Start virtual hubs: new opportunities for researchers and students!

Start virtual hubs: new opportunities for researchers and students!

On March 20, 2025, the EPICUR Alliance announces the official launch of its innovative hubs, which will go into operation from April 8, 2025. These virtual and hybrid formats aim to promote transnational collaboration through courses, workshops and conferences. The EPICUR Hubs focus on four central topics: Sustainable Transformation, European Values, Global Health and Future Intelligence. The hub for sustainable transformation will kick off in 2025, with a planned research conference at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in October 2025.

The offers are specifically tailored to master’s students and scientists in early career phases. In this context, registration for the offers will be possible in the near future. The kick-off event, which serves to open the hubs, will include a keynote speech by Prof. Nicolaos Theodossiou on the topic “Navigating transdisciplinary international research for sustainability”. In addition, networking opportunities and impulses for research skills, financing and transnational cooperation are provided. The target group includes not only students, but also professors, university employees and stakeholders from industry, government and civil society.

Diverse research and development opportunities

The EPICUR Alliance offers three main opportunities for scientific advancement. In addition to the EPICUR Hubs already mentioned, this includes the EPICommunity platform, which promotes collaboration and professional development of young researchers in Europe, as well as EPICUR Seed Funding, which stimulates research partnerships between the nine partner universities. The latter is intended to create an incentive for creative and interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of research.

The hubs will be set up as virtual centers that focus on research and knowledge development. In addition to master's students, doctoral students, postdocs and junior professors are also named as target groups. Various formats are planned that support interdisciplinary engagement and institutional collaboration. The latest scientific discoveries are conveyed in order to integrate them directly into educational programs.

Global challenges and cooperation

The global strategy to create sustainable futures rests on a strong foundation of cross-border collaborations. These are necessary to address challenges such as poverty, inequality, public health crises and climate change. The success of these initiatives depends on both intergovernmental cooperation, such as the UN or G20, and the strong involvement of non-state actors, such as civil society and scientific communities. Recent geopolitical developments have increased awareness of Global South alliances, while Western alliances are re-forming and are often perceived as systemic rivalries.

Research within the EPICUR Hubs will go beyond these global themes by exploring innovative concepts and forms of collaboration such as North-South, South-South and triangular partnerships. Development policy plays a central role in this, as it provides public financing options to overcome local and global challenges. Future research will increasingly focus on the influence of geopolitical and geoeconomic dynamics on global development agendas.

For those interested in the EPICUR Hubs, registration for the kick-off event closes on April 8, 2025 at 10 a.m. CET. The comprehensive program and platforms are intended to help young researchers and institutions develop sustainable and innovative solutions to the major challenges of our time.