Are you a 2nd or 3rd year bachelor student in (bio)chemistry, physics, materials science, or (bio)engineering? 

Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the future of innovative materials!

July 6–8, 2026

Campus Diepenbeek, Hasselt University (Belgium)

This 3-day summer school will introduce you to cutting-edge materials for:

Healthcare

Energy generation, storage & efficiency

Sustainable technologies

Quantum technologies

Enjoy a dynamic programme combining expert lectures and hands-on experiences, delivered by UHasselt faculty and international speakers.

Secure your spot and be part of the next generation shaping innovative materials!

Application deadline: 24 May 2026

Apply here: www.eurecapro.eu/summer-school-materiomics-2026

The EURECA-PRO project is co-funded by the European Union under the Grant Agreement No 101124439 "EURECA-PRO 2.0". Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

On Wednesday, April 22, 2026, TUC hosted Dr. Adam Długosz, Associate Professor with the Department of Computational Mechanics and Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Silesian University of Technology (SUT), Poland.

Prof. Długosz's delivered a lecture on "Selected Aspects of Multicriteria Optimization Problems in Mechanical Engineering using Metaheuristic Algorithms" (all details about this lecture can be found on the linked announcement).

On the right tab of this post, you can view the photo album of the event, as well as watch the video of the lecture.

EURECA-PRO is funded by the European Union under the Grant Agreement No 101124439 "EURECA-PRO 2.0". Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

"Decision-Making and Optimisation for Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Systems"

which will take place on

Tuesday April 28, 2026, 16:00-17:30 CET (17:00-18:30 @ TUC)

In this inspiring PhD seminar, three doctoral candidates will present their latest work addressing key challenges in climate risk, sustainable governance, and advanced optimization methods. This seminar offers a unique look into how different systems – from natural environments to organizations and industrial processes – can respond to growing sustainability and climate challenges and how innovative research approaches contribute to more resilient, responsible, and energy-efficient systems. Meet some of the EURECA-PRO PhD students (with TUC contribution this time!) and learn about their exciting research!

• Julius Emmanuel Emuriat, Silesian University of Technology, Poland
  Impact of Selected Climate Features on Disaster Landslides with Climate Change Factors in East Africa
   
• Alain Patience Ihimbazwe Ndanguza, Silesian University of Technology, Poland
  Managerial Competence and Corporate Social Responsibility
   
• Maria Tsiftsoglou, Technical University of Crete, Greece
  A Multi-Objective Firefly Algorithm for Solving the Energy-Efficient Permutation Flow Shop Problem

Find out more and register for free to attend on this page:

www.eurecapro.eu/decision-making-for-sustainable-climate

The event may be photographed, video-recorded or broadcast live through the official channels of EURECA-PRO and its partners. This digital material may be used by EURECA-PRO and its partners for reporting, archival, and dissemination purposes across EURECA-PRO's and partners' official websites and social media channels.

EURECA-PRO is funded by the European Union under the Grant Agreement No 101124439 "EURECA-PRO 2.0". Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

📍 TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany | 🗓 June 8–12, 2026

Celebrate this milestone edition with young researchers from across Europe! Engage in interdisciplinary discussions, hands-on training on sustainability, exciting excursions, and vibrant networking in Germany’s historic mining and innovation hub.

✅ Free participation and possible travel support via ERASMUS
✅ Main language: English
✅ Applications open for PhD students from EURECA-PRO universities (extended deadline: May 8, 2026)

🎙️Hear From Past Participants✨

Curious what the experience is really like? Get first-hand insights! All the links can be found in the comments.

Don’t miss this chance to connect, learn, and celebrate research excellence! ✨

Apply now: www.eurecapro.eu/20th-freiberg-colloquium-of-young-researchers

The EURECA-PRO project is co-funded by the European Union under the Grant Agreement No 101124439 "EURECA-PRO 2.0". Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

📅 Starting April 20, 2026

📍 Online and On-campus | Auditorium H4, Hasselt University (Campus Diepenbeek), Belgium

Join the Master of Materiomics at Hasselt University for an exciting lecture series featuring 5 expert talks on innovative materials design shaping tomorrow’s technologies.

🔬 Explore cutting-edge topics:

• Quantum materials
• Circular & sustainable polymers
• Early-stage lung cancer detection
• Computational materials modelling
• Advanced energy materials for solar & CO₂ conversion

👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 Connect with leading experts, researchers, and students in a dynamic hybrid format designed to inspire the next generation of materials innovators.

