The Faculty of Law at the University of La Laguna recently hosted the Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) Justice in a Transformative Key, which brought together students and academic staff from Albania, France, and Germany, alongside students from ULL, with the aim of analysing access to justice from an inclusive, interdisciplinary, and socially transformative perspective.

The BIP began with the opening session led by José Sigut, Head of the Office for Mobility and Cooperation with Europe and North America and coordinator of the STARS EU alliance at ULL. He highlighted the positive reception of this programme, developed within the framework of Erasmus+ and European university alliances. Sigut also emphasized that this BIP “stands somewhat apart” from the alliance’s usual focus areas, such as industry, business, and engineering.

In this regard, Dulce Cairós, Dean of the Faculty of Law and coordinating organiser of the initiative, stressed that this first edition places the spotlight on the field of Law, and particularly on the construction of a more inclusive justice system capable of responding to current social challenges through a transversal and transformative approach.

The sessions, attended by 35 participants including students and lecturers from Aleksandër Moisiu University of Durrës (Albania), Hochschule Bremen – City University of Applied Sciences (Germany) Marie and Louis Pasteur University (France), and ULL, addressed topics such as labour precariousness and the protection of minors as vulnerable consumers.

The programme explored how social inequalities affect effective access to justice and examined the role academic institutions can play as “agents of change,” something illustrated through the presentation of ULL’s Social Innovation Laboratory.

Social exclusion and migrants

During the second day, the programme focused on contexts of social exclusion, paying particular attention to interventions in penitentiary institutions and the legal assistance provided to migrants. Special emphasis was placed on the importance of adopting interdisciplinary approaches to address complex realities and ensure more effective legal and social responses.

The BIP also addressed alternatives to the traditional justice system, including restorative justice and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, viewed as key tools for promoting more inclusive, dialogue-based, and reparative solutions.

In the final days, attention shifted to particularly sensitive issues such as the situation of unaccompanied minors, age determination procedures, and the need to incorporate a gender perspective into the legal field.

The programme concluded with an evaluation and closing session in which students shared proposals aimed at advancing towards a more accessible, equitable, and people-centred model of justice.

In addition to the academic sessions, participants enjoyed cultural and leisure activities, including guided visits to San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Teide National Park, and the Izaña Atmospheric Observatory.

The University of La Laguna (Spain) hosted the live session of a BIP course on Machine Learning for Data Science for a week at the end of January. This is the third edition of the course and the first time the Spanish institution has hosted its in-person portion, specifically at its School of Engineering and Technology.

Around thirty students from institutions linked to this BIP attended: Hanze University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands), Hochschule Bremen-City University of Applied Sciences (Germany), Bragança Polytechnic University (Portugal) and the University of La Laguna itself, all part of STARS EU. Students from the Celso Suckow Federal Center for Technological Education in Fonseca (Brazil) also joined .

During the opening session, professors Juan Albino Méndez and Rafael Arnay, both from the Department of Computer and Systems Engineering at the University of La Laguna, presented the program for this week’s work, which focused primarily on mentoring practical projects developed in groups by the 32 participating students to be presented on Friday, January 23. Two seminars were also held: one on data analysis using Knime software and another on machine learning in energy systems.

This BIP on Machine Learning in Data Science is worth 6 credits, corresponding to 60 hours of work, both in-person and online. During this practical week, students developed a hands-on Machine Learning project using real data provided by the instructors. They applied the methodologies described during the online instruction to develop a model that solved the proposed problem.

The course has been designed to explore different Machine Learning techniques , from basic concepts to advanced methods, and learn how to apply them to analyze complex datasets and extract meaningful information.

At the end of the course, students should be able to, among other objectives, discern what type of solution should be used; establish a chronological and functional view of AI techniques and their connections with other sciences; know the main models and implement them to solve practical problems; understand the limitations and advantages of computational intelligence techniques; and adapt AI techniques to specific case studies, for example, Pattern Recognition problems.

In addition to the aforementioned Juan Albino Méndez and Rafael Arnay from ULL, the teaching was provided by Uta Bohnebeck (Bremen); Rui Pedro Lopes (Braganza); Meriecke Bouma and Remi Thüss ( Hanze ); and Eduardo Bezerra (Fonseca), many of whom also traveled to Tenerife to tutor the face-to-face work .

