Author: mara.contardo

CLIMATE CHANGE AND EUROPEAN CITIES. FIRST T-LAB Fair and the 2nd Stakeholder Challenge in Sofia

Sofia University is proud to host the FIRST T-LAB Fair and the 2nd Stakeholder Challenge, happening 2–4 June 2025 in Sofia.

Topic:
CLIMATE CHANGE AND EUROPEAN CITIES: ADAPTATION TO THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT AND NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS

During the event, you will:

  • Explore the innovative work of the Transform4Europe (T4EU) Labs
  • Participate in workshops and thematic discussions
  • Visit a Geospatial Research & Technologies Fair
  • Engage with stakeholders, researchers, and businesses
  • Witness the Stakeholder Challenge — a unique experience for students to tackle real-world urban issues

Who should apply?
BA, MA, and PhD students with an interest in climate action, sustainability, urban planning, and innovation.

Each partner university is going to select 2 students. Don’t miss the chance to be part of it!

To apply, just click here

Application deadline: 15 May 2025

Presentation of the Book “Multicultural Cities of the Habsburg Empire” by Catherine Horel

On Thursday, April 10, at 5:00 PM, at the Department of Humanities of the University of Trieste, the book Multicultural Cities of the Habsburg Empire, 1880-1914. Imagined Communities and Conflictual Encounters by Catherine Horel (CEU Press, 2023) will be presented.
(Open-access link: here)

The book, the result of extensive and passionate research, offers a comparative analysis of 12 cities within the Habsburg Empire, including Trieste. It examines aspects of daily life such as education, associations, culture, and economy. Horel’s study presents an image of an empire whose urban centers were marked by cultural and political dynamism, despite ongoing national conflicts.

The author will be joined in discussion by historians Borut Klabjan, Francesco Toncich, and Tullia Catalan.

Environmental Heritage and Generations

The University of Trieste (UNITS) is proud to lead the T4EU Sustainable Heritage Student Competitions, an initiative carried out in collaboration with the Bora Museum and the Innovators Community Lab (ICL – UNITS).

This project invites students to explore innovative approaches to the preservation and enhancement of environmental and intergenerational heritage, fostering greater awareness and active engagement in the context of climate change.

Selection criteria will be based on the evaluation of written (300-word) or visual (3-minute video/poster) proposals that align with the competition themes and demonstrate analytical and creative thinking. 

Through the competition, UNITS aims to stimulate reflection and action on key issues related to cultural and environmental sustainability, encouraging collaborative projects capable of generating both local and replicable impacts. This initiative aligns with the values and activities already developed by the Bora Museum, with a specific focus on:

  • Environmental Heritage: examining the atmospheric, climatic, and landscape dimensions of heritage.
  • Generations: promoting intergenerational dialogue to share and preserve stories, experiences, and memories.

With this challenge, the University of Trieste invites students to explore the role of cultural and creative organizations in disseminating knowledge and raising awareness of the impact of climate change on both tangible and intangible heritage.

Submit your proposal to t4eu.heritage@units.it  by 20th April.

1st Festival of European Culture and Languages

Tourism and Heritage from the Border

DATE: 7th–11th July 2025
AUDIENCE: BA, MA, and PhD students
LOCATION: Trieste, Italy
TOPIC: Tourism and Heritage in Border Regions
FORMAT: Blended Intensive Program (BIP), 3 ECTS awarded
APPLICATION: To participate, apply here by 20th April

Tourism is a fundamental aspect of Europe’s cultural and economic landscape. However, it increasingly raises concerns of over tourism, leading to structural challenges on the one hand and the simplification of urban narratives on the other. Cities, rich in historical and cultural complexity, often undergo a process of reification, where their multifaceted identities are flattened to fit a coherent, marketable story.

This phenomenon is particularly evident in border regions, where historical,
anthropological, and political dynamics are intricate and deeply intertwined. Too often, these complexities are obscured by stereotypical and exclusionary narratives that fail to reflect the richness of local identities.

In this festival, we will critically engage with these themes, taking Trieste —a city shaped by its “border identity”— as a case study. Participants will be invited to explore the city as ”cruisers” —same as those arriving everyday on Trieste shores—, embarking on an intellectual and experiential journey that unveils the hidden and contested narratives embedded in its urban fabric. Through guided explorations and critical discussions, we will reflect on what is made visible in heritage discourses and what remains invisible.

The festival is designed as a Blended Intensive Program (BIP), encouraging students to actively engage in this critical exploration. Rather than following a traditional lecturebased format, participants will be challenged to step out of their comfort zones and take part in performative restitutions of their findings. We seek students who are open to an immersive, interdisciplinary, and participatory experience that questions conventional heritage representations.
This event will provide a unique opportunity to unravel the complexities of European cultural narratives and heritage, fostering a deeper understanding of how history and identity are constructed and represented in border regions.

Science Communication Workshops

We are pleased to invite students, researchers, and faculty members across the Transform4Europe Alliance to participate in two online workshops on science communication, offered by the University of Primorska. These workshops aim to enhance the ability to effectively communicate scientific knowledge within both academic and public spheres.

Both sessions will be conducted via Zoom, and participants who successfully complete the workshops will receive a certificate of attendance issued by Transform4Europe.

