"Diversity is a fact.
Inclusion is a choice."
- Zabeen Hirji -
About
Who we are
UniverCities is an association focused on bridging the gap between research and market in the urban and built environment landscape.​
It was founded with the intent to give continuity to research and innovation actions (in particular EU funded ones) and help them to develop into market services and products, creating sustainable models beyond the lifetime of the public funding mechanisms
Leveraging on research and technology organisations (RTO) as core members, UniverCities aims to be the new reference hub to encompass cross-cutting knowledge and professional skills together with the richness of cultural backgrounds, genders and ethnicities and turn them into answers to address urban challenges, nowadays undoubtedly global either at a large or local scale.
We are a team of architects, engineers, project managers, service designers, data analysts and behavioural experts bond by the desire to actively contribute to more equal and sustainable places for all.
UniverCities is a non-profit independent association that celebrates innovation through diversity as a driver to universal cities.
The ambition is to accelerate and boost the research transition to create more inclusive and environmentally friendly buildings and cities with a close eye to the needs of the people, in particular those groups which are less represented in decision making processes (women, ethnical minorities, youngsters, old people, disable etc etc).
We help Research and Innovation (R&I) to be fully inclusive, data to be fully representative, participatory processes to be heard, technology to be democratic, governance to be diverse, product and services to be flexible for different communities, power levels to be fair, finance models to be sustainable.
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Our Global Network
UniverCities works with more than 60 partners
from 22 countries in 4 continents.
AUSTRIA: Austria Tech | BANGLADESH: Sthapona Associates | BELGIUM: Radio-Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF), Eurocities, Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) | BULGARIA: Municipality of Varna | COLOMBIA: Gobierno de Bogotà | DENMARK: Aarhus Kommune, Danish Technological Institute (DTI), Aarhus University | EGYPT: Cairo Governorate | FRANCE: Agence national de la cohésion des territoires (ANCT) | GERMANY: Charité, ICLEI European Secretariat | GREECE: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), Municipality of Patras, University of West Attica, Development Agency of South Aegean Region (READ), University of Western Macedonia (UoWM) | INDIA: Madras Diabetes Reseach Foundation | ITALY: Comune di Orvieto, Comune di Stintino, Centro Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Gruppo Maggioli, Agenzia CasaClima, Città Metropolitana di Roma Capitale | LITHUANIA: Municipality of Klaipeda, Birzai District Municipality Administration | MEXICO: Tecnologico Nacional de México Campus Veracruz | NETHERLANDS: Crowdfunding Hub, Municipality of Heerenveen | NIGERIA: Uvwie, African Centre for Climate Actions and Rural Development (ACCARD) | POLAND: Airly, Konin Agglomeration | ROMANIA: Universitatea Tehnica de Constructii Bucaresti (UTCB), ARCEN, Bucharest Sector 2, Municipiul Ploiesti, Municipiul Brasov, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, SERVELECT | SIERRA LEONE: Freetown | SPAIN: Universitat Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), Bipolaire, Ayuntamiento de Castello de la Plana, Blockchain Intelligence, Ayuntamiento de Sant Boi de Llobregat, Ayuntamiento de Galapagar, Ayuntamiento de Malaga, Global Mediterraneo S.L., Instituto Tecnologico y de Energias Renovables (ITER), BEON Energia | UK: Equilibrium Network, EcoWise, inAfrika, Manchester City Council, Basildon City Council | UKRAINE: Institute for Urban Development of Vinnytsia City Council, Lviv City Institute | ZAMBIA: Kitwe |
Our Team
Our team is composed by crosscutting expertise,
with an international background and extensive professional
experience in EU and UN multidisciplinary projects and grants,
as well as supporting SMEs in accessing new markets
Daniela Melandri
President & Executive Director
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Sara Palumbo
Visual Designer
Adele Austin
Project Management Consultant
Vittoria Fazio
Senior Urban and Built and Environment Specialist
Tommaso Rossotti
EU Project Management Lead
Emma Turton
Personal & Financial Assistant
Agnese Riccetti
Head of R&D Project
Shaden Al Galaly
EU Project and Financial Manager
Steering Committee
The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki is the largest university in Greece. The main campus is located in the centre of the city of Thessaloniki, and covers an area of about 33.4 hectares. It comprises 10 faculties which consist of 40 schools and 1 single-School Faculty.