BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.3.5//EN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:5@charm-eu.eu DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261014 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261015 DTSTAMP:20260730T100440Z URL:https://charm-eu.eu/news-events/events/charm-eu-annual-conference-2026 / SUMMARY:CHARM-EU Annual Conference 2026 DESCRIPTION: \n In an era of accelerating geopolitical\, tec hnological\, and environmental crisis\, what is the anchor that prevents o ur societies from drifting apart? This question lies at the heart of the C HARM-EU Annual Conference 2026. As we face disruptions that test our socia l fabric\, we recognize that true resilience depends on foundational value s—democracy\, trust\, and inclusion. These values underpin resilient soc ieties and enable constructive dialogue and collective action in times of crisis.European University Alliances are uniquely positioned to protect th ese values by serving as long-term\, systemic spaces for democratic learni ng and practice. By integrating innovative governance\, transdisciplinary research\, and deep engagement with our cities and regions\, we are moving beyond traditional education to build sustainable welfare societies. At t he conference\, we will gather to explore how our transnational cooperatio n can act as a platform for co-creation\, ensuring a resilient future for Europe and beyond.Sessions will cover topics such as: Social Entrepreneur shipTransdisciplinarityThe role of alliances in times of crisesDemocratic values in the classroomOpen ScienceDemocracy labsVenue: Astra\, Porthanink atu 3\, Turku\, Finland in an on-site formatHow to arrive: https://share.g oogle/Gm1ISsiOAo11s9cMO Format: On-site with partial live streaming. The morning pannel session will be live streamed on the CHARM-EU YouTube Chann el. The rest of the conference is designed to be attended onsite only.Host of the CHARM-EU Annual Conference 2026: Åbo Akademi University \n \ n Registrations are open\n \n CALL for posters \n The Open Call for Posters for the CHARM-EU Annual Conference 2026 is officiall y live. Whether you are an academic\, a student\, support staff\, or an ex ternal stakeholder\, we want to hear your voice on topics like inclusive u niversity cultures\, educational innovation\, and transnational cooperatio n.If accepted\, you'll get to pitch your work in person this October 14th at Åbo Akademi University in Turku\, Finland. There you will engage with higher education change-makers\, and have your work featured in the CHARM- EU resource centre.Don’t miss your chance to contribute to sustainable w elfare societies—review the submission guidelines and submit your abstra ct before September 15th. \n \n View the Open Call\n \n PROGRAMME \n Full speaker lineup and detailed session abstracts are currently being finalized. Please check back for updates. \n \n \n Morning Sessions \n \n \n \n 8:00 –\; 9:00 R egistration &\; Coffee9:00 –\; 9:15 Opening by Rector Professor Gu nilla WidénRector of host university ÅAU\, Professor Gunilla Widén\, w elcomes the conference participants. 9:15 –\; 9:45 Universities as d emocratic actors Keynote Speech by ÅAU Professor Kimmo Grönlund9:45 R 11\; 10:45 From Mobility to Democratic resilience: The Role of European Un iversity alliancesPanel SessionEuropean University alliances are often fra med as vehicles for mobility and institutional cooperation\, yet their pot ential role in supporting democratic values remains underdeveloped. In a c ontext of growing political fragmentation across Europe\, this panel exami nes how alliances can move beyond exchange formats such as Erasmus+ and co ntribute to democratic resilience. Moderator: Doris Alexander\, Associate Director of European Engagement and Director of CHARM-EU\, Trinity Colleg e Dublin\; Chair\, Research &\; Innovation Topical Group\, FOREU4ALLPan elists: Anders Adlercreutz\, Finland’\;s Minister of EducationMaria Kelo\, European University Association (EUA)Rapporteur: Lena Wassermann\, Advisor to the Vice President for Internationalisation at the University o f Würzburg and supports the university’s strategic engagement within th e CHARM-EU Alliance10:45 –\; 11:15 Coffee Break11:15 –\; 11:30 E nergizer11:30 –\; 12:15 Design processes and initiatives for promo ting sustainability leadership\, civic engagement and inclusive mindset : the REDINEST Impact Labs