EU-CONEXUS conference 2025
Transformative Research for Urban Coastal Sustainability
📅 21-23 October 2025
📍Catholic University of Valencia (Campus Trinitarios), Valencia (Spain)
UCV will host the third edition of EU-CONEXUS Conference, titled ‘Transformative Research for Urban Coastal Sustainability’, focuses on reimagining how coastal cities tackle their challenges. By integrating social, environmental, and economic dimensions, the conference aims to foster innovative, collaborative solutions that transcend conventional approaches.
The conference centres on long-term strategies and technologies that radically reshape urban systems making them more resilient, sustainable, and adaptable to threats such as climate change, population growth, and environmental degradation. At the same time, it aims to prepare cities for a more sustainable and equitable future. Through cross-disciplinary collaboration and active engagement with communities and stakeholders, this research paves the way for more liveable and resilient coastal cities.

Ways of participating:
- Participating in round table as speakers or moderators on a specific topic and interrelated subtopics.
- Presenting posters.
- Participating in workshops to discuss future project applications to European calls, preferably those identified in advance.
- Actively engaging in Conference discussions on the latest research trends and results and interacting with experts and stakeholders.
Conference topics

Data-Driven Decision Making
Transformative research often relies on innovative technologies and data analytics to provide real-time information that supports better decision-making. Using satellite data, sensors, and artificial intelligence (AI) can help cities respond more quickly to emerging challenges. Moreover, effective data management ensures quality and reliability, leading to better analyses and strategies for sustainability. In a cooperative setting, interoperability and data sharing foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, integrating diverse perspectives to drive innovation in
addressing complex environmental issues.
Sustainable Health and Disease Management
This concept considers the health of people, animals, and ecosystems as interconnected, ensuring that urban coastal sustainability efforts protect both human well-being and the health of natural environments, while also promoting biodiversity.


Adaptive and Resilient Urban Systems. Smart Infrastructures
Transformative research prioritizes building adaptive capacity in coastal cities to climate change by developing flexible infrastructure, policies, and technologies. Cities must not only mitigate impacts but also build resilience to rising sea levels and extreme weather. Smart infrastructure improves urban services like water, electricity, and transport, reducing ecological footprints and enhancing sustainability.
Community and Stakeholder Engagement
A key component of transformative research is the emphasis on inclusive, participatory
processes. For a transformation to be sustainable, it must involve local communities, decisionmakers, scientists, and businesses. This collaborative approach ensures that the solutions are tailored to local contexts and have the support and buy-in of those affected by them. It also considers social equity, ensuring that vulnerable populations (e.g., low-income communities, marginalized groups) are not left behind in the transition to a more sustainable future.


