EUniWell #Research Conference: Paving The Future for the EUniWell Research and Innovation Ecosystem
16/10/2024 | by Eszter Turopoli
On 17-18 September, Semmelweis University hosted the EUniWell #Research Conference and a meeting of the Vice-Rectors for Research from EUniWell member institutions in Budapest, Hungary. The events united academic leaders and researchers at the conclusion of the EUniWell #Research project and paved the future for the EUniWell Research and Innovation Ecosystem.
EUniWell #Research
The EUniWell #Research Conference, held on 18 September 2024, marked a significant milestone in the journey of the European University for Well-Being Alliance. Entitled “EUniWell #Research Conference: Paving The Future”, the conference celebrated (1) the successful completion of the EUniWell #Research project supported through the Horizon 2020 SwafS programme and (2) a new era of collaborative research activities for the Alliance. The event brought together a diverse community of leading academics, researchers, educators, and students, both on-site and online, to reflect on the achievements of the project, share insights, and look to the future of research in the Alliance.
In 2021 a proposal from the EUniWell Alliance submitted to the European Commission Horizon 2020 Science with and for Society (SwafS) programme was selected for funding. The EUniWell #Research project was designed to establish a EUniWell research framework, to boost research partnerships and to support young researchers in developing their careers. Over the past three years the Alliance has made significant advances in its well-being focused research agenda. As a key component of the EUniWell Platform Model, the EUniWell #Research project has established the foundations of a sustainable research and innovation ecosystem for the Alliance.
Through the EUniWell #Research project, EUniWell has supported new collaborative research projects through the Well-Being Research Incubator, facilitated the sharing of infrastructures, mainstreamed and aligned Open Science practices across member institutions, launched the EUniWell Research Training Academy, and supported the reskilling and upskilling of early career researchers within EUniWell. As part of the project, the Alliance has also developed a coordinated, collaborative EUniWell Research and Innovation Strategic Framework, and strengthened Alliance-wide digital tools and resources.
The EUniWell #Research Conference
The EUniWell #Research Conference: Paving the Future brought together leading EUniWell researchers, students, Vice-Rectors, and experts from EUniWell member universities to report on and discuss strategic research initiatives focused on well-being and future research directions for the Alliance.
“We can only achieve great results by working together, whichever of the main pillars of our activity is concerned, be it healthcare, education, or research and innovation,” said Semmelweis Rector Prof. Béla Merkely in his welcome address. He recalled that this cooperation had been particularly evident in recent times, when the coronavirus pandemic, the war in our neighbourhood, and economic difficulties have challenged not only Semmelweis University, but all higher education institutions and healthcare systems. He stressed that as an active player in the Central and Eastern European Higher Education, Research, and Healthcare Areas, and through its students, researchers, lecturers, and health professionals, the university is actively working for global health and well-being. This common focus on well-being led Semmelweis University to join forces with partners across Europe and become a founding member of the European University for Well-Being (EUniWell). At Semmelweis University and its EUniWell partners, the well-being of students, staff, and society as a whole has always been a priority, with increasing healthy life expectancy being just as important as curing diseases and helping those in need.
In her opening remarks, EUniWell Chief Development Officer Prof. Beatrix Busse described the transformation of the Alliance from a shared idea into a sustainable European University for Well-Being platform. She recalled that EUniWell was launched in 2020 in response to the 2nd Call of the EU’s Erasmus+ European Universities initiative. The focus on well-being was based on a bibliometric analysis of the research strengths of its founding members and a multi-faceted commitment to well-being. “With well-being at the heart of all we do, EUniWell is unique among European University alliances and one of the few with a clear thematic focus,” Dr. Beatrix Busse stressed. The Chief Development Officer reminded the audience that according to EUniWell, the success of a country goes beyond its GDP and is reflected in the quantifiable well-being of its citizens and society. In addition to mentioning threats to democracy and the dynamic developments in the field of AI, she underlined the urgent need for action by quoting the World Happiness Report, which has found that young people in many Western countries have been less happy than their elders in recent years. She underlined that the EUniWell 2030 Strategy Framework was designed to address these challenges by focusing EUniWell on becoming: “a/the” voice for well-being; a European university; and “communities for well-being” in Europe and beyond. She added, that the outcomes of the EUniWell #Research project “are not just the tools to pave the future, they are the stones that lay the foundation for how our work and our co-creation and the next generation will be able to thrive and to grow.”
Prof. Senena Corbalán, Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Murcia, introduced EUniWell’s Research and Innovation Strategic Framework, which aims to foster a long-term research and innovation (R&I) ecosystem among EUniWell partner institutions. Prof. Corbalán described how the Framework focuses on two important objectives: the creation of common research agendas for the Alliance, and the transformation of EUniWell into a platform for continuous growth and improvement.