Workshop Details:

🔹 Workshop 1: Research Data Sharing as Part of Open Science Communication
🔹 Workshop 2: Effective Science Communication with Social Media

Registration form: https://forms.office.com/e/51EVXg4mYq

For additional information please contact sanja.sandic@upr.si.

We look forward to your participation!

T4EU Week: Exploring Design in All Its Forms at Jean Monnet University in St Étienne

The Jean Monnet University in St Étienne invites students and PhD students from T4EU partner universities to take part in the fifth edition of the T4EU Week under the topic: “Design in all its forms”.

Five days, from 19th to 23rd May 2025, will be filled with an attractive offer of classes and accompanying events.

Organisers will offer participants a choice of 8 courses with various themes, from biology through law and history to architecture, linguistics, sustainable development and ecological transformation.

Each student can participate in 1 course, which will run through the whole week, but can select up to 3 courses during application, ranked in order of preference.

The University of Trieste will select 5 students from all educational paths to participate in one of the most important and significant events organised by our Alliance.

Students can participate in one of the following courses:

  • Bio Design: from nature optimisation to human design & nature inspired biomimetic surfaces for biomaterials design
  • Passing Design: Facilitating Innovation Through Design
  • Ancient design, Modern ideas.
  • Design: Thinking differently, designing together
  • Designs in the European Union – Legal aspects
  • Design and language : The role of words in creating forms and meanings
  • Designing Organizations to address Societal Challenges in Territories (DO-IN-ACT)
  • Design for Ecological Transformation: Laboratory for [living] Tree [as] Architecture

The full offer and a list of recommended hotels can be found here: Student Programme T4EU WEEK in Saint Etienne 2025 – Program

Courses will mainly take place in the morning. In the afternoon, you can participate in optional activities, like sports, cultural and scientific events.

To complete the course, you will have to pass a knowledge test. After successful completion, you will be awarded 3 ECTS by Jean Monnet University.

IMPORTANT!! Before you attend the selected course, remember to inform your “Coordinatore del Corso di Studi” and the “Segreteria didattica” of your Department, following the dedicated guidelines. Failure to do so will result in an impossibility to recognise your ECTSs.

To apply, please fill in this form:  T4EU Week in St. Étienne. During the application process, you may select up to three courses in order of preference.

The application deadline is 21st March.

The results of the selection procedure will be published on the dedicated T4EU webpage by 11th April.

If you need any assistance with your application, please contact t4eu@units.it For more information about the week, see the T4EU official website.

Annual T4Eu PhD conference “Societies on the Move: Challenges of Today, Prospects for the Future”

The University of Trieste invites its academic and non-academic staff to participate in the T4EU International Conference “Societies on the Move: Challenges of Today, Prospects for the Future”, which will take place on 1st and 2nd  April 2025, at Sofia University, Sofia, Bulgaria.

call for papers

About the conference:

The conference will focus on the current and envisaged challenges today’s societies face due to political and economic crises, war, climate change and the rapid advancement of digital technologies and AI in all spheres of life. It is thematically related to the three Transform4Europe focus areas:

  • Societal transformation, community building and inclusion
  • Digital transformation and smart regions
  • Environmental Transformation and sustainability

Outstanding keynote speakers will deliver visionary and plenary speeches. 

Doctoral students and early-stage academics from all scientific areas are kindly invited to participate, showcase the results of their research work, engage in discussions with their peers and with established researchers The participants will receive a certificate jointly issued by the Transform4Europe Alliance universities. The conference papers will be published in Conference Proceedings after scientific review.

Conference objectives:

The conference aims to:

  • encourage PhD students and young researchers (including outstanding MA students) to involve in research networks with their peers from the eleven Transform4Europe Alliance partners;
  • provide a forum for exchange of innovative research ideas, knowledge-sharing and co-creation;
  • embed a culture of Open Science and a new approach to the scientific process based on openness, inclusiveness and cooperation.

You can apply by using this form. 

Deadline for submissions is 28th February”

Creative Circularity: Summer School in Estonia

EKA- Estonian Academy of Arts invites you to the “Creative Circularity” Summer Academy, part of the Transform4Europe Summer School 2025.

From August 11 to August 15, 2025, the Estonian Academy of Arts in Tallinn will host an intensive program dedicated to sustainability and upcycling in design. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a dynamic and interdisciplinary learning environment, fostering creativity and collaboration.

The programme includes:

  • Green Transformer Student Challenge – A hands-on competition promoting innovative and sustainable design solutions. The most outstanding projects will be recognized.
  • Recrafted: A Workshop for Shoe & Bag Upcycling – A practical session focused on repurposing materials into unique fashion items.

This initiative offers an excellent opportunity to collaborate with experts, develop new skills, and connect with students from across the alliance.

📩 For further information, please contact: hanna-britt.augasmagi@artun.ee

Detailed information

Bachelor Tracks for Spring Semester 2024/2025

T4EU Students, get ready: you have access to a diverse selection of courses across our alliance universities.

The brand-new T4EU Course Offer at Bachelor Level for Spring/Summer 2025 is now available!

Explore the latest T4EU “course cards” and discover exciting learning opportunities.

Vytautas Magnus University, the University of Primorska, and the University of Silesia in Katowice have already revealed their selections!

🌍 More courses will be added continuously, so stay tuned!

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to stay updated on new course additions.

Check out the full course list