Sustainable Economic Models
Transformative research explores new economic models that promote sustainability while fostering economic growth. This could involve developing business models for the blue economy (economies that rely on ocean resources), transitioning industries to low-carbon practices, or creating financial incentives for sustainable practices. The goal is to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation and foster a circular economy.
Posters
The call for posters is now closed
EU-CONEXUS researchers, postdocs and PhD students are invited to present their research results or showcase the latest research projects through posters, which will be presented during the Conference on 22-23 October 2025.
The posters will assist in matchmaking and networking for future international collaboration in research projects, while the most voted poster and the most active voter will receive a prize.
Participation in conference
The (co)authors of selected posters will be invited to participate in the conference. Participation is free of charge for EU-CONEXUS universities’ researchers and PhD students. The travel cost can be co-financed by EU-CONXUS member university (please get in contact with EU-CONEXUS Institutional Coordinator at your university for more details).
The posters will be published by UCV in Valencia. High-resolution images (300 dpi or higher) shall be submitted through abstracts submission platform by 21 September 2025.
Poster submission guidelines >
Publishing of full papers
We call all poster presenters to consider publishing their full papers based on a poster presentation in EU-CONEXUS newly established open access journal Coastal Resilience and Sustainability. It is an interdisciplinary, international, peer-reviewed diamond open access scientific journal. Call for submissions of the full papers will be available on the conference website and more details will be announced shortly.
Workshops
The Conference will hold workshops to discuss future project applications for European calls,
focusing on EU-CONEXUS Joint Research Institute challenges and Conference topics.
These sessions will help researchers refine their project proposals and foster collaboration in
transdisciplinary areas of their interest.
More information will be announced in June-July 2025.
Programme
Venue: Campus Trinitarios. Address: 2, Trinitarios St. Valencia
Tuesday 21 October
15:00-16:30
Optional
Guided tour of Valencia
Optional
Bilateral meetings
16:00-17:00
Registration
17:00-18.00
Opening of the conference
Welcome speeches:
Generalitat Valenciana
City Council
Dr. José Maria Tormos Muñoz, Vice-Rector for Research (UCV), Chair of EU-CONEXUS Research Council
Mr Fernando Miguel Galán Palomares, EU-CONEXUS Executive Director
18:00-19:45
Round table 1: Data Driven Decision Making (Smart cities, Environmental data and monitoring and AI)
Moderator:
Dr Susan Flynn (SETU)
Speakers:
Dr. Hendrik Jansen (UROS)
Dr. Dimitrios Skliros (AUA)
Dr. Georgeta Bordea (LRUniv)
Dr. Chasos Charalambos (FredU)
Ms Gema Roig (Valencia Innovation Capital – Las Naves)
20:00-23:00
Welcome Networking dinner
ATENEO Restaurant, Pl. de l’Ajuntament, 18, 6ª Floor
Wednesday 22 October
Campus Trinitarios (Calle Trinitarios, 2, Valencia) / Aula Magna – Ground Floor
9:00-10:30
Round table 2: Sustainable Health and Disease Management
Moderator:
Dr. Zvjezdan Penezic, Vice-Rector Scientific Affairs and Information Infrastructure (UNIZD)
Speakers:
Dr. Birute Strukcinskiene (KU)
Dr. Sophie Mavrikou (AUA)
Dr. Ingrid Arnaudin (LRUniv)
Dr. Jens Tränckner (UROS)
Dr. María Eugenia López Gas (Health Research Institute Hospital La Fe, Valencia)
10:30-11:00
Coffee Break
11:00-12:30
Round table 3: Adaptive and Resilient Urban Systems. Smart Infrastructures.
Moderator:
Mr José Luis Muñoz, Senior Advisor in Innovation, Strategy, and Transformation. Former director of EIT KIC Climate Spain
Speakers:
Dr. Cristiana Croitoru (UTCB)
Representative from the Port of Klaipeda (Lithuania)
Dr. Ioannou Byron (FredU)
Dr. Anica Cuka (UNIZD)
12:30-14:00
Lunch
14:00-15:30
Round table 4: Community and Stakeholder Engagement
Moderator:
Dr. Gerda Zigiene, Lithuanian Responsible Business Association, Kaunas University of Technology
Speakers:
Dr. Amy Allen (SETU)
Dr. Loucia Dimitriou (FredU)
Dr. Jaroslav Dvorak (KU)
Dr. Vicent Almenara (UCV)
Ms Stefani Mikulec Perkovic, (Department for EU Funds, City of Zadar)
15:30-16:00
Break
16:00-18:00
Workshops EU calls
4 rooms
18:00-20:00
Poster session and coctail
Thursday 23 October
Campus Trinitarios (Calle Trinitarios, 2, Valencia) / Aula Magna – Ground Floor
9:00-10.30
Round table 5: Sustainable Economic Models
Moderator:
Dr. Juan Sapena (UCV)
Speakers:
Dr. Helen Hughes (SETU)
Dr. José Vicente Oliver, (Polytechnic University of Valencia)
Mr Raúl Martín Calvo, (KMZero Food Innovation Hub, Spain)
Dr. Pierre Labardin (LRUniv)
Dr. Pablo Fernández Méndez, (Ingenio UPV, Spain)
10:30-11:00
Coffee Break
11:00-12.30
Closing ceremony
Moderators:
Dr. José Maria Tormos Muñoz, Vice-Rector for Research (UCV)
Dr. Zvjezdan Penezic, Vice-Rector for Scientific Affairs and Information Infrastructure (UNIZD)
Dr. Stefano Zamagni (University of Bologna, Italy)
12:30-13:30
Poster awwards
13:30-15:00
Farewell lunch
Tasting of a Valencian paella
15:00-16:30
Optional
Guided tour of Valencia
Optional
Bilateral meetings
Speakers
Workshop leaders
Adriana Sumanaru