Science that reaches society, research that crosses countries and projects that mark the future. This is how STARS EU participated  in the European Researchers’ Night, an event held simultaneously in 25 countries and more than 460 cities to showcase science in a more informative and approachable way.

As the general coordinator of the alliance Dick Pouwels highlighted, for all the members of STARS EU it is very important that “research does not stay within universities, but that we put our experience and knowledge at the service of society”. And a good example of this are the research initiatives that allow the public to approach three key areas: healthy ageing, clean energy and entrepreneurship with a European impact.

Health and technology for the elderly

The researcher at the University of La Laguna, Sara Darias-Curvo, presented a project (STARS-Health) focused on improving digital literacy and health of the elderly, especially in rural areas. The aim of the project, in which several STARS partners are involved, is to adapt existing applications to the real needs of these people to facilitate their day-to-day lives and that of their caregivers. “The first thing is to listen to the population and then design tailor-made solutions,” Darias stressed.

Hydrogen, the energy of tomorrow

From the French region of Franche-Comté, the researcher at the Marie et Louis Pasteur University (France), Samir Jemei, and the dean Jan Jaap Aué, from the Hanze University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands), showed how they work on sustainable mobility, electrolysis and energy storage, united by a common horizon: to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The key?, the international collaboration:  “By sharing knowledge, we learn from each other and accelerate change.”

Entrepreneurship with European impact

The third axis of the night was entrepreneurship, by researcher Ariola Arizi, from Aleksander Moisiu University (Albania), the alma mater of the BETTER project. Backed by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, its initiative supports startups, students and researchers in sustainability, digitalisation and health. “We are training the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators and, to do this, international collaboration is essential in opening up opportunities for all.”

Europe, a network of collaboration

The event left a common and forceful message: research is not an isolated matter, but a living tool to transform the present and the future. When Europe works together, the speakers agreed,  it empowers people and transforms their regions, the motto and spirit of STARS EU.

Take a look at this special evening and discover our projects through the voices of their own protagonists.

STARS EU ALLIANCE is advancing the preparations for its next Project Meeting to be held at the University of La Laguna (ULL) on November 25 and 26, 2025. The working meeting, which will bring together around 180 people from the nine partner universities in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain), is a further step in the strategy that the alliance has been developing since the end of October 2023, the date of its official consolidation.

The event will be held at the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (ESIT) and will feature plenary sessions, thematic workshops, meetings of the different working groups and networking spaces aimed at coordinating strategies and advancing in the projects and objectives of the alliance. The agenda also includes social activities, designed to strengthen integration between participants and create synergies that result in the work dynamic. These include a guided tour of the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a gala dinner.

Registration for the meeting is open until 30 September 2025 and can be done through the official registration form, accessible from the following link: https://sites.google.com/ull.edu.es/stars-eu-project-meeting-2025/home?utm_source=chatgpt.com, where you can consult the planned work agenda, as well as useful and interesting information about the city and the island.

Work dynamics

This event is in addition to the working meetings that the alliance has been holding at the different partner universities, located in Spain, Sweden, Albania, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Poland and Portugal. All of them are aimed at intensifying scientific collaboration, strengthening academic networks and advancing the great common objectives: digital transformation, green transition, social value and well-being and educational innovation.

 

Some of the most recent examples are the last Project Meeting at the Hochschule Bremen-University of Applied Sciences  (Germany), which took place in November 2024, or the STARS EU Annual Congress hosted by the Aleksandër Moisiu University of Durrës (UAMD), located in Albania, held in March of this year.

Appointment in Tenerife

This is the second time that the STARS EU partners have met at the University of La Laguna. The first was in March 2023 ─ when it was still aspiring to achieve the European University seal ─ on the occasion of its annual conference, which meant “a clear strengthening of the network and its working groups”.

This event in Tenerife “represents a key opportunity to continue consolidating the progress made in these almost two years of activity, share good practices and strengthen ties between partner universities”, as pointed out by the coordinator of STARS EU at the University of La Laguna, José Sigut.

Sigut also remarked that the boom and consolidation experienced by European university alliances in the last two years has made them a “strategic pillar for the European Higher Education Area, especially in the promotion of transnational cooperation, academic innovation and the creation of joint degrees”, an aspect on which STARS EU is already working.

