The festive season is quickly approaching, and soon we will be counting down the days until Christmas and the New Year — not only thinking about reports, presents, but also enjoying togetherness, closeness, renewed hope, anticipation, and moments of rest.

Vytautas Magnus University invites you to celebrate the season with a multilingual Advent calendar. Starting December 1, open a square each day and discover a Christmas or New Year tradition from a different country.

May we all be united in the joy of the season and the love of languages.

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo via Unsplash

As part of the second call of the Transform4Europe (T4EU) Seed Funding Programme, three collaborative projects involving researchers from the University of Silesia have received financial support.

The T4EU Seed Funding Programme aims to strengthen cooperation within the alliance by supporting bottom-up, co-creative academic initiatives. Its mission is to build a comprehensive joint academic portfolio across all cycles of study, developing innovative transdisciplinary programmes that integrate transformative, entrepreneurial, and civic-minded perspectives.

Below are the projects selected for funding:

Theology 4EU: Establishing a T4EU Joint PhD Programme in Public Theology and Political Spiritualities for Cultural Sustainability and Social Dialogue

Awarded funding: 22,000 EUR
Partner institutions and researchers:

• Universidade Católica Portuguesa: Alex Villas Boas, Silvia Caldeira
• University of Silesia in Katowice: Tomasz Gwoździewicz, Jacek Kempa
• Vytautas Magnus University: Benas Ulevičius

This project aims to develop a joint doctoral programme exploring public theology, political spiritualities, and their contribution to cultural sustainability and social dialogue across Europe.

Black Mirror and Law (BM-Law) – A Transdisciplinary Microcredential on the Legal and Ethical Challenges of Digital Transformation

Awarded funding: 21,824 EUR
Partner institutions and researchers:

• University of Alicante: Małgorzata Węgrzak, Aurelio López-Tarruella Martínez, Raul Ruiz Rodriguez
• University of Silesia in Katowice: Monika Jagielska, Rafal Prabucki, Mariusz Jagielski
• Vytautas Magnus University: Julija Kiršienė, Paulius Astromskis, Darius Amilevičius

The project will design a transdisciplinary microcredential dedicated to the fast-evolving ethical and legal issues emerging from digital transformation, using “Black Mirror” scenarios as a conceptual framework.

Communication and Food Literacy: Promoting a Well-Informed and Healthy Population (COMFOODHEALTH)

Awarded funding: 10,000 EUR
Partner institutions and researchers:

• University of Alicante: Cristina González Díaz, José Miguel Martínez Sanz
• Universidade Católica Portuguesa: Luísa Magalhães
• University of Silesia in Katowice: Karina Leksy

This initiative focuses on improving food literacy and communication strategies to support healthier, better-informed societies.

Unsplash

Heritage future(s) / future heritage(s): on the threshold of change
18–20 March 2026 | Porto, Portugal

EPoCH 2026, hosted by Universidade Católica Portuguesa, is organised in partnership with the Transform4Europe (T4EU) alliance. The conference brings together scholars, professionals, and artists to explore how heritage and conservation can evolve amid rapid climatic, technological, and societal transformations.

The event centres on two interconnected ideas

1. heritage future(s) — how current conservation practices enable or limit future possibilities;
2. future heritage(s) — what future generations will consider worth preserving.

Suggested Topics

• Rethinking heritage: borders, margins, new epistemologies
• Conservation-restoration: future tools, methods, and the immaterial
• Heritage and climate change
• Over-tourism and new tourism models (creative, sustainable, niche)
• Sustainable materials, technologies, community-based knowledge
• Digitalisation, modelling, Data Science & AI for heritage

Keynote Speakers

• Cornelius Holtorf – (School of Cultural Sciences, Linnaeus University);
• Paulo Lourenço – (Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho);
• Roberta Altin – (Department of Humanities at the University of Trieste, Italy).

Key Dates

• Call for abstracts: 3–30 November 2025 — extended to 4 January 2026.
• Author notifications: 20 January 2026.

Find out more: artes.porto.ucp.pt.

Photo by sarah b on Unsplash

The Spring of Sustainable Development 2026 will take place from March 16 to April 3 at Université Jean Monnet (St-Etienne, France) and online throughout the T4EU Alliance!

This three-week event is dedicated to raising awareness within our university community about today’s most pressing environmental and social challenges, while also showcasing the many initiatives that promote sustainability on our campuses and beyond.

Would you like to get involved?

Students, associations, teachers, and administrative staff, everyone is invited to propose an online activity, workshop, or project related to environmental and social themes, such as:

• reducing inequalities and discrimination,
• promoting sustainable mobility,
• reducing waste or greenhouse gas emissions,
• encouraging responsible food practices,
• protecting biodiversity, improving health and well-being, and much more!

