Unite!Widening

Unite! Widening project was conceived as a complementary project under the umbrella of the European university alliance Unite! Its core objective is to elevate scientific excellence and enhance the valorisation of knowledge across the alliance’s member universities by fostering deeper, more integrated collaboration with institutions from both Widening and non-Widening countries. Additionally, the project serves as a platform to reinforce and expand the achievements of the Unite! H2020 initiative, in particular, to become a role model for a competitive European university alliance producing top-class R&I and combining it with a virtual and physically seamless interuniversity campus, embedded in a network of innovative regions, aiming at a more sustainable world.

The consortium brings together a partnership of nine leading European research universities, all members of Unite!, including two from Widening countries. Alongside them are two science and technology parks, a development agency, and an SME specializing in innovation management. The academic strength and research capabilities of the universities are enriched by the practical, industrial, and innovation-oriented expertise of the non-academic partners, aligning efforts to meet the objectives of the European Excellence Initiative.

The idea behind Unite!Widening is drawn by the differences in conducting successful transnational research and innovation (R&I) projects within European Universities. Some are more disadvantaged than others due to a lack of scientific infrastructure, the ability to establish or access networks, maintain, and retain talents or overcome structural barriers at an institutional, regional, or national level. Under Horizon Europe, the European Commission seeks to bridge these gaps by literally ‘Widening’ the scope of funding to strengthen R&I across Europe, empowering also growth and innovation  in widening countries like Poland and Portugal.