Lino Gruber
Project Officer, La Rochelle Université
Lucie Vaucel
Round table 1: Data Driven Decision Making (Smart cities, Environmental data and monitoring and AI) (Tuesday 21 October | 18:00)

Algis Latakas
Director General, Klaipėda State Seaport Authority

Chasos Charalambos
Associate Professor at the Mechanical Engineering Department, Frederick University

Dimitrios Skliros
Assistant Professor at the Department of Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens

Gema Roig

Georgeta Bordea
Assistant Professor, La Rochelle University

Hendrik Jansen
Professor for Sustainable Urban Design and Mobility, University of Rostock
Mike Kinsella
Round table 2: Sustainable Health and Disease Management (Wednesday 22 October | 9:00)

Birute Struckcinskiene
Head of Public Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Klaipeda University, Lithuania
Ingrid Arnaudin

Jens Tränckner
Professor Water Management, University of Rostock

Maria Eugenia López Gas
Coordinator of the Big Data, Artificial Intelligence & Biostatistics Area

Sophie Mavrikou

Zvjezdan Penezic
Vice-rector for Science and Information Infrastructure, Professor of Psychology, University of Zadar, Department of Psychology, Croatia
Round table 3: Adaptive and Resilient Urban Systems. Smart Infrastructures (Wednesday 22 October | 11:00)
Alexandru Aldea

Anica Cuka
Full professor, Department of Geography, University of Zadar, Croatia

Cristiana Croitoru
Associate Professor in Sustainability of the Built Environment, Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest

Ioannou Byron
Professor of Urban Planning, Head of the Department of Architecture and Director of Urban Planning and Design Unit, Frederick University

José Luis Muñoz
Senior Advisor & Expert in Innovation, Strategy, and Transformation
Round table 4: Community and Stakeholder Engagement (Wednesday 22 October | 14:00)
Amy Allen
South East Technological University (SETU)- Wexford Campus

Gerda Zigiene
Board Member and Professor of Finance and Sustainability, Lithuanian Responsible Business Association/ Kaunas University of Technology

Jaroslav Dvorak
Professor, head of dept. of public administration and political sciences, Klaipeda University
José Vicente Almenar
Loucia Dimitriou
Professor of Cross-Cultural Developmental Psychology, FREDERICK University

Stefani Mikulec Perković
Head of the Department for EU Funds in the City of Zadar
Round table 5: Sustainable Economic Models (Wednesday 23 October | 9:00)

Helen Hughes
Lecturer, South East Technological University

José Vicente Oliver
Full Professor, Director of RG Group ITACA-ICTvsCC (ICT against Climate Change), UPV

Juan Sapena
Full professor of the Economics Department at the UCV, Catholic University of Valencia
Pablo Fernández Méndez
Investigador, Instituto de Gestion de la Innovación y del Conocimiento

Pierre Labardin
Full professor, La Rochelle University
Raúl Martín Calvo
CEO, Familia Martínez
Arrival
We are delighted to welcome you to the Catholic University of Valencia, in Valencia – the city of light, orange trees, Las Fallas, and the birthplace of paella.
To help you settle in, we’ve prepared a practical guide with tips and recommendations on where to stay, how to get around, and other useful information.
To book any of the hotels listed in the guide, please do so using the following link.