Some ideas for online activities:

• Collaborative workshops such as the Climate Freskor Diversity Fresk;
• International conferences or round tables;
• Online challenges (e.g. step challenge, zero-waste challenge, sustainable eating) between campuses;
• Virtual cafés and discussions on well-being and eco-anxiety;
• Online responsible cooking workshops.

How to participate:

To propose an action or event, simply complete the form before December 31, 2025 (midnight).

Together, let’s make the Spring of Sustainable Development a unifying and inspiring event for our entire European community!

Photo by Nikola Tomašić on Unsplash

The Transform4Europe Seed Funding Programmeis accepting applications from 8 December until 15 March 2026. This is your chance to bring innovative, collaborative educational projects to life across our alliance.

What’s Funded?
Transform your teaching ideas into reality with support for:

• Joint study programmes and course development;
• Mobility schemes and exchange opportunities;
• Micro-credentials and lifelong learning offers;
• PhD programmes and tracks;
• Interdisciplinary projects focusing on environmental, digital, and societal transformation.

Funding Available

• Line A (Explore): Up to €10,000 for 12-14 month projects;
• Line B (Develop): €15,000-€22,000 for advanced collaborations.

Collaboration Made Easy

• Minimum 2 partner universities are required;
• Access our Connect4Research platform to find ideal collaborators;
• Join matchmaking events to network with teaching staff across the alliance;
• Attend information sessions: 26 January and 23 February 2026 – to participate, please write to t4eu-seedfunding@uni-saarland.de

Key Dates

• Application Deadline: March 2026
• Results Notification: early May 2026
• Project Start: May 2026

Submitting a proposal

• Project proposals should be sent to t4eu-seedfunding@uni-saarland.de. Please cc the T4EU team at the University of Silesia into your application (transform4europe@us.edu.pl).
• Application materials, evaluation criteria, and further information can be found on the dedicated subpage: transform4europe.eu/seed-funding-programme.

We would like to warmly invite you to participate in our upcoming online webinar “Writing Grant Proposals”, taking place on 5 December 2025, 12:00 – 13:00 CET, arranged by  Transform4Europe (T4EU) alliance and EURAXESS ERA Talent project team!

This session is a follow-up to the T4EU–ERA T Summer School held in September 2025. It is designed to support researchers at all stages of their careers—including those who are rebuilding their research path in a new country. We especially welcome refugee and displaced researchers, and we hope this training can help you strengthen your funding applications and continue developing your scientific career.

The webinar will be led by Helena Castro, Manager of the Transform4Europe Joint Grants Office, who will provide practical guidance on identifying suitable funding calls, structuring a strong proposal, and improving clarity and impact in grant writing.

Participation is free of charge.

To register or learn more, please visit and press the yellow button on the top left of the page: https://www.euraxess.bg/bulgaria/events/webinar-writing-grant-proposals.

Université Jean Monnet is pleased to announce Call for Researchers: International Seminar “Cultural Heritage and Digital Tools” with the view to organise, a 3 days event “From Traces to Heritage?”, which will take place from 3 to 5 February 2026 in Saint-Étienne.

The event will include a regional workshop on sustainable heritage and the 4th International Seminar “Cultural Heritage and Digital Tools.”

The organiser invites Transform4Europe researchers and PhD students interested in presenting their research at the International Seminar “Cultural Heritage and Digital Tools” that will take place on February 4th 2026 at Université Jean Monnet.

This seminar brings together ten researchers from various disciplines and universities to present (20 minutes each) and discuss their work at the intersection of cultural heritage and digital technologies. It explores the use of digital tools (including geomatics, 3D modeling, sound reconstruction, and other innovative methods) for the study, preservation, and management of cultural heritage.

Programs from previous editions are available on the seminar website.
 
Academics from the Transform4Europe Alliance are invited to submit their presentation proposals to pierre.olivier.mazagol@univ-st-etienne.fr before November 30th 23h59.

For more information about this event, please contact claire.puntous@univ-st-etienne.fr.

The selected presenters mobility will be covered from project resources, based on their availability.

After receiving information about the selection, it is necessary to contact: transform4europe@us.edu.pl.

We are pleased to invite you to the upcoming T4EU Science Communication Workshop “Communicating Sustainability Sustainably: Case Studies on Burnout and Being the Change” hosted by the Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA).

The workshop will take place on 3 and 10 December 2025, from 15.00-17.00 (EET / UTC+2), via MS Teams.

How to put scientific knowledge about the ecological and societal shifts ahead into practice? The two-part lecture-seminar offers personal insights into a number of projects that have aimed to bring about awareness of environmental topics and behavioral change, while focusing on the organisational aspects of these initiatives. Is it possible to “be the change we need” without burning out or being hypocritical? How to find balance between integrity and strategic compromise?

