University of Catania
Follow us
Search

REUNICE

Research with and for society in EUNICE
logo
Classification: 
international research
Programme: 
Horizon 2020
Call: 
H2020-IBA-SwafS-Support-2-2020
Main ERC field: 
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Unict role: 
Partner
Duration (months): 
36
Start date: 
Friday, October 1, 2021
End date: 
Monday, September 30, 2024
Total cost: 
€ 1.997.875,00
Unict cost: 
€ 283.000,00
Coordinator: 
Politechnika Poznanska (Polonia)
Principal investigator in Unict: 
Cristina Satriano
University department involved: 
University of Catania
Participants: 
  • Brandenburgische Technische Universitat Cottbus-Senftenberg (Germany)
  • Universidad de Cantabria (Spain)
  • Université de Mons (Belgium)
  • Universitè Polytechnique Hauts-de-France (France)
  • Vaasan Yliopisto (Finland)

Abstract

EUNICE, the European University for Customised Education, is an alliance of seven universities designed to address a range of social and economic challenges. The EU-funded project REUNICE aims to align its education, research and innovation strategies through an ambitious and transformative agenda that is transdisciplinary, intercultural and shared. Becoming a true European university through REUNICE will support the efforts of the European Universities Alliance to contribute to the development of a society based on knowledge and innovation, and at the same time consider smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Specifically, REUNICE will build cooperation between science and society, recruiting new talents and pairing scientific excellence with social responsibility. It will conduct a pilot initiative clustering activity to share best practices, research infrastructures, and innovation resources.

REUNICE is a strategic project for the European Universities Alliance EUNICE which aims to align its education, research, and innovation strategies through an ambitious and transformative agenda. This agenda is trans-disciplinary, intercultural, shared, and provides a long-term joint strategy for a ‘customized’ university. Becoming a true European university through REUNICE will support the efforts of the Alliance to contribute to the development of a society based on knowledge and innovation, also considering smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

The implementation measures proposed aim to provide concrete life experiences for the university community as a whole. Individual experiences are focused on the development of personal attitudes such as openness and sensitivity to individual and community particularities. Institutional experiences contribute to institutional change that guarantees inclusiveness and forward-facing principles for the Alliance members.

To achieve this ambitious goal, REUNICE is building cooperation between Science and Society, recruiting new talents for science and pairing scientific excellence with social responsibility. Cooperation with non-academic actors, mainly academia-business cooperation, will be reinforced. The scientific community, industry, professional organizations, policymakers, civil society and public authorities will be involved in exploring and supporting citizen science through the Alliance Competence Center, a pilot initiative clustering activity to share best practices, research infrastructures and innovation resources.

REUNICE will allow the alliance to develop an ambitious common research and innovation agenda and action plan that, in turn, will address the societal challenges identified by the H2020 programme. It will contribute to the consolidation of EUNICE through the improvement and extension of the academic and research networks that have already been initiated through the activities of the Alliance.