In Ponta Delgada, EUNICoast's Research & Innovation and Community Engagement commissions closed their June meetings with a shared set of deadlines: a doctoral school pilot moving into its consolidation phase, a skills observatory taking shape, and the first concrete link between the two commissions' work through 2026 and beyond.
From 22 to 24 June, the Community Engagement commission met at the University of the Azores in Ponta Delgada, joined on 23-24 June by the Research & Innovation commission for a shared programme. The two commissions met during the same week as EUNICoast's Blended Intensive Programme "Research & Innovation Trends in Islands, Ports and Coastal Territories", which brought researchers, academic staff and administrative teams from across the Alliance to the same campus.
Research & Innovation
The commission reviewed the EUNICoast Common Research Agenda, formally submitted to the European Commission on 30 April 2026 and connecting each partner region's own research and innovation priorities, known as smart specialisation strategies, across the twelve partner universities. Partners assessed progress on funding-related targets, including 150 multi-author publications and at least 75% open access by the project deadline.
Work also progressed on the EUNICoast Joint Doctoral School, with its governance phase approved and twenty-five doctoral participants planned across nine universities for the pilot. Four partner universities already hold the HRS4R award (Human Resources Strategy for Researchers), with the Alliance aiming for 75% coverage by project end, and the Joint Virtual Research Support Office is expected to be fully operational by month 24.
Partners confirmed the timeline for the first EUNICoast Open Science Award, open for applications from 6 July to 25 September 2026, with the ceremony to be held at Université Le Havre Normandie on 5 November.
Community Engagement
The commission set out the structure of the Alliance's consolidated report on institutional Community Engagement plans, with a first draft due on 15 September 2026. Partners agreed a "two-speed" training model: a core group of six staff per institution following an in-depth three-phase programme, alongside a lighter track for around thirty further staff at each university.
A two-pillar model was presented for the Alliance's future Jobs and Skills Observatory, combining European labour-market data with local stakeholder mapping and incorporating a dedicated framework for doctoral candidates. Partners also confirmed 10 July 2026 as the deadline for submitting graduate employment data, and heard that a "Blue Diplomacy" conference is planned for June 2027 — bringing researchers and policymakers together around ocean governance — aiming to produce a joint "Blue Science Declaration" setting out shared commitments across partner universities.
The commission also revisited its own institutional groundwork. The session mapped earlier findings from TEFCE, a European self-assessment tool for community engagement, onto the seven dimensions of SHEFCE, its companion framework for institutional action planning. "It was crucial for understanding how to transition our 'pockets of excellence' into structured, institution-wide commitments," said Rui Câmara, of the University of the Azores.
Working across two commissions
On the Tuesday afternoon, the two commissions met jointly to map how their work connects: Open Science training feeding into community-engagement curricula, the Common Research Agenda informing the future Skills and Jobs Observatory, and the Joint Doctoral School linking to student employability and scientific diplomacy. Partners agreed that Research & Innovation supplies scientific and methodological capacity, while Community Engagement connects that capacity to communities, stakeholders and territorial challenges.
The exchange already has concrete follow-on effects. "We have begun discussions with three member universities to design a BIP involving students on the Bachelor's degree in Social Work," said Ana J. Cañas Lerma, of the University of the Balearic Islands.
The Azores: a living laboratory for EUNICoast's coastal mission
São Miguel, the largest island in the Azores archipelago, sits in the middle of the North Atlantic, over 1,400 kilometres from mainland Portugal. The University of the Azores is the only public university in the archipelago and built its research strength around the questions EUNICoast exists to address: volcanology, marine sciences and biodiversity, shaped by daily life on a small, remote island. Meeting here placed both commissions inside the reality their work is meant to serve.
For the host institution, the week carried its own weight: "Hosting this meeting allowed our university to solidify its position within the network, moving from remote cooperation to highly effective, face-to-face institutional relationships," Câmara added.