• First session on 3 December: a lecture offering reflections and personal insights from the facilitator, accompanied by selected reading materials.
• Second session on 10 December: the aim is to create an open and thoughtful space for dialogue and sharing experiences and ideas on how to communicate sustainability in a sustainable way.

Registration required by 24 November here.

Find more information about the workshop here.

Participants who complete the workshop will receive a certificate of attendance issued by T4EU.

Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA) warmly invites BA, MA and PhD students of the University of Silesia to take part in a Blended Intensive Programme on 24 November 2025 (online) and 26-30 January 2025 (Face-to-Face). 

What can you expect?

➢Virtual Component: 24 November 2025 Online lecture and preparation session with Martin Melioranski and Paco-Ernest Ulman. Participants will receive guidance and context for the January workshops.
➢Day 1: Introduction by organizers, site visits
➢Day 2: Workshop 1 – AI in Modelling: AI + Phenomenal Qualities = NeRF
➢Day 3: Sessions on Creative Research Capacities
➢Day 4: Site visits + Workshop 2 – Conceptualising Phenomenal Qualities with AR
➢Day 5: Final presentations of workshop outcomes

Topics:

➢Digital archaeology
➢Creative research approaches
➢Heritage research and preservation
➢Architecture and urban planning

Who can apply?

➢ Bachelor’s and Master’s level students of any discipline, as well as PhD students.

➢ Full academic recognition of the BIP by the participant’s home academic unit (faculty or doctoral school) is required. This includes successful completion of the programme and – in the case of students – formal inclusion of the earned ECTS credits in their academic record.

➢ The participant must have a valid student status. It means that persons who have completed their studies and defended their diplomas, cannot take part in the event – even if formally, they did not collect the diploma. The student status must be valid on the date of the event.

Programme schedule:

Programme format and ECTS:

➢ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP): Online component before the on-site event, followed by face-to-face participation in Estonia.
➢ Upon successful completion of the programme, participants will receive 3 ECTS credits.

Funding and documents:

The action is being carried out as part of the Erasmus+ program as a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP). Participation requires meeting the requirements of the Erasmus+ program.

Each Erasmus+ KA131 HED BIP must include an online component and an in-person part lasting at least 5 days (excluding travel days).

Only individuals with active student or doctoral status at the University of Silesia (UŚ) can participate in the BIP.

BIP program and participation must be approved by the participant’s educational unit, that is, their home faculty or Doctoral School/International Environmental Doctoral School – which is conducted through the acceptance and signing of a Learning Agreement for Studies.

Before departure, an individual Erasmus+ KA131 HED BIP grant agreement is signed; the settlement of the trip is based on a confirmation issued by the organizing university of the BIP, stating the completion of the entire BIP course, including the online part and the on-site part – physical presence during the entire on-site part, obtaining a minimum of 3 ECTS credits, and completing an individual participant report along with the submission of additional documents, if required, including i.a. declarations, statements, tickets, and invoices or receipts in the case of traveling by an ecological means of transport and obtaining increased flat-rate funding for travel costs (Green Travel).

Participants, after the approval by the sending educational institution and the receiving university, meeting all requirements as well as submitting the required documents, and after signing an individual Erasmus+ grant agreement, receive:

• Individual funding: 79 EUR for each day of mobility (5 days + 2 days of travel)
• Flat-rate travel costs – depending on the selected means of transport and distance:

– 417 EUR – eco-friendly travel (e.g., train, bus, carpooling)

– 309 EUR – non-eco-friendly travel (e.g., plane)

For the settlement of the flat-rate funding for travel costs, in case of eco-friendly travel (Green Travel), it will be required to present the documents mentioned above (declaration, statements about traveling using an eco-friendly means of transport, tickets, invoices/receipts (in the case of traveling by bus or train).

Individuals with fewer chances of participation (persons with disabilities or receiving a social scholarship) may receive additional funding of 100 EUR for the entire trip.

Each participant independently covers the costs of travel, accommodation and meals from the funds received as part of individual funding.

Required Erasmus+ documents (Erasmus+ BIP)

• Outgoing Mobility Application Form (WS form)
• Learning Agreement for Studies (Erasmus+ BIP)
• Signatures of the student, faculty coordinator, and dean

Concluding the grant agreement will be possible based on the documents submitted to the International Exchange Office.

Final requirements and recognition

Mobility is formally recognised based on:

• a certificate of completion issued by EKA,
• a student survey in the Beneficiary Module, and
• (if applicable) submission of Green Travel documentation.

The participant must attend both the online and on-site components and obtain at least 3 ECTS.

How to apply?

Application form available at: Application form

Application deadline: 7 November 2025

For questions, please contact: transform4europe@us.edu.pl