Dr. Andrew Epaphroditus Tay, the Chief Wellbeing Officer of the National University of Singapore, gave a keynote presentation in which he introduced the NUS’ Mental Wellbeing Framework.
Prof. Giorgia Giovannetti, Vice-Rector for International Relations at the University of Florence, introduced and moderated the session focusing on successful projects supported through EUniWell’s competitive Well-Being Research Incubator and Seed Funding Programmes. Prof. Giovannetti stressed that ”EUniWell has been financing projects, but also helping the broader community benefit from the results of the research. EUniWell is committed to developing research networks and transferring the results of those research into the new education programmes.”
Prof. Olivier Grasset, Vice-Rector for Research and Open Science at Nantes Université, moderated the session focused on EUniWell Open Science principles. This session included the results of the EUniWell Open Science Study and the EUniWell Open Data Management Plan. Prof. Grasset highlighted that what academia typically regards as Open Science constitutes not more than 25 percent of what should be considered as being open-minded in terms of Open Science at the UNESCO level. He noted that it is important for academics to consider multiculturalism, multilingualism, and the cooperation of multiple societies in the debate around Open Science.
In the session dedicated to EUniWell research skills for the future, moderator Prof. Miklós Kellermayer, EUniWell Academic Lead and Head of the Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology at Semmelweis University pointed out that universities are one of the longest-standing institutions of mankind, and have a societal mission: to search, protect, and communicate; to spread and pass on the truth; and to implement the truth for the benefit of society by forming fundamental truths, taxonomies, and cultures. In the first panel of the session, beneficiaries of activities supported through the EUniWell Research Training Academy gave short presentations on how the Alliance responded to the needs of the job market and provided training for researchers to develop well-being focused skills for the future. In the second panel, mid-career researchers who participated in the EUniWell Leadership Fellowship Programme and Early Career Researchers Talent Hub engaged in a roundtable discussion about the benefits of the initiatives, and the direct impact of the training on their career development.
Throughout the day, the conference provided a platform for presentations and discussions highlighting the contributions of the EUniWell #Research project to the development of the research ecosystem for the EUniWell Alliance. In this context, the EUniWell Student Board executive team was also invited to attended the EUniWell #Research Conference in order to acknowledge the results presented. For the student representatives, an important insight was the recognition of students as a fundamental part of the future of research, with well-being initiatives also targeted towards their development and engagement within the academic community. Through a focus on well-being and by aligning activities with European priorities such as Open Science, research collaboration and early career researchers, EUniWell #Research has contributed to the foundations of the EUniWell European University.
Meeting of the Vice-Rectors for Research from EUniWell member institutions
In conjunction with the EUniWell #Research Conference, EUniWell convened an in-person meeting of Vice-Rectors for Research and Innovation from the member institutions of the Alliance. Along with leadership from the Alliance, other distinguished leaders and research fellows from the member universities, the Vice-Rectors gathered to celebrate the #Research achievements, to discuss further collaborations in the future, and to consider how to engage in the ongoing discussions on future European research programmes.
The following EUniWell Board members and EUniWell Vice-Rectors participated:
- Prof. Beatrix Busse, EUniWell Chief Development Officer and Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Teaching at the University of Cologne
- Prof. Debora Berti, Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Florence
- Prof. Rima Sleiman, Vice-President of the Scientific Council at Inalco
- Prof. Dirk Leuffen, Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation and Impact at the University of Konstanz
- Prof. Ganna Tolstanova, Vice-Rector for Research at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
- Prof. Senena Corbalán García, Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Murcia
- Prof. Olivier Grasset, Vice President for Research and Open Science at Nantes Université
- Prof. Pilar Bermejo Barrera, Vice-Rector for Scientific Policy at the University of Santiago de Compostela
- Prof. Péter Ferdinandy, Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation at Semmelweis University
- Dr. Graham Harrison, EUniWell Managing Director
- Prof. Miklós Kellermayer, EUniWell Academic leader at Semmelweis University
- Dr. Marcel Pop, EUniWell Strategic leader at Semmelweis University
- Dr. Renáta Papp, EUniWell Work Package for Research leader at Semmelweis University,
- Eszter Turopoli, EUniWell Institutional Coordinator at Semmelweis University
- Daniel Carrillo Zapata, EUniWell Project Manager at the University of Murcia
- Dr. Juan Antonio Corrales, EUniWellWeFF Work Package Coordinator at the University of Santiago de Compostela
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