EDUC-WIDE builds upon the foundational achievements of the European Digital UniverCity (EDUC) Alliance, serving as its dedicated research and innovation pillar. Over recent years, EDUC has evolved into a robust transnational ecosystem, fostering synergies in education, research, and innovation across institutional and national boundaries.
With nine partner universities, EDUC-WIDE is strategically positioned to address systemic disparities in research and innovation (R&I) capacity, facilitate Ukraine’s integration into the European Research Area (ERA), and contribute to a more cohesive, resilient, and inclusive European R&I landscape. The initiative integrates top-down institutional reforms with bottom-up researcher engagement, enabling structural transformation while cultivating creativity and scientific excellence.
Objectives:
1. Open Science: Embedding Open Science Practices into Institutional Culture
EDUC-WIDE aims to embed Open Science principles across the alliance, promoting transparency, accessibility, and collaborative knowledge production. Open Science accelerates progress, reduces duplication, and allows scientists to build on each other’s work for the benefit of society.
2. Research Assessment:
The project advocates for a paradigm shift in research evaluation, moving beyond traditional metrics to embrace openness, diversity, and collaboration as core indicators of excellence. This reform supports more equitable and responsible research cultures, aligned with emerging European standards.
3. Career Diversity in R&I:
EDUC-WIDE addresses structural barriers in research careers by fostering inclusive policies, supporting diverse career trajectories, and advancing gender equality. These efforts aim to enhance the attractiveness and sustainability of research careers across the alliance.
4. R&I Collaboration:
Through coordinated open calls and shared funding mechanisms, EDUC-WIDE strengthens inter-institutional collaboration. By leveraging complementary research capacities—including those in widening countries—the project facilitates joint experimentation, resource sharing, and innovation.
Through these strategic interventions, EDUC-WIDE seeks not only to elevate institutional performance but also to redefine the modalities of transnational research collaboration, dissemination, and recognition within the European research ecosystem.
