Cost Action’s NexusNet’s Workshop, Co-creation and Sustainability on the NexusNet EXCELLENTIA mentoring program held at Thessaloniki, Greece on 23-24 September.
This exclusive workshop was hosted by Assistan Professor Giannis Adamos, the NexusNet Grant Holder Manager, Department of Civil Engineering and the Transport Engineering Laboratory (TEL) at the premises of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The event spanned two days and focused on insights, innovation, and collaboration concerning the Water-Energy-Food Nexus.
Professor Tamara Radjenovic from the University of Niš and Dr. Serena Caucci from the United Nations University collaboratively organized the workshop event.
On the inaugural day of the workshop, Prof. Chrysi Laspidou, the Chair of the NexusNet Cost Action, together with Assistant Professor Giannis Adamos and our esteemed hosts from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki—Professor Aikaterini Tsikaloudaki, Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering; Professor Professor Fotini Kehagia, Director of the Transport and Project Management Division; and Professor Srojan Glisovic, Dean of the Faculty of Occupational Safety from the University of Niš, Serbia—cordially welcomed the participants and guests.
The floor was allocated to an exceptional array of speakers who provided valuable insights into innovation, governance, and sustainability.
- Navigating Innovation: Strategies for turning ideas into impactful solutions by Inna Petrenko, Enrich Global
- From Student-Group to Reality: How Rhoé achieved its vision by Theocharis Vlachopanagiotis, Rhoé
- Exploring funding opportunities in the research world by Nafsika Stavridou, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, post-doctoral researcher
- Nexus enabling Governance: trends and challenges from DesirMED and Sustainable Tourism (interreg-euro-med.eu) projects by Alexia Spyridonidou, European Public Law Organisation
- Identifying and combining urban environmental stressors: an innovative, multi-faceted methodology for the Athens case study of the ARSINOE project by Dr. Georgios Papangelis, National Observatory of Athens
- SustainGraph: A Knowledge Graph for Tracking Progress and Interlinking of the Sustainable Development Goal by Christina-Maria Androna, National Technical University of Athens
- EU mission on adaptation to climate change – what it is all about by Tadej Stepinsik Perdih, National Technical University of Athens
The inaugural day of NexusNet EXCELLENTIA was successfully concluded, showcasing collaborative working sessions conducted outdoors between mentors and mentees.
The second day of the NexusNet Excellentia Mentoring Program’s Workshop was filled with informative project presentations, each addressing significant intersections within the NEXUS framework.
We had the privilege of receiving insights from prominent researchers and experts in the field.
- Unlocking Water Resilience through Better Water Governance Retouch Nexus Project presented by Maria Vrachioli, Technical University of Munich
- REXUS: From nexus thinking to nexus doing REXUS Project presented by José González Piqueras, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
- Climate-resilient regions through systemic solutions and innovations ARSINOE Project presented by Chrysi Laspidou, University of Thessaly
- Exploring the Water, Energy, Food, Transport and Health Nexus approach to enhance Biodiversity resilience under SSPs-RCPs scenarios at European level until 2100 BIONEXT Project presented by Alexandra Ioannou, University of Thessaly
- Accelerating and mainstreaming transformative Nature-Based solutions to enhance resilience to climate change for diverse biogeographical European regions NATALIE Project presented by Alexandra-Eleni Spyropoulou, University of Thessaly
- Streamlining water related policies NEXOGENESIS Project presented by Dr. Nikolaos Mellios, University of Thessaly
- Mitigating transport related air pollution in Europe MI-TRAP Project presented by Georgia Tseva, AMARANTHUS
- Mainstream mitigation pathways for a climate-conscious change in the food chain CHOICE Project presented by Argyrios Balatsoukas, University of Thessaly
- Assessing the Nexus implications of extreme events NexusNet COST Action presented by Cevza Melek Kazezyilmaz Alhan, Instanbul University & Dr. Dimitrios Kofinas, University of Thessaly
Inna Petrenko, Enrich Global led Enrich Global: Advancing Climate Change and Sustainability through Collaboration – Opportunities and initiatives for engagement
Following the conclusion of the NEXUSNet EXCELLENTIA Workshop, participants—including mentors, mentees, and project members—attended an informative presentation titled “Gender Balance: Co-creation and Sustainability,” which was conducted by Juliana Gomes Chediek and Luisa Prista.
The presentation underscored the importance of balanced representation in accordance with the Gender Equality Plan for the COST Association – European Cooperation in Science and Technology Activities. It highlighted that such representation enhances team resilience, promotes creativity, and facilitates deeper collaboration.
Prof. Tamara Radjenovic (University of Nis) and Dr. Serena Caucci (United Nations University) led an interactive and dynamic World Café activity at the end of the second day.
With a blend of “speed dating” and collaborative brainstorming, both young and senior researchers engaged in insightful discussions, exploring new synergies for future projects. The energy in the room was incredible, and the activity was a rich source of ideas and collaborations.
Lastly, we conducted the highly anticipated OPEN COMPETITION as a component of the NexusNet Excellentia Mentoring program. During this event, twelve talented mentees presented their work through five-minute pitch presentations.
The occasion was both inspiring and invigorating, showcasing the remarkable efforts of each participant.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Felipe Marivera, who received a grant of $1,000 attend any conference of his choice in 2025! His contribution was particularly distinguished in the eyes of Evaluation Committee.
We thoroughly appreciated the opportunities for networking that occurred during the coffee breaks, lunches, and dinners.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all individuals who contributed to making this experience impactful.
agenda: Nexus EXCELLENTIA-Workshop_agenda
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