🎟️ Free participation – registration required

👉 Register now and secure your spot: www.eurecapro.eu/materialize-the-future-2026

The EURECA-PRO project is co-funded by the European Union under the Grant Agreement No 101124439 "EURECA-PRO 2.0". Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

The agenda includes the following topics:

• “Introduction to LCA of CRMs: the case of battery-grade lithium production”
  presented by Dr. Georgios Bartzas, LITHOS project
   
• “Sustainable and Cost-Effective Lithium Extraction from Li-bearing hard rock ores: Process Simulation and Techno-Economic Analysis using SUPERPRO Designer”
  presented by Associate Professor Dimitrios Ipsakis, EXCEED project
   
• “From Environmental Thinking to Social Insight: Introducing Social-LCA”
  presented by Mrs. Antonia Papadaki, Researcher, XTRACT project

The webinar is open to undergraduate and graduate students, early-stage researchers, and professionals interested in enhancing their knowledge in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Social Life Cycle Assessment, and Techno Economical Assessment (ΤΕΑ) in Mining and Processing Activities for CRMs Production.

This joint initiative aims to communicate the scientific achievements of each project, while strengthening collaboration and knowledge exchange among projects working towards sustainable and responsible mining of critical raw materials.

If you are interested please register here by 26 April 2026!

The registered participants will receive an email with the Capacity Building Seminar’s Zoom link.

#LITHOS #EXCEED #XTRACT #CRMs #Sustainability #LCA # s-LCA #TEA #Clustering webinar #HorizonEurope

The next lecture of the series will be delivered by Dr. Adam Długosz, Associate Professor at the Department of Computational Mechanics and Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology (SUT), Poland, one of the partner universities in EURECA-PRO. Dr. Długosz will be visiting TUC for the whole week starting the 20th of April 2026, meeting members of TUC Faculty and Staff. Dr. Długosz is visiting TUC with the support of EURECA-PRO TUC.

Prof. Długosz's lecture is titled:

"Selected Aspects of Multicriteria Optimization Problems
in Mechanical Engineering using Metaheuristic Algorithms"

and is scheduled to take place on

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 13:30 EET (12:30 CET)

and can be attended either physically or virtually:

Room K2.A1 "Panagiotis Manolopoulos" (School of CEE @ TUC Campus)​
https://tuc-gr.zoom.us/j/91205761164?pwd=uDZrhimZXsb12AG8bRckETJnUOshaa.1

The lecture is open to all interested members of TUC and EURECA-PRO.

Abstract

During the lecture, the developed methods and algorithms of multicriteria optimization using metaheuristic algorithms for selected topics in mechanical engineering will be presented. It will cover the performance of the developed methods and their practical applications, such as in the optimization of composite structures, MEMS systems, and others. The optimization criteria are determined by solving appropriate boundary value problems using the finite element method (FEM). A brief overview of the coupling of FEM software and the optimization algorithms used will also be presented.

Short Bio

Dr. Adam Długosz (PhD Eng.) is an Associate Professor with the Department of Computational Mechanics and Engineering in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, Poland. His academic interests focus on multi-criteria optimization, metaheuristic optimization methods, numerical modeling of coupled problems and application of CAE systems in identification and optimization tasks.

The event may be broadcast live through the official TUC Facebook page and will be recorded, while photographic material will be taken. The digital material will be displayed on the websites and on the official channels of the Technical University of Crete, EURECA-PRO TUC and the European University EURECA-PRO and will be published on social media, press releases and newsletters. For any issue, which concerns your personal data, you can be informed through the page with TUC's privacy policy.

EURECA-PRO is funded by the European Union under the Grant Agreement No 101124439 "EURECA-PRO 2.0". Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

• EURECA-PRO PhD Workshop with active participation in the InterTechDoc Conference 2026
  Dates on site: 8–12 June 2026
  Venue: Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland
  (up to 5 PhD candidates from TUC, mobility fully financed by SUT)
   
• HI-EURECA-PRO Hackathon on Industrial Heritage and online course "Introduction to Life Cycle Assessment"
  Dates on site: 8–12 June 2026
  Venue: Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland
  (up to 2 PhD candidates and 2 students from TUC, mobility fully financed by SUT)

Up-to-date information about the two events, including a detailed schedule, is available at the links provided above.

The grants are funded under the NAWA project "Continuation of support for joint activities within the EURECA-PRO European University (2025 call for applications)", financed by the European Funds for Social Development. Please note that each participant may be assigned to only one event; simultaneous participation to both events is not possible.

