| Project Detail |
Addressing the socioeconomic research areas of sustainable development in Cyprus
Cyprus and the EMMENA region are experiencing intensified effects of the climate crisis. However, research in this area has not adequately focused on the socioeconomic aspects of this phenomenon. The EU-funded TWIN2SUSTAIN project aims to address this gap. By partnering with Maastricht University and the University of Antwerp, it will advance and consolidate in a multidisciplinary context all related research activities at the University of Cyprus (UCY), focusing mainly on the socioeconomic aspects of sustainable development in Cyprus. This vision will be realised by implementing the TWIN2SUSTAIN grant under the coordination of the Research and Innovation Service of UCY and the participation of several academic departments at UCY.
Cyprus is a hotspot of the climate crisis with the effects being more intense and difficult to cope; to that end, climate change in the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and North Africa (EMMENA) region has been an object of extensive research. However, this research did not address to a satisfactory extent the societal aspects of climate change in the EMMENA region that fall under the Sustainable Development (SD) field. Although being very active in relevant research areas of Sustainable Development and in particular, water, renewable energy and oceanography, UCY has not achieved to address the socioeconomic aspects of Sustainable Development research. It is rather positioned in a fragmented fashion in the SD research field by having research teams involved in relevant projects and undertakings but not in a concerted way, thus currently tackling important research topics sporadically and without coherence. This gap is not limited to climate change-related fields but on other aspects of SD such as gender equality, innovation law, science diplomacy and economic development, poverty reduction and income inequalities. The TWIN2SUSTAIN project aims to address this gap in this crucial research area by facilitating a partnership with two advanced partners in the SD field, UNU-MERIT and UANTWERP, in order to advance and consolidate in a multidisciplinary context all related research activities at the University of Cyprus (UCY), with main focus on the socioeconomic aspects of SD. This vision will be realised by applying for a Horizon Europe/Twinning grant, in conjunction and under the aegis of the Research and Innovation Service of UCY and with many different UCY academic departments and research units engaged. By linking UCY with these internationally leading partners in SD, TWIN2SUSTAIN will stimulate research excellence and international visibility of UCY, while improving the networking efficiency and innovation in this growing and very important field. |
