Unigreen

Flagship Initiatives

The UNIgreen Joint Research Centre is tasked with promoting excellence in scientific research, technical development and innovation. Open to UNIgreen researchers, it will generate knowledge, collaboratively create innovative solutions, and provide scientific and technical support to businesses and a wide range of stakeholders in the field of Sustainable Agriculture, Green Biotechnology, and Environmental and Life Sciences, through knowledge creating teams. Moreover, the UNIgreen Joint Research Centre will create opportunities for students to learn through the practice of Research.

The UNIgreen Knowledge Triangle Programme is an innovation and technology transfer initiative will aim at enhancing the collaboration between Education, Research, Business and Industry stakeholders as a pivotal action to support the development of a knowledge-based society. This action will mobilise students, professors, researchers, business and industry stakeholders through their participation in thematic clusters, collaborative projects  and the creation of multidisciplinary teams and will support the co-creation and prototyping of innovative solutions to enhance local and regional development and to solve local problems in the field of Sustainable Agriculture, Green Biotechnology, and Environmental and Life Sciences, at the same time smoothing the transition of students to the labour market.

The Start-Ups for Research (SURES) Programme will support the creation of innovative start-ups in the field of Sustainable Agriculture, Green Biotechnology and Environmental and Life Sciences through the establishment of start-up incubators in the eight specialised Research Units of the UNIgreen Joint Research Centre. This programme will fund advanced projects that are aligned with the Alliance strategical axis, whereas the UNIgreen Joint Research Centre will facilitate their knowledge and know-how and the technological facilities required for the development of a start-up.

The UNIgreen Curricula Rethinking and Forward-Looking Skills initiative will analyse in-demand skills through regular surveys to recent graduates, alumni, professors, researchers, green institutions, labour market actors and industry stakeholders. Through this action, we aim at building solid evidences to reorganise curricula and study programmes to better answer evolving labour market needs, enhance students’ employability and reduce skills mismatches.

UNIgreen Skills and Mentoring Labs for Employability and Entrepreneurship aim at promoting soft skills that increase students’ employability and entrepreneurial mindset. They will be a space for students to develop business ideas, meet and be inspired by entrepreneurs, design their own school-business pathways, discover how to develop an international career and become confident through mock-up job interviews.

The UNIgreen International Cooperation Programme will enhance cooperation at an international level, thus opening UNIgreen to the world, in order to co-create, test and transfer knowledge and innovative solutions, to mainstream green knowledge and practices, and to inspire Education & Training institutions worldwide to think and act green.

It will be a key pillar of the UNIgreen Internationalisation Strategy, which will contribute to promote UNIgreen as a worldwide benchmark and a successful role model in what concerns excellence in Education, Training, Research and Innovation in the field of Sustainable Agriculture, Green Biotechnology and Environmental and Life Sciences. At the same time, the international visibility of UNIgreen will help to attract, engage and retain talented students, professors and teaching staff, non-teaching and support staff, and researchers from around the world, in line with the UNIgreen Talent Management Strategy.

Moreover, UNIgreen Annual International Conferences on Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Education will contribute to the Alliance mission of mainstreaming green knowledge and practices and to inspire other Education & Training institutions worldwide to think and act green. Its event programme will encompass thematic presentations, debates, networking and speed networking opportunities and activities to exchange good practices.

The UNIgreen Diversity & Inclusion Unit will be the guardian of the Alliance Diversity, Equality, Inclusiveness and Multiculturalism Strategy. Hence, it will implement and manage different initiatives aimed at raising awareness on the topics of diversity, inclusion, multiculturalism and multilingualism and at reducing the barriers to the participation and integration of groups that are underrepresented or at risk of discrimination, thus creating a welcoming environment for all.

The UNIgreen Multiculturalism Programme will focus on promoting the acquisition of skills to successfully communicate, collaborate, engage and work with people from different cultures and cultural backgrounds thanks to a comprehensive intercultural training course.

The UNIgreen Outreach Programme will fund intervention projects proposed and implemented by international and interdisciplinary teams of students, in collaboration with tutors and with the ultimate aim of solving environmental and social problems affecting local communities, thus boosting the social engagement of the entire UNIgreen Academic Community.

The UNIgreen Buddy Programme will assist exchange and international students with their integration in the student life of their host cities, help them practice the local language, get acquainted with different cultures and with the international community in their host cities. Moreover, UNIgreen Student Ambassadors will share their experience and highlight the benefits of mobility, thus becoming the face and voice of UNIgreen among their peers.

UNIgreen Skills and Mentoring Labs for Employability and Entrepreneurship will bridge the gap between education and labour market by bringing together students, alumni, professors, researchers, entrepreneurs, mentors, careers experts and labour market representatives to further develop students’ entrepreneurial, personal and social skills.

UNIgreen Skills and Mentoring Labs for Employability and Entrepreneurship will bridge the gap between education and labour market by bringing together students, alumni, professors, researchers, entrepreneurs, mentors, careers experts and labour market representatives to further develop students’ entrepreneurial, personal and social skills.