EU-CONEXUS Plus is mainstreaming, deepening and expanding the European University for Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability EU-CONEXUS. Building on established strategic cooperation structures, joint activities and procedures EU-CONEXUS Plus introduces three former associated partners as full members, creates a legal entity for the implementation of joint actions, continues the set-up of a joint infrastructures and stabilises the scope of cooperation chosen around the thematic focus “Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability” (SmUCS) while covering all missions of a university: education, research, innovation and service to society. A special focus is laid on the empowerment of students’ self-governance and their initiatives. Regarding education, joint course programmes on SmUCS on all levels, micro-credentials to broaden flexibility, personalisation and LLL aspects and special modules aiming at attracting BSc students to research are planned. Training on pedagogical methodologies and tools is intensified. Support for the development of study programmes proposed by the teaching community will be centralised. For research, the Joint Research Area is further supported by enlarged mobility programmes, networking events and the introduction of scientific management staff promoting the linkage of research activities on SmUCS. Regarding innovation, a support service is established around knowledge and technology transfer promoting entrepreneurial mindsets and creativity among staff and students. The already established Career network widens its scope of action by offering trainings on job readiness and facilitating work-based experiences. The EU-CONEXUS Stakeholder Academy further enhances the close connection with partners’ ecosystems, with a special focus on regions, cities and ports. Outreach to local communities is achieved by continuing the successful international school contest and the organisation of cultural festivals in a local setting.

Transhumance is a type of pastoralism entailing a seasonal movement of livestock between summer and winter pastures along designated trails; historically, given their economic importance, the presence of these routes used to have major effects on the uses of land. Most have disappeared, but many are still clearly visible in mountain and rural landscapes, and are often subject to landscape protection measures. Further traces can be found in place and family names, cultural practices, architectural elements, archaeological findings, and the memories of the elderly.Transhumance was practiced in many European countries. It has shaped European cultures, societies and landscapes for centuries. Such heritage needs to be preserved, also as a resource for rural and mountain economies that often suffer from depopulation.The analysis, understanding and conservation of this heritage is the target of very different disciplines. Making the most of such heritage should be the focus of responsible policy-making, programming and planning. However, given the cross-cutting nature of transhumance, a transdisciplinary approach must be applied for ensuring the best effects of policy making and planning on landscape, economy, society, reduction of natural risks, and conservation of cultural assets.The overall objective of PECUS is to define HE methods and tools based on cognitive mapping, able to convey the complexity and trans-disciplinarity of the issues related to the conservation, management and promotion of tangible and intangible cultural assets – in particular, focusing on the transhumance heritage.For this purpose, PECUS combines two elements to promote and achieve transdisciplinarity in teaching & learning:- the involvement of teachers and students in workshops centred on transdisciplinary planning for the conservation and management of transhumance landscapes and the sustainable development of related environments and economies- the use of Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) as a tool to facilitate the representation and understanding of complex problems, and foster transdisciplinary decisions.FCMs are a symbolic representation of complex systems in terms of concepts and their mutual interactions. Their construction requires inputs of human experience and knowledge on the system under consideration; therefore, the outcome is an integration of the experience and knowledge accumulated by the persons involved, concerning the underlying causal relationships amongst factors, characteristics, and components of the same system. For this reason, PECUS intends to apply this tool as a support for a new, transdisciplinary educational approach for developing programmes/plans affecting the spatial, social and environmental status of an important asset of the common European culture.PECUS will involve both students and teachers from partner organisations:- 12 teachers will participate in a preliminary workshop aimed at defining the contents and methods for the following workshop- 50 students will be selected by partner universities to participate in a 7-day international, intensive workshop centred on the practice of transdisciplinary planning for the conservation and promotion of transhumance landscapes, supported by the use of cognitive mapping, and tutored by the 12 teachers having participated in the preliminary workshop- 250 additional students will be involved by partner universities in further local activities based on the use of FCMs.Besides the above educational activities, PECUS will deliver a series of Intellectual Outputs, namely:- an online repository of educational materials supporting the project activities and made available to anyone interested- a modular online course made of thematic “pills” on the project topics (videos, presentations, animations, self-evaluation tests, etc.)- a set of methodological guidelines for FCM-based transdisciplinary teaching practices- the proceedings of the final conference focused on the project outcomes.The project is intended to contribute, in the long term, to:- develop cross-boundary skills in future professionals and decision makers- contribute to the European and international debate on how to analyse, preserve and valorise tangible and intangible cultural heritage, in particular related to transhumance- contribute to the development of a collaborative environment among teachers, researchers and students in partner HEIs- contribute to open up traditional educational practices in partner HEIs through the diffusion of the use of FCM in HE courses- increase the quality of HE teaching and research in the field of the preservation, management and promotion of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, thanks to the diffusion of a trans-disciplinary approach.The sustainability of the project’s approach relies on the adaptability of the FCM method to different topics and contexts.

