roland’. In fact, to this epic adventure took part not only literature and history students, but also a group of nine photography students from the Art & Design Department of the Universitatea de Vest din Timişoara, who reacted to the texts on which we worked together, by taking photographs, throughout the week, then used to create a video exhibition inaugurated at the Médiathèque André-Labarrère on the final day. In RandoPat-HeriTrail 3, we made room again for an important visual and photographic component, having with us throughout the whole week Luis Vaz, UBI Researcher and Freelance Photographer, who visually documented the autumn school by photos and videos. His final, edited video, recapitulating the week, gives a perfect gist of the whole experience. I thus invite you to first watch Luis’s video. Then, the following photos with captions will help you decipher at least some of the intriguing images about which you may ask yourself some questions! Luis Vaz’s video on Randopat-Heritrail 3: ‘Cultural Heritage Food & Craft in Serra da Estrela : mushrooms, cheese and wool ’, UBI 11-16 November 2024: DAY 1 [Cf. images of people hammering (mycelium) in a trunk and preparing a compost with mycelium, which they then took away to grow mushrooms once back home] DAY 2 DAY 3 Visit and workshop at the Wool Museum. DAY 4 DAY 5 DAY 6 Miscaros Festival at Alcaide In conclusion, RandoPat-HeriTrail 3 proved to be an extremely enriching experience, allowing participants to get in touch with local realities and to reflect on them using the conceptual tools provided by a tremendous array of specialists. The interaction with local communities can be continued online via the following padlet, to which everybody is encouraged to contribute: Cultural Heritage Villages And, if you want to be kept informed on forthcoming RandoPats, you are most welcome to join the Randopat WhatsApp Group Text and some photos by: Giovanna Hendel Cultural Heritage Hub Coordinator Video and some photos by: Luis Vaz UBI Researcher & Freelance Photographer