Leiden University academics pursue international projects with Una Europa grants
Seven interdisciplinary projects involving Leiden University academics have been awarded up to €27,000 in seed funding. They will work with Una Europa alliance partners to advance topics including academic freedom, AI in the humanities, sustainable mining and maternal health care.
Una Europa is an alliance of 11 leading research universities, including Leiden University. Seed funding grants are awarded yearly by the alliance to kick-start collaboration between partner universities and 'plant a seed' that can eventually attract external funding.
In the 2024 call, six projects with Leiden University involvement received funding from the Una Europa alliance. The seventh was funded by Leiden University’s Una Europa team.
Projects funded by Una Europa:
1. A Three-dimensional Initiative on Academic Freedom (UnAF)
The UnAF project focuses on academic freedom: a core value of the Una Europa alliance, the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area (ERA). Covering teaching, research, and knowledge exchange and outreach, it will bring a multidisciplinary group of scholars and stakeholders together to explore academic collaborations and policy options. An interdisciplinary course on academic freedom that can be integrated into study programmes, including Una Europa’s Joint Bachelor of Arts in European Studies, will also be developed.
Coordinator: Vasiliki Kosta, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law
2. Encryption: Investigating Its Main Criminal Justice Aspects (EnIgMA)
The EnIgMA project will foster dialogue about encryption: a technology shaping the discourse on crime perpetration, enforcement and fundamental rights protection. This dialogue will engage with all three pillars of Una Europa's 2030 Strategy – research, education, and societal impact. It will connect researchers from different fields and universities, offering guest lectures to students, and sharing findings through an international conference and on the LIMA Blog, launched thanks to previous Seed Funding.
Coordinator: Anna Mosna, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law
3. Working together in Europe towards One Health around the world (WISE CARE)
WISE CARE will develop the Sustainable Health and Care (MSHC) minor for bachelor’s students. It will address complex healthcare challenges such as climate change and workforce shortages and will incorporate two interdisciplinary approaches, One Health and Population Health Management. These approaches have shared goals of holistic and integrated health improvement. Early-career researchers will develop the MSHC outline. This outline will support an Erasmus+ funding application to further develop the program and secure structural external funding.
Coordinator: Martijn Sijbom, Assistant Professor, LUMC.
4. Artificial Intelligence & Humanities (101): Developing a Humanities Syllabus for AI & the Digital at Una Europa
AI and digitalisation can radically change education and careers in the humanities. Yet, student needs remain unclear. How can we prepare students to play a part in this transformation? AIHUMS101 will create a survey on current teaching within Una Europa, a model syllabus of an AI and the Digital course for humanities students, and a toolkit to help integrate AI into existing courses. Thirty-two academics, seven universities, and eight institutes are participating in the project to help shape the future of humanities education.
Participant: Francien Dechesne, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law
5. European Network for Sustainable Mining Research and Transfer (EnSMiRT)
The European Union faces a challenge: expanding mineral resources exploitation while restoring degraded landscapes. This requires sustainable land management strategies and widespread integration of advanced technologies, from geological exploration and extraction to post-mining. EnSMiRT will bring leading researchers from the Una Europa alliance together to address these pressing challenges.
Participant: Joeri Reinders, Assistant Professor, Leiden University College
6. Preparation of Prospective Projects on Maternal Care (PreMaCare)
Up to 17 in 1000 deliveries may be complicated by severe maternal morbidity, leading to intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Affected women suffer physical and mental health complications, impacting them, their children, families and caregivers. Evidence addressing outcomes and data on maternal care and well-being is, however, limited. PreMaCare will set up a consortium and create a road map for future research projects on maternal care.
Participant: Elske Sitsen, Leiden University Medical Centre
Project funded by Leiden University:
7. Navigating intracellular delivery of Biotherapeutics: Synthesis, formulation and imaging strategies (INSIDE)
Next-generation biotherapeutics, including peptides and proteins, have great therapeutic potential. However, they have a limited ability to enter cells. This limits their clinical application. The INSIDE project aims to address this by improving the efficacy of biotherapeutics, leading to improved treatments. INSIDE will also organize scientific seminars and launch an interdisciplinary network for master’s students and PhD candidates.
Coordinator: Joachim Van Guyse, Assistant Professor at the Leiden Academic Center for Drug Research.