The joint Master programme in Marine Biotechnology is a transnationally integrated multidisciplinary programme that provides high-quality academic education and professional competencies for professionals working or intending to work in the area of marine biotechnology. Integrating the skills map studies previously described, the programme has been designed so that it entirely covers the marine biotechnology pipeline from biodiscovery to market launch enabling the student to integrate in a variety of professional careers in the Marine Biotechnology sector. The joint Master programme in Marine Biotechnology (JMPMB) will be delivered by six partner universities (Universidad Católica de Valencia (Spain) – Programme Coordinator University, La Rochelle Université (France), Agricultural University of Athens (Greece), Universitatea Tehnica de Constructii Bucuresti (Romania), Klaipėdos Universitetas (Lithuania), Sveučilište u Zadru (Croatia) in association with two Associated Partners (Waterford Institute of Technology (Ireland) and Universität Rostock (Germany) and in collaboration with a large number of stakeholders from companies and research centres. The six universities and partners joined together to merge their strengths and know-how in an interdisciplinary JMPMB and to offer the students to study at an international inter-campus European University.

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.

Foot diseases are recognized as a wide societal problem, reducing mobility, social activity and quality of life of the people suffering from it. The occurrence of foot problems, which has been reported at 40%, affects specially the elderly, diabetic and obese people. This means around 202 million European people will suffer some kind of foot abnormality or severe pain. Podiatry can support the wellbeing of these population groups through a twofold strategy of treatment and prevention.As other health care services, podiatry is under significant pressure to provide innovative, effective and timely services. Ageing, advancing technology and the specific needs of different population groups constitute a major challenge for podiatry profession, so responses are needed to support a modern and developing podiatry profession.PODIATRAIN project aim is to create a European high education framework to homogenize and improve knowledge of podiatrists in advanced techniques and treatments as well as bring to bear the newest technologies for user assessment. PODIATRAIN will offer these professionals a number of advantages over traditional methods providing a route to transform podiatry from an artisan craft into a modern clinical speciality. The project results will contribute to improve the competences of these professionals, widening their labour opportunities. PODIATRAIN will be available in two European languages (English and Spanish).PODIATRAIN consortium is formed by three universities and one research and technological centre: Universidad Católica de Valencia (Spain), Mikkeli University of Applied Sciences (Finland), University of Malta (Malta) and Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia (Spain). This consortium has been set up to guarantee the success of the project and its future exploitation beyond the project end. Project partners are experts in the contents to be developed; they have access to current and future podiatry professionals and capability to exploit the course. In addition, they will explore the EQF credit recognition and the introduction of PODIATRAIN outputs into formal education. Academic partners assure representativeness of European formal training programmes, being all of them members of the European Network of Podiatry in Higher Education (ENPODHE).PODIATRAIN project will have a total duration of 30 months and it will be coordinated by the Universidad Católica de Valencia. Dissemination, Exploitation, Quality management and Project coordination are activities planned for the management and implementation. PODIATRAIN has associated three intellectual outputs, all of them will be freely accessible through the project website to target users and also for general public interested on them: - Curriculum of PODIATRAIN course - Formative contents and complementary materials of PODIATRAIN course - PODIATRAIN on-line coursePodiatrists will be the main beneficiaries of the course, but other target groups will be students finishing their bachelor's degree in podiatry and other foot health practitioners as foot&ankle surgeons. Around 87.000 European podiatrists will have the opportunity to improve their skills, acquiring more competences based on advanced techniques and treatments as well as on the use of new technologies for better assessment and diagnosis of patients.Patients will indirectly benefit of receiving more accurate diagnosis and improved treatments based on latest research and technologies. In addition, as PODIATRAIN intends to homogenize best practices among European podiatrists, this will directly benefit patients throughout Europe.