Today, we celebrate Europe Day – a moment to honor peace, unity, and the shared values that bind us across borders. At STARS European University, we proudly stand with our European community in upholding the core values of respect for all, freedom, democracy, equality, and the rule of law.

“United in Diversity” isn’t just a motto – it’s a way of life. It reflects our belief that our differences make us stronger, and that learning from each other enriches us all. Whether through collaborative research, student exchange, or cultural dialogue, we champion the idea that diversity is Europe’s greatest strength.

The STARS TALK webinar series, organised by the STARS EU Challenge Lab, resumes its programme this May with two meetings that will address crucial challenges for European communities. On the one hand, the implementation of SDG 16 at the local level and, on the other, the challenges of the energy transition in isolated systems.

The first, “Enforcing consumer rights: implementing SDG 16 at the local level“, which will be given by Professor de la Rute Couto (Bragança Polytechnic University (Portugal), will explore the role of municipalities in promoting inclusive institutions and empowered consumers, in line with the 2030 Agenda and the European Consumer Agenda.

The talk, which will take place on 14 May at 13.00 CET, will analyse, through the Portuguese experience, local practices that promote justice, sustainability and access to conflict resolution, especially in the most disadvantaged groups.

 

 

Decarbonisation in island environments

The second, which will be offered on 11 June, at 13:00 CET, will delve into the “Energy transition applied in isolated systems: current and future challenges”. Taught by Benjamín González Díaz, professor at the University of La Laguna (Spain), the presentation will reflect on decarbonisation in island or remote environments and will address the incorporation of renewable energies such as solar, wind or hydroelectric in isolated systems.

The meeting will serve to present technological advances and innovative strategies to achieve energy independence and environmental sustainability of vulnerable communities.

These events are part of the monthly STARS TALK cycle, a knowledge-sharing initiative that fosters dialogue on science, technology, and innovation-based solutions. Each session includes a concise presentation, followed by an interactive space with the audience.

Join a Zoom meeting

The University of La Laguna is actively participating in a research project that the STARS EU alliance of European universities, of which the university is a member, will soon launch to improve the capacity of elderly patients with poorer health and limited digital literacy. The initiative, called STARS- Health, is led by the Hanze University of Applied Sciences, along with the University of La Laguna, the University West, the Polytechnic University of Braganza, and the Silesian University in Opava .

The main objective of STARS-Health is to help older patients understand and use digital services to prevent and manage health conditions, empower patients, and improve communication with their caregivers. All these measures are ultimately aimed at reducing inequalities in access to healthcare, the ultimate goal of STARS- Health , a European-funded project with a total budget of nearly one million euros.

To achieve the stated goals, as explained by the project researchers at the University of La Laguna (ULL), Ángel Acebes Vindel, professor in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, and Sara Darias -Curvo, professor in the Department of Nursing, an application called FindMyApps, originally developed for people with mild dementia, will be redesigned and adapted for older adults with lower health and digital literacy (LHDL). In addition to this application, the project addresses the development of training programs for caregivers in primary, hospital, and community care settings.

In the integrated care process, it is essential to consider a series of specific care needs. That is why STARS- Health starts by identifying the needs of elderly patients with LHDL, as well as those of their caregivers; reviewing digital services designed for these individuals; redesigning and implementing FindMyApps; and providing specialized communication training for professionals specializing in the care of the elderly.

As the STARS- Health team at the University of La Laguna (ULL) explains, developed within the framework of the Healthy Aging Thematic Interest Group (TIG) of the alliance, its results will not only impact the health of older adults with low-grade dysplasia (LHDL), but will also help alleviate pressure on health centers and primary care facilities, as well as improve communication between patients and caregivers. «The goal is to promote secondary and tertiary prevention in primary, hospital, and community care for these individuals,» the ULL researchers emphasize.

Promotion of new prevention strategies

The initiative will also promote new prevention strategies and improve equity in access to healthcare, especially for residents of rural areas. Another benefit would be the potential reduction of pressure on the healthcare and social services system, resulting from improved performance and job satisfaction among caregivers thanks to the use of support tools.

