SmUCS is a unique thematic focus that concentrates all university missions on finding solutions to global societal challenges faced by urbanised and semi-urbanised coastal areas.
This societal challenge is global in scope, since 60% of the global population lives within 100km of the coast, and the “land-sea” interface is the first area threatened by the climate transition and the rise of the oceans.
The thematic focus creates a unique competitive advantage for EU- CONEXUS which is well positioned to assemble and build on thematic expertise from all its partners and regional ecosystems, through inter- and transdisciplinary based approaches. With this focused expertise EU-CONEXUS contributes to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), and to integrated holistic coastal zone management.