EUNICoast is launching the 2026 edition of the Open Science Awards, recognising those who make openness of knowledge a daily practice. The University of the Azores leads the process, reaffirming its role in promoting open, verifiable science that benefits society.
Coastal and island universities are embedded in places where land and sea meet, where different environments, economies, and communities come into contact. The territories around them face rising seas, shrinking populations, and fragile economies.
From 8 to 10 June 2026, EUNICoast's Mobility and Internationalisation commission (Work Package 5) met at Burgas Free University in Burgas, Bulgaria. Fifteen representatives from partner universities participated in person, with colleagues joining remotely.
Before the on-site week began, the twenty-two students enrolled in Agile Project Management in Coastal Communities had each spoken with at least five companies or organisations about how agile methods are used in their region's economy, and where they could go further. The cohort arrived in Stralsund with field evidence already gathered.
"What do we do in the event of earthquakes? How do we cope during periods of drought? How can we ensure the circulation of documents between several islands?" These were among the questions a participant from Université des Antilles raised during a week of professional exchange in the Azores. They are the operating realities of library staff at coastal and island universities. The blended intensive programme "University Libraries: Building Bridges to Internationalisation" set out to address them through peer exchange.
In May 2026, Kastelholm Castle hosted a working visit. Thirty-six students and academics from four EUNICoast partner universities arrived to spend a week on a brief from the Museum of Åland's Cultural Heritage unit. The question they had to answer: how could the castle grow tourism around it without losing the heritage that draws visitors?
From 1 to 3 June 2026, EUNICoast's Education commission (Work Package 2) and Impact and Dissemination commission (Work Package 7) met at Åland University of Applied Sciences in Mariehamn. Eleven of the twelve partner universities took part in person, with around 54 participants including the Åland hosts.
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