Interactive LectureGet inspired by the story o f a journey that transformed the entrepreneurship education for computer s cience students into an international level interdisciplinary and impact ful initiative: educational methods\, goals\, achievements\, and activiti es for a student-powered and challenge-based impact lab network for the de velopment of transformative competencies and inclusive mindset. Share yo ur thoughts and ideas on creating cross-subject\, cross-faculty and cross- institutional learning opportunities that form sustainability leadership a nd civic engagement skills of future changemakers. Lecturer: Dr. Barbara Hegyi\, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Coordinator at Eötvös Loránd University Budapest (ELTE)Rapporteurs: Anikó Gál Bélteki and Fe renc Takó from Eötvös Loránd University Budapest (ELTE)12:15 –\; 12:30 Group Picture12:30 –\; 13:30 Lunch \n \n \n \n Afternoon Sessions \n \n \n \n 13:30 –\; 15 :00 Workshops –\; parallel sessions \n \n Workshop 1 \n \n \n Workshop 2 \n \n \n Workshop 3 \n \n \n Workshop 4 \n \n \n Workshop 5 \n \n \n Workshop 6&\; 7 \n \n Social Entrepreneurship: Building Solutions for Resilie nt Communities How can we turn academic ideas into tools for societal wel fare? This workshop explores the link between innovation and social impact . Participants will work in small groups to “\;pitch”\; a soluti on to a local community challenge\, focusing on how entrepreneurship can s upport democratic values like equity and inclusion. Speakers and Facilita tors: Sonia CantelMaria HämäläinenPhoebe SacaresRaporteur: Roland Thal er \n How to make your research or teaching methodologies m ore transdisciplinar?Moving from theory to practice\, this session explore s how researchers and teachers can adapt their projects/work on a more tr ansdisciplinar way of doing things.Speakers and Facilitators: Dr. Jake R owan Byrne\,  Co-Director of CHARM-EU and Assistant Professor in Contemp orary Teaching and Learning at the School of Education\, Trinity College DublinOriol Uviedo Palomas\, Laboratory and project technician\, specialized in microplastics and citizen science\, University of Barcelona Roger Strand\, full professor at the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities and researcher in the Theory of Science research group at the University of BergenRapporteur: Dr. Mireia Via\, Research Support Technician at CHARM-EU \n From Inclusion to Resilience: Eu ropean University Alliances in times of crises In recent years\, unive rsities and alliances have had to respond to different types of cr ises: social inequalities\, mental health issues\, migration\, politi cal tensions\, climate-related challenges and increasing mistrust to wards institutions.  At the same time\, European University Allian ces are becoming long-term cooperation structures with the capacity  to connect universities\, local stakeholders and communities acros s borders.  This workshop would like to explore a simple question:  beyond academic cooperation\, how can alliances connect and support people and communities in times of crisis?  The workshop would also  be an opportunity to exchange experiences between alliances and r eflect collectively on what could realistically be developed toget her in the future.   \n CHARM-EU Values in the Classroo m: Practical Methods   How do we teach democracy? More importantly\, ho w do we create learning environments that allow students to experience dem ocratic values in practice? This interactive session invites educators and students to explore how CHARM-EU values can be meaningfully embedded into teaching through Challenge-Based Learning (CBL).Together\, we will examin e different dimensions of democracy in education: teaching about democracy \, teaching democratic values\, and democratising the classroom itself. Th rough discussion and a hands-on CBL mini-workshop\, participants will expl ore practical approaches for facilitating respectful dialogue\, navigating controversial topics\, engaging diverse stakeholders\, and fostering part icipation in classrooms shaped by political\, cultural\, and societal tens ions.Speakers &\; Facilitators: Nelli Piehl\, CHARM-EU alumna and Teac hing and Project Assistant at Åbo AkademiMartin Meggele Sjøen\, Professo r of Educational Studies at the Institute of Education\, University of Ber genChristoph Mohamad-Klotzbach\, Political Scientist at the Institute of