It’s important to recognize that caregivers support patients in managing their own health through the use of digital tools, such as apps, health portals, and monitoring devices. Many of these caregivers and patients struggle to find, understand, or use health information in digital media, so they need an integrated and effective healthcare system that guides them from hospitals to community care services.

The fact that 42% of the European population has a low level of health literacy affects the quality of care, increases pressure on healthcare systems, and exacerbates inequalities, especially in rural areas. Recent data indicate that lower health literacy among patients is linked to a higher prevalence of chronic diseases, hospitalizations, and doctor visits, which puts pressure on secondary and tertiary prevention programs within the healthcare system.

The project’s research team, which includes five of the nine partners that make up STARS EU, is headed by Sandra Jorna-Lakke (Hanze ), the project leader and coordinator, along with Hans Hobbelen , from Hanze University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands); Margareta Karlsson , from the University West (Sweden); Rui Pedro Lopes , from the Polytechnic University of Bragança (Portugal); Sara Darias -Curvo and Ángel Acebes, from the University of La Laguna (Spain); and Yvetta Vrublova , from the Silesian University in Opava (Czech Republic), together with the Canary Islands Health Service of the Government of the Canary Islands, represented by Lilisbeth Perestelo – Pérez.

STARS- Health , which begins next April, will last three years and has received €912,060 in funding from the European Partnership for the Transformation of Health and Care Systems (THCS). This co-financed action is part of the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme for the period 2021-2027.

STARS EU has launched a program of online seminars in which specialists from the various areas that are part of the alliance will present innovative projects and proposals based on science and knowledge with the potential to support regional development.

Under the name of Stars Talks, these interventions will be open to the entire public through this link on the Zoom platform, and their format will be simple: the talks will be short (between 15 and 45 minutes) and there will be time for the public to debate and ask questions. It is planned that there will be one of these STARS EU Talks every month, ten in total each year.

The dates and speakers of the first three are already known: on April 17, María José Ferreira, Director of Research and Quality of the Portuguese Footwear Research Center, will present “Portuguese footwear cluster – Innovative green materials, processes and products”; on May 15, Mikael Ericsson (University West) will speak on “Sustainable Industry– A New Thematic Interest Group”; and on June 19, José Sigut Saavedra (University of La Laguna) will speak about “Medical Diagnosis using Artificial Intelligence – Application to Retinal Images”. All of them will begin at 13:00 (CET), accessed through the Zoom link mentioned above.

These webinars have been promoted by the alliance’s Challenge Lab and the topics they address will be suggested from the different STARS EU structures. In addition to the focus on regional development, the interventions will also promote EU values and support the Green Transition and Digital Transition processes.

Green materials

On April 17, María José Ferreira, Director of the Labs and Research and Sustainability Department at CTCP, the Portuguese Footwear Technological and Research Centre, will speak about innovative green materials, processes and products in the Portuguese footwaer cluster. “Our planet is facing challenges that are causing the footwear sector to accelerate its efforts to be sustainable by adopting green and digital solutions”, the expert explains. So, there are many potential areas of intervention, and several variables remain, so significant research and innovation need to be done.

She will explain the global approach of projects like GreenShoes4.0 and BioShoes4All, along with examples of the new and “next generation” of sustainable materials and processes, including biological and biobased materials, man-made bio-based materials, material-to-material recycling, and new concepts of functional, durable, or circular handbags or footwear.

A critical step towards sustainability in footwear is doing a product life cycle assessment (LCA) to measure and reduce its environmental impact throughout its life cycle. Results and strategies to reduce the products’ carbon footprint will be introduced

Maria José Ferreira holds a graduation in Chemistry, a Master in Environmental Sciences, and a PhD in Environmental Engineering. She has experience in R&D project preparation and coordination; physical and chemical testing of footwear and related materials (leather, plastics, rubber, composites, textiles, nanomaterials); and safety at work and environment management. Her research activity is carried out at CTCP in cooperation with industrial companies and R&D entities across Europe, focusing on new materials and processes, sustainability, products with lower environmental impact and recycling.

She has coordinated for CTCP more than 60 projects. She is a member of EU TAB for the EU Product Environment Footprint development and the delegate of Portugal to the Standardisation Committees, enrolled in developing National, CEN and ISO Standards applicable to footwear and related materials.

