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.

EU-CONEXUS conference 2025

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

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

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
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
Algis Latakas

Director General, Klaipėda State Seaport Authority

Chasos Charalambos
Chasos Charalambos

Associate Professor at the Mechanical Engineering Department, Frederick University

Dimitrios Skliros
Dimitrios Skliros

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

Gema Roig
Gema Roig

Georgeta Bordea
Georgeta Bordea

Assistant Professor, La Rochelle University

Hendrik Jansen
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
Birute Struckcinskiene

Head of Public Health Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Klaipeda University, Lithuania

Ingrid Arnaudin

Jens Tränckner
Jens Tränckner

Professor Water Management, University of Rostock

Maria Eugenia López Gas
Maria Eugenia López Gas

Coordinator of the Big Data, Artificial Intelligence & Biostatistics Area

Sophie Mavrikou
Sophie Mavrikou

Zvjezdan Penezic
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
Anica Cuka

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

Cristiana Croitoru
Cristiana Croitoru

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

Ioannou Byron
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
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
Gerda Zigiene

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

Jaroslav Dvorak
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
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
Helen Hughes

Lecturer, South East Technological University

José Vicente Oliver
José Vicente Oliver

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

Juan Sapena
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
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.