Uniss in the world: 11 projects, 10 countries, 3 continents

From Colombia to Lebanon, from Ghana to Uganda, passing through Tunisia, Peru, Venezuela and Angola. Monday 6 July the University of Sassari opens its doors to international cooperation with "UNISS nel mondo", a morning dedicated to projects carried out thanks to the support of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia within the framework of Regional Law 19/1996.

The appointment is from 8.30am to 1.30pm in the Chamber  in the Council Chamber of the Department of Veterinary Medicine (via Vienna 2) and will bring together teachers, men and women researchers engaged in initiatives that bring the knowledge and skills of the University of Sassari to some of the most complex contexts of the Mediterranean, Africa and Latin America.

The day, moderated by the Pro-Rector for Orientation and Communication Antonio Varcasia, together with Camila Gonzalez Rosas of the Universidad de los Andes and Simona Gabrielli of the Sapienza University of Rome, will open with an overview of the international cooperation activities of the University of Sassari, illustrated by the International Relations Office.

This will be followed by a journey through projects that address strategic issues for global development.

We will start from the University's commitment to inclusion and international training with the projects Foundation Course and Inclusive UniSS , which will be discussed by beneficiary students from Venezuela and Angola, before moving to Lebanon, where the project presented by Giuseppe Todde aims to improve the competitiveness of dairy farms through the introduction of digital technologies and the dissemination of good agricultural practices.

Peru will be the protagonist with two initiatives coordinated by Graziella Benedetto: the creation of an urban vegetable garden for twenty-five migrant and refugee families, to strengthen food security, and an agricultural training project aimed at pupils at the primary school of Santa Ana, in Lima, with the aim of investing in the skills of the new generations.

Ample space will also be dedicated to West Africa , where research and innovation are placed at the service of agricultural supply chains. Matteo Garau, Paola Castaldi and Quirico Migheli will present the VARCOR and TERRA projects, dedicated to the sustainable recovery of cocoa residues and the reuse of agricultural by-products through eco-sustainable technologies, in addition to the project for the valorization of "heroic cocoa cultivation" in Ivory Coast, which aims to improve sustainability and traceability of production. Quirico Migheli himself will also illustrate WAEPA, an initiative for the protection of water and the environment in Uganda.

Cooperation with the North Africa will be represented by Eraldo Sanna Passino, who will present the scientific and educational collaboration path between the University of Sassari and the Sidi Thabet National School of Tunis, strengthening relations between the two shores of the Mediterranean.

Great attention will also be paid to Colombia , protagonist of two projects that combine public health, social inclusion and valorization of local communities. Camila Gonzalez Rosas will illustrate a program of health education and prevention of parasitic diseases in rural communities, while Simona Gabrielli will present EMBRACE, an initiative dedicated to the empowerment of indigenous women leaders in the prevention of parasitic diseases.

Closing the morning will be Antonio Varcasia, with the presentation of PARASITOONS , an international project financed by the Interreg NEXT MED programme, which develops innovative edutainment (educating while having fun) and gamification (use of game elements in non-gaming contexts) tools to prevent parasitic zoonoses in children and vulnerable populations, involving partners from Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Greece.

“UniSS in the world” represents a concrete snapshot of the international commitment of the University of Sassari, an increasingly protagonist in the construction of scientific and institutional networks capable of transforming research into opportunities for growth, training and sustainable development for the territories involved.

The initiative is also an opportunity to enhance the role of Autonomous Region of Sardinia , which through Regional Law 19/1996 has supported international cooperation projects promoted by universities and local bodies for decades. Thanks to this investment, the University of Sassari and many other institutional and private entities can develop interventions that produce concrete benefits in areas such as global health, food security, agricultural innovation, environmental protection and the strengthening of local skills, while at the same time contributing to consolidating Sardinia's role as a protagonist of international cooperation in the Mediterranean and in the world.