 

Suistanable Industry

On May 15, Mikael Ericsson will present the new Thematic Interest Group within the STARS EU alliance, that will address the Sustainable Industry. As the expert summarises, under the “Sustainable industry” concept, it can be included both production, new materials, resource-efficient process and product development, and industry close to services such as digitization, energy supply and circular business models.

Mikael Ericsson is head of the Industrial Automation Department of University West, and researcher in technology, production technology. His work is mainly focused on research interests such as robotic welding and robotic welding simulation. He also teaches robotics to engineering students.

 

AI for medical diagnosis

José Sigut Saavedra, from University of La Laguna, will offer the last talk scheduled so far on June 19, “Medical Diagnosis using Artificial Intelligence – Application to Retinal Images”. In his dissertation, he will explain how artificial intelligence can help the medical specialist make a better diagnosis and detect a pathology at a more incipient stage.

In this case, the main focus will be on retinal images which contain very useful information for the diagnosis of eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma or age-related macular degeneration, among others. This type of diseases can become a major public health problem. Specifically, in the Canary Islands the rate of diabetics is quite high and it is necessary to control the effect that this may have on the retina.

Jose Sigut graduated in Physics from the University of La Laguna in 1993 and received his PhD from the same university in 2002. He is currently Associate Professor at the Department of Computer and Systems Engineering and head of the multidisciplinary group MIAG (Medical Image Analysis Group) formed by members of the Department and the University Hospital of the Canary Islands.

His research activity is mainly focused on the application of Computer Vision and Deep Learning techniques to the automation of diagnosis in the medical field. As a result of this activity, he is co-author of 48 journal articles. He has also published and disseminated the results of his research in 63 conferences. In addition, he has been a visiting professor at the University of Queensland, the Technical University of Munich, the University of Genoa and the University of Iowa.

The next STAR Talks will be announced soon.

One of the objectives of STARS EU is to contribute to regional development, mainly through higher education, research, teaching and transfer activities. And this was the main issue that occupied several sessions of the annual conference of this alliance, held on 21 and 22 March in the French city of Besançon, organised by one of the allied institutions, the University of Franche-Comté.

Thus, in addition to the researchers, professors, technical staff and students who are already part of the alliance, local stakeholders were also invited to this event so that they could contribute their point of view on the role that universities can have in the development of the regions where they are located. These guests participated in a specific panel on this issue, as well as in a working session with the presidents, rectors and TIGS leaders, not to mention the numerous networking opportunities that the meeting facilitated.

In that discussion panel participated representatives of several regions, such as Benjamin Rodrigues (Bragança Portugal), Christian Schütt (Bremen, Germany), Pauline Prat and Laurent Volle (Bourgogne Franche-Comté, France) and Astrid Burhöi, (Västra Götaland region, Sweden), under the moderation of Daniel Hissel, vice-president of Socioeconomic Partnership and Innovation of the University of Franche-Comté. Issues such as the need to improve digital skills, entrepreneurship and English in professional contexts, and to make the technical person more aware of the socio-political context were raised. STARS EU was seen as an opportunity to bridge the gap that sometimes exists between research and society.

In addition, during the first day of sessions, three other discussion sessions focused on the possible contributions of the alliance to the Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3) from the point of view of knowledge development, STARS EU curriculum and entrepreneurship. These discussions are based on the diagnosis of this strategy developed by the Regional Transition Accelerator, which was presented during the opening of the conference by its coordinator, Marieke Steenbergen.

Opening

The opening ceremony was led by Samir Jemeï, Vice-President in charge of International relations of the University of Franche-Comté and, in addition to Steenbergen, was attended by the President of the host university, Macha Woronoff, the President of Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Dick Pouwels, and the Vice-President in charge of Higher education & Research of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region, Laëtitia Martinez.

Macha Woronoff recalled that this was the first STARS EU annual conference following the approval in July 2023 of the project submitted to the European Commission, by virtue of which the alliance now has the status of European University. She stressed, however, that STARS EU is not just this project, but a long-term vision that aims to respond to the challenges of the present and the future and to train the leaders of tomorrow who will have to face them.