Interested TUC PhD candidates and TUC undergraduate/Master's students must submit their application by email from their institutional (tuc.gr) account to eureca-pro<at>tuc.gr attaching the following documents:

1. an updated and detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV) in English, including volunteering and team activities
2. a recent (April 2026) TUC certificate in English indicating active student status in the current TUC study program
3. a recent (April 2026) TUC transcript of grades in English from the current TUC study program
4. the PhD thesis topic and the name of the PhD thesis advisor (PhD candidates only)
5. a prioritized preference list for the two mobility events (PhD candidates only)
6. a short essay in English outlining the purpose of participation to the selected event(s)

The deadline to submit applications is 28 April 2026. Please note that only PhD candidates can apply for both events, if they wish, but they can be selected for participation to only one of them, based on their listed preference.

The selection of TUC participants will be made by a committee of TUC faculty members from various TUC Schools and will be based on academic record and merit.

Regarding funding, a maximum of 7 days will be covered (5 days for onsite activities and 2 days for travel). Various accommodation options (on-campus and off-campus) are available, ranging from 30€ to 80€ per day. For participants travelling from Greece, the total grant amount is about 1100€ (TUC students) or 1150€ (TUC PhD candidates).

This is a really great mobility opportunity! Don't let it go! Apply now!

The EURECA-PRO project is co-funded by the European Union under the Grant Agreement No 101124439 "EURECA-PRO 2.0". Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

Part of the EURECA-PRO Innovation & Entrepreneurship Programme, this course introduces students to social and rural entrepreneurship through a combination of theoretical insights, practical exercises, and interactive sessions. Structured into seven units across three main parts, it blends video lectures, presentations, live sessions, and guided feedback to give students hands-on experience in transforming real-world challenges into sustainable, purpose-driven ventures.

The course begins with social entrepreneurship, exploring its core concepts, its distinction from the public, private, and third sectors, and the triple bottom line approach that integrates economic, social, and environmental impact. Students examine global trends such as the circular economy and B Corps, and learn to identify opportunities by detecting challenges, analysing stakeholders, and applying tools like Design Thinking to develop user-centered solutions. Practical exercises include analysing local social enterprises and proposing innovative solutions.

The second part focuses on rural entrepreneurship, highlighting its unique characteristics and differences from urban contexts. Students explore diverse sectors beyond agriculture and understand institutional support mechanisms, including funding strategies and stakeholder engagement. Workshops provide hands-on experience analysing programs like SIMRA, demonstrating how rural ventures can thrive in context-specific environments.

The final part addresses business models and impact measurement. Students work with the Business Model Canvas and Social Business Model Canvas, explore different social enterprise models, and learn to measure and communicate impact using ESG indicators and standards such as GRI, SASB, and NEIS. Practical exercises guide them in developing their own social business model and defining meaningful impact metrics.

• ⏳ Dates: 04.05.2026 – 01.06.2026
• 🌍 Language: English
• 👉 Mode: online
• 🌟 Eligibility: anyone
• 🎓 ECTS: 1
• 🏛 Organising Institution: Universidad de León, Spain
• 🔗 Registration form: via EURECA-PRO Moodle LMS
• 📅 Registration end date: April 20, 2026

Please, take a look also at the series of three I&E courses in the EURECA-PRO Innovation & Entrepreneurship Programme 2026, shown on the poster to the right. The first course, offered by TUC has already concluded, but two more, offered by ULE and HSMW, are upcoming.

The EURECA-PRO project is co-funded by the European Union under the Grant Agreement No 101124439 "EURECA-PRO 2.0". Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

Mark your calendars for the on-site component of the upcoming EURECA-PRO PhD Journey 2026, taking place at two partners, the Technical University of Crete (TUC) (Chania, Greece) and the University of Lorraine (UL) (Nancy, France), during the period of 23–27 November 2026.

This unique experience will bring together doctoral candidates from across the EURECA-PRO alliance for an engaging programme of academic exchange, networking, and interdisciplinary learning. More details on participation and the programme will follow soon.

Please, note that EURECA-PRO doctoral students cannot apply for the PhD Journey at their home partner institution. Therefore, TUC doctoral students can only apply to University of Lorraine (UL) for the upcoming PhD Journey 2026!

We look forward to welcoming all of you in this year's PhD Journey! Stay tuned!

The EURECA-PRO project is co-funded by the European Union under the Grant Agreement No 101124439 "EURECA-PRO 2.0". Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.