<< Objectives >>To answer young people’s need for an effective sustainable education, GREENTRACE aims at filling the gaps of competence that youth workers, sport leaders and educators encounter in their field of belonging, by creating an innovative method of sustainable learning through sport, youth participation and exploration. The approach will be created through a multidisciplinary cooperation, applicable in different territorial and learning contexts and supported by an assessment tool.<< Implementation >>A study on sustainability will precede the methodology definition. Minimum 20 youth workers, sport leaders and educators will then attend thematic workshops (sustainability, new learning methods, assessment) to co-create the learning approaches that will be tested on groups of young people (firstly on the groups they work with, secondly on peers involved by the first groups). Minimum 40 young participants will create their sustainable plans and participate in the creation of a digital platform.<< Results >>A report will expound the analysis and the methodology, with a practical annex for youth workers. Youthpass portfolios will attest the new competences acquired by the participants. For young people it will have two levels, the first issued for the presentation of a sustainable programme, the second for having taken action and involved the peers. The digital platform will create a network of professionals and young people, to embed sustainability among youth and foster further innovation.

EU-CONEXUS-RESEARCH FOR SOCIETY is an ambitious 3-years project aiming at the strengthening, modernisation and the internationalisation of the research dimension of the European University for Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability (EU-CONEXUS) and the corresponding institutional transformation for its six partner universities: La Rochelle Université (FR), Agricultural University of Athens (EL), Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest (RO), Klaipeda University (LT), Universidad Catolica De Valencia (ES), University of Zadar (HR). EU-CONEXUS has chosen a thematic focus for its transnational inter-university campus that is constructed around education and research on Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability (SUCS). EU-CONEXUS RESEARCH FOR SOCIETY perfectly completes the ongoing activities of the European University that are financed under the Erasmus+ programme which is more focused on the higher education dimension of a university. The project will show how to develop a joint science and innovation agenda within a transnational research and funding environment and aims at establishing the research focus SUCS on the European and international level. It will contribute to a more comprehensive and socially responsible management system for researchers and other staff contributing to research activities. Joint research infrastructures and resources will be explored, and a common access policy will lead to a more efficient management of these assets. An innovation management strategy will open up new ways of interaction with the innovation eco-system and establish an entrepreneurial mind-set within the researcher community. Finally, methods of open and participatory science will nurture more responsive research practices. During the project implementation EU-CONEXUS-RESEARCH FOR SOCIETY will cooperate with other European University alliances in order to share experiences, knowledges in order to allow a better functioning of European Universities.

Today, vision impairment up to total blindness represents an increasing global problem with significant social and economic impact upon affected patients and society as a whole. Despite the advancing of knowledge on their genetic basis, there is no effective cure for retinal diseases (RD) to date and therefore there is an urgent need to fill this gap. The present DN “Targeting RNA as an approach for treating retinal disease” (RETORNA) aims to treat RD by using RNA therapy. Among the research objectives, we will study different types of RNA that are expressed in retinal cells. By observing bioinformatic models, cell and tissue cultures, animal models, and human patients, we will be able to create RNA profiles for different RD. This screening will identify several targets that will be used as therapeutic approaches. Then, selected RNAs will be used to treat different RD, such as macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. Furthermore, the potential economic and social impact of such strategies upon European countries will be studied, and the possibility of commercialization will be assessed. RETORNA proposes breakthrough research, distributed in 10 individual projects, performed by 10 Doctoral Candidates (DCs). Some of the most highly qualified European scientists of the field will supervise those DCs, who will be awarded with a PhD at the end of the program. Moreover, DCs will be provided with different transferable skills, necessary for starting successful careers in academia, but also in other areas: industry, public organizations, non-profit organizations, consultancy, etc. The RETORNA consortium consists of 8 beneficiaries, including 7 Universities and 1 Research Institute. The consortium will be managed by 5 different boards (research, managing, training, communication, and quality), all of them in continuous communication with the coordinator and with the general assembly.

The concept of EU-CONEXUS ENABLES is built upon the strong foundation of our Alliance within the Joint Research Area as an excellent network for cooperation between the partners with several points of gravity such as the 4 Joint Research Institutes (an outcome of H2020-SwafS project) - Coastal Engineering Institute, Environmental Sciences and Biodiversity Institute, Life Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, Social, Culture and Human Sciences Institute, and the Doctoral School framework of EU-CONEXUS European University. The project is devoted to promote scientific and academic cooperation between the members of the alliance in the same time with an effective implementation of ERA policy agenda main objectives. Using as thematical background 4 major challenges, the project is dedicated to achieve specific objectives that are aligned with mostly all of the ERA goals. The scope of the EU-CONEXUS ENABLES project is to create the framework of an innovative ecosystem promoting sustainable synergies between the alliance and its partners such as the fellow municipalities, other stakeholders, in order to develop long term solutions for Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability challenges, based on the Digital Twin approach. The project is focused on one hand to raise excellence in value creation through deeper and geographically inclusive cooperation, and on the other hand to the societal based topics and needs coming from our supporting ecosystems of stakeholders. The project will also offer training and capacity-building programs for researchers, promoting a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.Through hackathons, capacity building, and knowledge exchange activities, the project will engage experts, researchers, and stakeholders in the development and implementation of innovative Digital Twin solutions. Citizen engagement in participatory science activities will also be facilitated, encouraging evidence-based policies and interventions.