National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) – Mission 4 “Education and Research” – Component 1 “Enhancement of Education Services: from Early Childhood to University” – Investment 3.4 “University Education and Advanced Skills” – Submeasure T4 “Transnational Initiatives in Education” – Call D.D. No. 167 of 03/10/2023
The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia participates as a partner in two collaborative projects submitted in response to the call issued by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (Ministerial Decree No. 167 of 03/10/2023): the “Call for the granting of funds for Transnational Educational Initiatives (TNE)”, aimed at selecting and financing transnational educational initiatives (TNE) under Submeasure T4 “Transnational Initiatives in Education,” Investment 3.4 “University Education and Advanced Skills” of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Mission 4 “Education and Research” – Component 1 “Enhancement of Education Services: from Early Childhood to University.”
Both proposals were approved for funding (Ministerial Decree No. 225 of 25/07/2024) and are currently underway.
| Project | Geografic Area | Scientific coordinator for Unimore | CUP |
|---|---|---|---|
TNE23-00041 GPS-Education Green&Pink for Sustainable Education | Latin America | Enrico Francia | D74G23000280006 |
| TNE23-00071 Achieve-IT | Africa | Alessandro Capra | D91I23001030006 |
The TNE projects have the overall objective of promoting cooperation with foreign higher education institutions in order to foster the internationalization of Italian universities and to promote the Italian higher education model as an international best practice.
Through partnerships between Italian universities and associated partner universities from non-European countries, the projects implement several initiatives, including: i) bidirectional mobility of teaching staff for educational activities, ii) bidirectional mobility of students, iii) inter-university collaboration aimed at developing Double/Joint Degree programs, and iv) the development of advanced post-graduate training programs (TNE AdvancedSkills).
Lead Partner is the University of Foggia, which coordinates 9 Italian universities and 41 foreign universities located in Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Georgia, Morocco, Kenya, Palestine, Thailand, and Vietnam. Among the Italian universities involved, in addition to the Politecnico di Milano, the Universities of Messina, Basilicata, Calabria, Sannio, Enna Kore, Tuscia, and Verona, is also the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Unimore).
The Green&Pink for Sustainable Education project aims to enhance the international dimension and foster cooperation between Italian and international universities, with the main objective of promoting education and lifelong training initiatives focused on the concept of sustainability, explored through diverse perspectives, approaches, and research lines. The project addresses the cross-cutting principles established by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and the National Gender Equality Plan, particularly focusing on climate contribution and digital objectives (GREEN), the principle of gender equality (PINK), and the commitment to empowering young people by overcoming territorial disparities.
The funding received by the University of Foggia, amounting to €2,649,954.00, is intended both to promote international cooperation between universities and to advance the Italian higher education model as a global best practice. The allocated funds will support the mobility of faculty and students, the establishment of jointly coordinated teaching hubs between Italian and foreign universities, and the organization of shared educational initiatives.
At Unimore, three departments are involved: the Department of Life Sciences (DSV) and the two engineering departments, DIEF and DISMI.
The scientific coordinator for Unimore is Professor Enrico Francia from the DSV, who will oversee the three thematic areas corresponding to the participating departments: the DSV will focus on issues related to the sustainable intensification of agro-ecosystems; the DIEF (coordinated by Professor Isabella Lancellotti) will address topics related to environmental chemistry and the circular economy; the DISMI (coordinated by Professor Manuel Iori) will focus on models and algorithms for logistics and production.
Through this project, Unimore also aims to strengthen its existing collaborations with two Argentine universities (Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires and Universidad Torcuato Di Tella) and five Brazilian universities (Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Federal University of Catalão, Federal University of Paraíba, Federal University of Technology – Paraná, and University of Campinas). As part of the planned activities at Unimore, there will be outgoing mobility for 2 PhD/Master’s students and 6 faculty members, as well as incoming mobility from Latin American universities for 8 PhD/Master’s students and 6 faculty members.
The project leader is the University of Parma, which coordinates six Italian universities and 37 foreign universities on the African continent, located in Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Tunisia.
In addition to the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, the Italian universities involved include the University of Ferrara, Bologna, Salento, Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Piacenza, and the Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria.
The Achieve-it project aims to enhance the international dimension and cooperation between Italian and international universities with the main objective of promoting education and continuing training explored through different perspectives, approaches, and lines of research.
The project addresses the cross-cutting principles set out in the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) and the Gender Equality Plan.
The funding, received by the University of Parma in the amount of €1,703,668.02 (€249,348 for Unimore), is intended both to promote international cooperation between universities and to promote the Italian higher education model as a global best practice.
The funds allocated will finance the mobility of teachers and students, the organization of advanced skills programs coordinated jointly by Italian and foreign universities, and the organization of shared educational initiatives.
Specifically, Unimore involves six departments: Enzo Ferrari Engineering (DIEF), Life Sciences (formerly Agriculture), Economics “Marco Biagi,” Education and Human Sciences, Life Sciences (formerly Biology), and Linguistic and Cultural Studies. The scientific director of Unimore is Prof. Alessandro Capra of DIEF, who will coordinate the thematic areas relating to the six departments involved.
Through this project, Unimore also plans to consolidate its existing relationships with African universities in Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, and Tunisia.
Among the actions underway at Unimore are outgoing mobility for two doctoral/master's degree students and several UNIMORE professors, and incoming mobility from African universities for seven doctoral/master's degree students and nine professors.
For more detailed information on the structure of the two TNE projects and the overall activities planned, interested parties are invited to visit the respective project websites: GPSEducation and Achieve-It.
In addition, participants from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia are advised to contact the scientific coordinators and consult the established procedures for obtaining financial contributions.
To support the implementation of project activities, financial assistance is available from the University in various forms, including mobility grants for students and staff, which follow the schemes described below:
Individual Mobility Scheme for Higher Education Teaching Staff (TNE Teachers). This scheme allows:
- Unimore teaching staff to spend a teaching/visiting period ranging from 5 days to 3 months (excluding travel time) at an associated foreign university;
- Teaching staff from associated foreign institutions to spend a teaching/visiting period ranging from 5 days to 3 months (excluding travel time) at Unimore.
Individual Mobility Scheme for Higher Education Students (TNE Study). This scheme allows:
- Unimore students and PhD candidates to spend a study/visiting period ranging from 2 to 6 months (excluding travel time) at one of the associated foreign universities;
- Students and PhD candidates from associated foreign institutions to spend a study/visiting period ranging from 2 to 6 months (excluding travel time) at Unimore.