Beyond borders in Europe with BIP UNITA Borders
34 students from different European countries took part in the second edition of the UNITA Borders Blended Intensive Program from July 12 to 19, organized by the University of Turin in collaboration with Saarland University of the European Alliance Transform4Europe. The students, coming from UNITA Alliance universities and six other European universities, participated in the second edition of the UNITA Borders Blended Intensive Program which took place at the campus Luigi Einaudi from July 15 to 19. This is one of the first initiatives proposed by the European Alliance UNITA together with universities belonging to other European alliances: in particular, the BIP was organized with the University of Saarland, which is part of the Transform4Europe (T4EU) alliance. The results of this cooperation can be seen in the number and diverse backgrounds of the participants: a group with an international and multicultural background that allowed everyone to have an important experience in the internationalization of their studies. BIP UNITA Borders focuses on the cultural, social and political importance of borders in the context of the transformations the world is currently witnessing. The concept of “border” was approached with a multidisciplinary approach through the participation of 11 faculty members from various universities of different countries and disciplinary fields. The discussed topics ranged from the physical wall as a boundary between countries, to the metaphysical wall of identity and citizenship; from the externalization of borders, to the forms of art and activism that arise in the context of the border; from the border in the field of political science, to the border in the field of philosophy. This interdisciplinary approach allowed students to reflect on the border without limiting their thoughts to their fields of expertise. The Erasmus Blended Intensive Programs (BIP) allow for an experience of internationalization that combines short physical mobility (usually one week) with virtual mobility. The BIP Erasmus programs proposed by UNITA aim to bring together groups of students from at least three universities belonging to the UNITA alliance with the goal of exploring issues from a European approach. Watch the UNITA Borders BIP video presentation and learn how to participate in the UNITA BIP programs.
Innovation Prize 2024
The latest edition of the Innovation Prize ended with the announcement of the 3 winners during the final conference of the Re-UNITA project, held in Pau on the 2nd of July. This year, 16 projects from the 6 universities belonging to the UNITA Alliance were presented, covering a wide range of fields from sport to renewable energy and languages. Three of them have been awarded. The project that won first place is MUS-ESP, and it’s from the University of Zaragoza (UNIZAR), in Spain. The primary goal of this project is to develop and refine a comprehensive educational methodology that utilizes a progression of phantoms, ranging from simple models to highly realistic anatomical replicas, for training medical students and professionals in ultrasoundguided procedures. These phantoms are meticulously designed to replicate human soft tissue and anatomical structures, providing a realistic and safe environment for skill acquisition and practice. Second place went to the Pav-OK! project, the result of research carried out at the University of Beira Interior (UBI) in Portugal. The Pav-OK! solution is as an innovative technological approach to digital and intelligent pavement data inspection and processing. The project aims to overcome the limitations of traditional methods and fill the gap in planning the diagnosis of the condition of municipal and airport pavements by taking advantage of new technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) potential, providing so a technologically advanced solution at a lower cost. The solution incorporates image data capture and recording, laser and georeferencing devices, and can be classified as a low-cost multifunctional mobile system with semi-automatic data processing. Finally, the third prize went to Tips – M, a project from the University of Turin (UNITO). The project is aimed at the development of stable thin-film mini-module architecture based on hybrid perovskite photoabsorber for internet of things (IoT) application. This device could be integrated into window blinds or window glasses to provide power for small-scale electronic devices, including microcontrollers, detectors, sensors, and indicators. It could be very helpful for usage in remote mountain locations, providing power to smart-home systems and weather and air quality monitoring which is located far from the electric grids. Congratulations to the three winners of this year’s edition, and to all the participants who submitted their projects during the 3 competitions. Once again, they demonstrated the dynamism of the students and researchers of the UNITA Alliance in terms of research and scientific innovation. *Re-UNITA is a project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme. To know more about the projects: https://www.research.univ-unita.eu/en/news/re-unita-innovation-prize-discover-the-2024.html