The digital economy is in the core of the priorities established by the European Commission (EC) for 2019-24, as indicated by president Von der Leyen. It is the single most important driver of innovation, competitiveness and employment. How European businesses adopt digital technologies will be a key for their future growth. This proposal for a Jean Monnet chair clearly focuses on a subject which increasingly affects EU companies, institutions and citizens, in an area that needs deepen teaching in EU studies. Despite the relevance of the topic, no JM Chairs have been devoted to Digital Economy in the EU (at least from 2014 onwards) and very few modules and CoE were interested in this topic.This proposal for a Jean Monnet chair aims to: 1) To consolidate the subject “Digital Economy in the EU” (in English) within the framework of the Official Master's Degree in European Union Studies (UNED), ongoing since 2016.2) To expand the teaching about this topic to bachelor studies (Spanish): to the Business Administration & Management degree and to the Industrial Engineering degree (both with limited exposure to but increasingly affected by EU aspects), as key future professionals in the digital age.3) To complete the teaching offer on “Digital Economy in the EU” with 1-day seminar for business students, 1-day seminar for engineering students, and a 3-days summer course.4) To delve into the subject with a new book and research The blended teaching characteristics of the proposal (mainly online, and also including on campus activities) guarantees a high impact, with an estimation of +3,600 students involved.UNED is the 2nd largest university in Europe with 206,629 students, including 7,395 with disabilities, and presence in 13 countries. The material will be recorded and published, therefore all the University can visualize them, and selected material will be also accessible outside UNED (Open Educational Resources, OER).

Governance and Regulation are the pillars of the present and future for European democracy, Rule of Law, and Fundamental Rights Protection in the Digital Age. The European Union strategic documents (e.g. “2030 Digital Compass: the European way for the Digital Decade” of 2021), as well as the current and future EU legislation (Artificial Intelligence Act proposal) point out that the development of emerging technologies, particularly digital ones, implies relevant juridical, ethical and social questions in the Digital Age, promoting that people and their rights are at the centre of the digital transformation, supporting European values (solidarity, inclusion, sustainability, fundamental rights, rule of law, transparency, accountability, etc.), and fostering the participation of citizens and professionals in the digital public space.In this context, the statistical analysis shows a lack of skills and competences on the digital age. Therefore, the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED) intend to set-up (with the prestigious support of the Jean Monnet Action) a Jean Monnet Chair in Governance and Regulation in the Digital Age, to teach and research in European Union Studies, dealing with the juridical, ethical and social implications of Digital transformation. The main activities of the Chair will be as follows: A) Teaching/Training activities addressed to students, PhD students, academic and administrative staff, professionals and policy makers; B) Research activities on legal, ethical, social and culture issues of the Digital Age; C) Other activities: i.e. publications, communication, dissemination, networking, including the establishment of a stable Forum on Digital Age Challenges.

The objective of the Module is to analyse in depth the economic reality of the European Union, taking into account not only the historical process of strengthening ties between the Member States, but also the latest changes introduced in its framework, referring to the new model of European economic governance and its repercussions. In this way, the set of economic rules and institutions that the EU has endowed in economic policy will be analysed. A series of topics of maximum relevance, which configuration and structure have undergone significant changes in recent years. The activities to be developed (available in face-to-face and online mode) will include periodic teaching sessions, Masterclass with guest speakers, case studies, as well as other theoretical and practical activities. The Jean Monnet Module will also aim to expand the number of training activities related to European affairs at the UNED, as well as open new lines of research, answering to a clear demand from our alumni and teachers, and supplying the deficiencies of official programs unrelated to EU issues. Therefore, the presented project both seeks to respond to the needs to deepen and fill the academic gap in its study (both at national and European level).Finally, it will seek to bring to all members of the university community (students of the National University of Distance Education, as well as other entities; both national and foreign, residents in countries other than Spain) who do NOT automatically come into contact with European studies, the indicated knowledge, crucial for the new generations of alumni and the strengthening of their involvement in the European project.

Integration through EU Fundamental RightsThe importance of law and the role of the European Court of Justice and its case-law in the overall process of European integration have been correctly emphasized in European legal and political science scholarship. What can the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights add to that process? The experience of federal states demonstrates that human rights can have a crucial impact on the vertical balance of power, since both legislators and courts may activate human rights with centripetal effects. The U.S. and German cases provide ample evidence. The EU Charter, in force since December 2009, has begun to perform some federalising effects. However, relevant differences remain. The application of EU fundamental rights to member states’ action is more complex and controverted than in federal jurisdictions. First, it is not automatic nor dependent solely on the existence of exclusive or shared EU competence. The requirement of a link between the case and the substantive scope of EU law seems to limit, or hide, the federal element and its dynamics, but often it is a matter of perception. Second, the EU Charter must coexist with well-established constitutional jurisdictions in the member states, which want to preserve the proper functioning of the received constitutional space as well as their prominent role as integral protectors of (national) fundamental rights. How can a balance between unity and diversity be achieved here? The German Federal Constitutional Court’s two judgments on the Right to be forgotten (2019) show how a constitutional court can accommodate itself with the federalising effects of the EU Charter while attempting to preserve a relevant role in a functioning constitutional order. The requested Jean Monnet Chair aims at assessing the integrative effects of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the correlative impact on, and acceptance by, member states’ constitutional courts.

The overall research goal of this proposal is to develop a multidisciplinary study of the little known long-necked dinosaurs of North Africa using virtual paleontology techniques (developed in my PhD thesis) histological data on the fossil material, pneumatic apparatus reconstruction and phylogenetic analysis to understand the significance of a range of new species. The project will have a major impact in the fields of paleontology and biology, generating critical new data on the large terrestrial vertebrates of a major continent during a period of the Mesozoic that experienced sea level and temperature changes resulting in major extinctions. The fossil material comprises the single largest undescribed fauna from any major continent during the latter half of the Mesozoic. The high-profile scientific results to come from this research over two-years in the Department of Organismal Biology (University of Chicago), under the supervision of Prof. Sereno, will boost my academic profile and experience in the fields of paleontology and evolution, significantly increasing the chance to continue my career by leading a multidisciplinary and diverse research group in the field of paleobiology in Europe.