Sowing the seeds of impactful research collaboration
Spanish university Universitat Jaume I (UJI) is taking part in four seed projects in the fields of communication, education, psychology and materials science. The initiatives are part of a group of eight joint research actions supported by the EU-funded EDUC-WIDE(opens in new window) project to strengthen existing partnerships, spark new collaborations and set the stage for future large-scale research initiatives within the EDUC Alliance(opens in new window). As the EDUC Alliance’s research pillar, EDUC-WIDE offers multiple paths for collaboration among researchers, with a focus on open science, research assessment, career diversity and research collaboration. In each thematic group, experts from different EDUC universities collaborate to develop innovative solutions that benefit the entire alliance and beyond.
Four seeds sown
The four seed projects offering UJI and its partners the opportunity to upscale their international research collaboration focus on communication inequality, behavioural and psychophysiological research, inclusion and materials science. The projects will run for 12 to 18 months. The first, ‘How Prediction Errors Shape Social Perceptions from Behavioural and Psychophysiological Correlates to Psychopathological Susceptibility’, explores social perception mechanisms and their link to psychopathological tendencies. In this project, UJI is collaborating with EDUC-WIDE partners University of Potsdam (Germany) and University of Pécs (Hungary). The second seed project in which UJI is participating – this time with EDUC-WIDE coordinator Masaryk University (Czechia) and partner University of Cagliari (Italy) – is titled ‘CIVIC: Combating Information Vulnerability and Inequality through Communication’. The project maps the strategies and practices that governments and state institutions currently use to navigate digital transformation, with a specific focus on the rapid advancement of generative AI and the associated proliferation of false and misleading information. It also examines the challenges institutions face in reducing information inequality across diverse citizen groups and analyses institutional communication strategies related to climate change and natural disasters. For ‘EDUC BRIDGE: Building Relationships for Inclusion, Diversity, Growth, and Equity’, UJI joined forces with Pécs, Cagliari and Masaryk universities to create an international network that supports students with special needs in mobility programmes. The network will focus on sharing practices, knowledge and techniques and addressing common challenges to reduce barriers faced by university students with disabilities or chronic and severe illnesses. UJI’s participation in the fourth seed project is in the role of coordinator, with the University of Potsdam and Paris Nanterre University as partners. Titled, ‘CleanPhotoCat: Towards Clean water PhotoCatalysts for water purification’, the project aims to advance wastewater purification technology by developing eco-friendly and energy-efficient Fenton and photo-Fenton catalysts. EDUC-WIDE’s remaining four funded seed projects focus on Parkinson’s disease, developing a platform for better thinking and analysis, screening antiviral therapies for Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, and empowering educators and students through cross-border collaboration and invention pedagogy. EDUC-WIDE (EmpoWering EDUC for Inclusive Development of the ERA) ends in 2027. For more information, please see: EDUC-WIDE project page(opens in new window) EDUC Alliance website(opens in new window)
