Final report

Final report

EUNICoast hackathon Closing ceremony

The objectives highlighted in the EUNICoast Missions Statement testify to the need for each and every partner institution to build a more robust connection with the local contexts they operate in. After years of efforts in technological and digital development, humanities have become a necessary link to make the interaction between different parts of society more meaningful.

The alliance will foster internal and external collaboration in the fields of:

  • Diversity, both in terms of environmental-cultural protection and restoration, and social inclusion. Small island communities are often affected by decisions made by national government, which sometimes aren’t aligned with the needs and priorities of the island community, and this is an opportunity to give a voice to these minorities
  • Social justice, by supporting the involvement of scholars/researchers who are experts in community-based research.
  • Sustainable and Circular Blue Economy including port logistics and blue tourism, by engaging experts in economics, law, environment, and management.

Participants

Table

In addition to the broader perspective offered by the individual HEIs and their scholars, the Alliance organized an Erasmus+ short-term mobility programme entitled “HOW CAN THE SEA BECOME A BOND, RATHER THAN A BARRIER?” on November 13-24, 2023, including a hackathon that was designed to help participants identify critical issues connected to the interaction between the sea and  coastal communities, and also develop possible actions to be implemented in collaboration with stakeholders.

The project call of application was open to all the faculty, staff, and students of the Universities which, by mid-October 2023, had joined the “EUNICoast” European Universities Alliance (originally, UNICAST).

A diverse group of participants applied from:

  • Université Le Havre Normandie, France
  • University of the Azores, Portugal
  • Burgas Free University, Bulgaria
  • University of Dubrovnik, Croatia
  • University of the Faroe Islands, Denmark
  • University of Sassari, Italy

Over 80% of the participants were students (85% of which were enrolled in PhD programmes). Gender balance was substantially reached with 62% of the participants being women.