UNITA Starting Grants: Results of the Calls on Circular Economy, Environment, and Digital Transition

The UNITA Alliance is pleased to announce the results of the Starting Grants for Research calls, dedicated to the thematic hubs of Circular Economy and Environment and Digital Transition.

These calls aim to promote innovative, interdisciplinary, and collaborative research projects led by early-career researchers within the UNITA alliance.

Following a highly competitive selection process, a number of promising projects have been awarded funding across the two thematic areas. All proposals were evaluated by expert committees, and the results have been communicated to the applicants.

Circular Economy and Environment

This thematic hub addressed two specific research areas:

Topic 1 – Technical and Innovative Solutions

7 projects were selected:

1. VALOR-NET: Valorizing Agro-Food Byproducts through a UNITA Collaborative Network for Circular Economy Solutions, involving UNITO, UNIZAR, UBI and UNITBV;
2. Conversion of Captured Carbon Dioxide from industrial effluents to Methanol with Renewable Hydrogen, involving USMB, UNITBV, UPNA, HES-SO;
3. Waste-to-Fertiliser solutions for circular and sustainable farming in rural UNITA regions (WAFER), involving UPPA, UNIZAR, UNITBV, UNIBS;
4. Composites from Wool Keratin for Circular Applications, involving UNITO, UPPA, USMB, UVT, UNIZAR and UBI;
5. New materials and methods for monitoring and advanced treatment of urban wastewater in the frame of circular economy. Make Water Clear, involving UNITO, USMB, UNIZAR, UNITBV and HES-SO;
6. REVIVE – Research and Valorization of Industrial Vegetable By-products for co-sustainable Solutions, involving UNITO, UNIBS, IPG and UPNA;
7. Circulatio Vini - A circular economy approach for wine production in European rural and mountain regions, involving UPPA, UVT, UBI, UNIBTV, UNISB, UPNA, and HES-SO.

Topic 2 – Social, Economic and Legal Challenges

• projects were selected:

1. Social, economic and legal challenges in water governance for a climate-resilient and sustainable future, involving UNITO, UVT, UBI, UNIBS and HES-SO;
2. CIRCLE-Food: Empowering small businesses from food sector to generate circularity through local policies, branding, and knowledge exchange, involving UNITO, USMB, UVT and UNIZAR;
3. Strategic Planning for Open Educational Resources on Risk, Sustainability and Uncertainty, involving UVT, UNIBTV, UPNA and CHNU;
4. Climate Law Investigation Meaning Approach Transition Environment (CLIMATE), involving UNITO, UPPA and UVT.

Digital Transition

The Digital Transition hub focused on key challenges at the intersection of technology and sustainability:

Topic 1 – Intelligent Information Processing for the Digital Transition: Promises and Risks

4 projects were selected: 

1. Theory of Mind and Conversational engagement in Human-AI interactive Technology (ToM-CHAT), involving UNITO, UVT and HES-SO;
2. Social robots in education: weaving networks & opening paths, involving UNITO, UPPA, UNIZAR and UPNA;
3. Automating clinical scoring with LLMs: A pragmatic digital transition, involving UNITO, UVT, HES-SO;
4. Adaptive Intelligent Tutoring Chatbot for Education and Industry, involving UNITO, UNITBV and UPNA.

Topic 2 – Green and Secure ICT for the Digital Society in the Anthropocene

2 projects were selected:

1. BE-SAFE – BicyclE SAFEty for Mobility and Active Riding in Smart Cities, involving UBI, UNITBV, UNIBS and UPNA;
2. Intelligent Management of Mobility and Parking in Mountain Low-Density Heritage Cities (TALENT), involving UNITO, USMB, UBI, UPNA and HES-SO.

The selected projects reflect the Alliance’s strong commitment to scientific excellence and its strategic vision in addressing global challenges through transdisciplinary cooperation.

UNITA extends the congratulations to all applicants and look forward to following the development and impact of the selected initiatives in the coming months.