Dick Pouwels congratulated the host university on the recent celebration of its 600th anniversary and, taking advantage of the fact that Besançon is known as the French capital of watchmaking, told a parable in which the protagonist asked the price of an antique watch he had inherited in different shops, and was told in all of them that it was a cheap object. But when he asked in a watch shop, he was told to his surprise that the price was one million. The moral is that the right place and the right people will give you your real value, hence the importance of recognising your own value, and also the value of other people.

Finally, Laëtitia Martinez explained some initiatives that her region has put in place to bring researchers and decision makers together to find new answers to social, economic and environmental challenges. She also emphasised the need to involve students in the process.

Status of the alliance

As has become customary at each annual meeting, the alliance coordinator, Rima Dijkstra, took stock of the current state of STARS EU, pointing out the goals achieved and also the pending tasks, always with the four main aims of the alliance as a guideline: to develop the European University project; to create a new future-oriented students’ generation, to promote innovative, flexible and diverse challenge-based educational and research systems; and to contribute to green and digital transition and sustainable development of regions.

Thus, with regard to the Regional Transition Accelerator, research on the similarities and complementarities of the partners in the context of RIS3 has been completed, and networking with local and regional stakeholders has begun to be strengthened. Among the challenges, she cited the creation of infrastructures for innovation and entrepreneurship and, in the longer term, making recommendations for a joint policy on regional transition.

On the collaboration in education, addressed by the Curriculum Lab, the STARS EU Competences Catalogue has already been created and a learning community has been built within the alliance. The next steps are the creation of the Future Competences Catalogue and the Joint Micro-Credential Catalogue, as well as weighing up possible joint doctorates and other academic degrees.

Research is covered by the Challenge Lab, and research priorities have been established, several STARS Talks have been held and the STARS EU Seed Grants for joint projects have been developed. The design of the alliance’s list of research needs and the implementation of the technology transfer office are still pending.

The TIGS has already developed a strategic agenda for the next three years and an action plan for 2024-25, hold regular meetings and develop joint initiatives such as projects, papers, courses and events.

Work has also progressed on the implementation of the STARS EU campus, both physically and digitally, and is currently in the comparative study phase for its development. A challenge identified by Dijkstra was the need to increase student mobility by 50% and staff mobility by 40%.

In terms of dissemination and communication, there is already a Communication Plan for the alliance and its adaptation to the nine allied universities, and the first issue of the quarterly newsletter Nova has been published. It now remains to make progress in branding, improving the website and opening the Open Data repository, as well as training in Open Access.

Also highlighted was the activity of the Student Board, which has an action plan for the next academic year and is getting involved in the different working groups of the alliance to ensure that the student perspective is always taken into account.

Among the risks faced by STARS EU, its coordinator pointed out the lack of involvement of staff and students, economic sustainability, mobility, the complexity of legal frameworks for designing joint degrees, and institutional resistance to change, among others.

Finally, the next steps of the partnership are to implement the European project and to apply for Erasmus+, Interreg, Horizon Europe, FP10, national and regional calls for proposals. In the longer term, the legal entity of the partnership will have to be addressed and the extension of the project to more years will have to be tackled.

Other meetings

After the opening, the conference itself got underway, with guest speakers including Karel Haegeman from the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, who gave a provocative presentation on the role of universities and innovation in achieving place-based transformation; and on Friday 22nd, Pam Fredman, who presented her WEXSUS (West Sweden Nexus for Sustainable Development) project, which has started in 2024 after several years of preparation, with the aim of creating an “arena” in which universities and local actors collaborate.

In addition, the teams in charge of the tasks of the eight project work packages, the TIGs, the alliance groups, the STARS EU commission and the steering committee were able to advance their work, with the advantage of being able to do so face-to-face and not virtually, as is the norm in the alliance. The in person meetings are assets that not only allow work to progress, but also strengthen links between members, which also has a positive effect on the purely professional side.

That is why the alliance will continue to promote, as far as possible, on-place meetings. The next ones will be on 5 and 6 November at Bremen University of Applied Sciences, to continue monitoring the progress of the European project, and in 2025, on 21 and 22 March for the next annual conference, this time in Albania, organised by the Aleksandër Moisiu University of Durrës.

(Photo credits: all images in the body of the text have been taken by Nuno Nascimento, from Polytechnic Institute of Bragança. The group photo in the header has been provided by the University of Franche-Comté).