About Unight

UNIGHT is the “UNITA edition” of the European Researchers' Night, 29-30 September 2023.
An immersive experience that involves researchers from five Countries with the aim of enhancing the dialogue between citizens and science, to actively participate in the most relevant social challenges of the present and the future.
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About UNITA

UNITA is an alliance of six universities (UNITO, USMB, UPPA, UBI, UVT, UniZar) aiming at establishing a new model of increasingly collaborative and integrated teaching, research and innovation through enhanced mobility and with strong links to ecosystems.

The alliance is constructed around three key features:

  • rural and cross-border mountain region location,
  • Romance languages,
  • innovative educational and research areas, especially in the fields of Renewable energies, Cultural heritage, and the Circular economy.

The UNITA Alliance is building a fully-fledged European inter-university campus based on excellent teaching and learning, research and innovation, and on civic engagement in a multilingual and student-centred environment.

Visit the UNITA website

UNIGHT offers an immersive experience in the research world. Scientific cafés and talks, exhibitions, prototypes and experiments, concerts, performances and much more:

  • to engage researchers in a dialogue with societal actors by showing the impact of research (or its potential) on our daily life;
  • to enhance the potential of citizens' proximity to science and make it visible showing the concrete benefits that a higher participation of people to the research process can bring;
  • to enhance the dialogue between citizens, policy makers and scientists, by organising events to identify solutions on specific challenges connected to the territories.

The aim of the research is to reach bold and inspirational goals with high impact on society.

Adaptation to climate change

Climate adaptation is the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects. Supporting research and innovation and demonstrate its relevance for society and citizens is vital. The focus is on solutions and preparedness for the impact of climate change to protect lives and assets, including behavioural changes and social aspects which help lead to a necessary societal transformation.
How can we reach the goal? Researching on infrastructure, land use and food systems, water management, health and wellbeing, and enabling conditions like knowledge, governance or behavioural change.

Research for human health

Cancer affects everyone regardless of age, gender or social status and represents a tremendous burden for patients, families, and societies at large. If no further action is taken, the number of people newly diagnosed with cancer every year in Europe will increase from the current 3.5 million to more than 4.3 million by 2035. Specific actions are required aiming to reverse these frightening trends in cancer. By joining efforts across Europe, research will prevent cancer cases, allow for earlier diagnosis, reduce suffering and improve cancer patients’ quality of life during and after cancer treatment.

Climate-neutral and smart cities

Cities play a pivotal role in achieving climate neutrality by 2050, the goal of the European Green Deal. They take up only 4% of the EU’s land area, but they are home to 75% of EU citizens. Furthermore, cities consume over 65% of the world’s energy and account for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions. European cities can substantially contribute to reducing emissions by 55% by 2030.
Research aims to involve local authorities, citizens, businesses, investors as well as regional and national authorities to: 1) Deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030 and 2) Ensure that these cities act as experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050.

Healthy oceans, seas, coastal and inland waters

Man-made, climate-driven changes are putting our ocean and waters and consequently our societies at a serious risk. The mission’s new, systemic approach will address the ocean and waters as one and play a key role in achieving climate neutrality and restoring nature. The research in this field will help to protect 30% of the EUs sea area as well as restore marine eco-systems and 25.000 km of free flowing rivers, prevent and eliminate pollution by reducing plastic litter at sea, nutrient losses and use of chemical pesticides and make the blue economy climate-neutral and circular with netzero maritime emissions.

Soil health and food

Soils are the basis of 95% of our food and other essential ecosystem services such as clean water, biodiversity and climate regulation. However, 60-70% of soils in the EU are considered to be “unhealthy”, making us more vulnerable to food insecurity and extreme weather events. Reseach in this field will engage with people and create effective partnerships across sectors and territories to protect and restore soils in Europe and beyond.

Cultural Heritage

Protect and save the world cultural heritage is one of the specific targets within the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. A common vision to make cities inclusive, safe, lasting and to preserve, enhance and develop their historical, social and linguistic characteristics.

Research in this field aims at define policies and best practices to enjoy the cultural heritage of our civilization, spreading the awareness that this wealth belongs to everyone and is for everyone.