P olitical Science and Sociology at the JMU WürzburgRapporteurs:Nina Shiel Ádám Tóth \n Open Science Made Simple: Sharing Knowledge for a Stronger Society Open Science is often seen as a technical hurdle\ , but it is a democratic tool. This workshop provides a “\;starter ki t”\; for researchers to make their work open and transparent. We will discuss the benefits of sharing data and how it builds public trust in sc ience and democratic institutions. Speakers &\; Facilitators: Balázs Aczél\, Vice Dean for Science at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of Eötvös Loránd UniversityMalin FredrikssonRapporteurs:Anikó Gál B éltekiFerenc Takó \n  In the democratic lab: live delibe rative experimentThe results of this experiment (including an analysis ba sed on the questionnaires) will be presented with the closing remarks in 10-15 minutes.Facilitators:Isak VentoVilppu Kuusipalo \n 1 5:00 –\; 15:20 Poster Session –\; One-minute Pitches\nThe poster session will be a space where members of European University Alliances\, university staff\, students and external stakeholders can exchange ideas a nd discuss \;the \;posters. Poster presenters will give a minute p itch and then engage in discussions. \;\n15:20 –\; 16:00 Poster S ession &\; Coffee Break \;\n16:00 –\; 16:15 Interactive Quiz\n Cultural interactive \;quiz with questions from CHARM-EU universities\ , cities\, countries\, traditions\, music\, food\, culture in general\, fo otball\, etc.\n16:15 –\; 17:00 Closing session \n \n \n \n Evening Programme \n \n \n \n 17:15 –\ ; 19:00 Cocktail with musical elements \n \n 8:00 - 9:00 Regis tration &\; Coffee9:00 - 9:15 Opening by Rector Professor Gunilla Wid énRector of host university ÅAU\, Professor Gunilla Widén\, welcomes th e conference participants. 9:15 - 9:45 Universities as democratic actors Keynote Speech by ÅAU Professor Kimmo Grönlund9:45 - 10:45 From Mobility to Democratic resilience: The Role of European University alliancesPanel SessionEuropean University alliances are often framed as vehicles for mobi lity and institutional cooperation\, yet their potential role in supportin g democratic values remains underdeveloped. In a context of growing politi cal fragmentation across Europe\, this panel examines how alliances can mo ve beyond exchange formats such as Erasmus+ and contribute to democratic r esilience. Moderator: Doris Alexander\, Associate Director of European En gagement and Director of CHARM-EU\, Trinity College Dublin\; Chair\, Resea rch &\; Innovation Topical Group\, FOREU4ALLPanelists: Anders Adlercre utz\, Finland's Minister of EducationMaria Kelo\, European University Asso ciation (EUA)Rapporteur: Lena Wassermann\, Advisor to the Vice President f or Internationalisation at the University of Würzburg and supports the un iversity’s strategic engagement within the CHARM-EU Alliance10:45 - 11:1 5 Coffee Break11:15 - 11:30 Energizer11:30 - 12:15 Design processes and initiatives for promoting sustainability leadership\, civic engagement  and inclusive mindset: the REDINEST Impact Labs Interactive LectureGet inspired by the story of a journey that transformed the entrepreneurship e ducation for computer science students into an international level inter disciplinary and impactful initiative: educational methods\, goals\, achi evements\, and activities for a student-powered and challenge-based impact lab network for the development of transformative competencies and inclu sive mindset. Share your thoughts and ideas on creating cross-subject\, c ross-faculty and cross-institutional learning opportunities that form sust ainability leadership and civic engagement skills of future changemakers.  Lecturer: Dr. Barbara Hegyi\, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Coordinator at Eötvös Loránd University Budapest (ELTE)Rapporteurs: Ani kó Gál Bélteki and Ferenc Takó from Eötvös Loránd University Budap est (ELTE)12:15 - 12:30 Group Picture12:30 - 13:30 Lunch13:30 - 15:00 Work shops - parallel sessions \n \n Workshop 1 \n \n \n Works hop 2 \n \n \n Workshop 3 \n \n \n Workshop 4 \n \n \n Workshop 5 \n \n \n Workshop 6&\;7 \n \n So cial Entrepreneurship: Building Solutions for Resilient Communities How c an we turn academic ideas into tools for societal welfare? This workshop e xplores the link between innovation and social impact. Participants will w ork in small groups to “\;pitch”\; a solution to a local communi ty challenge\, focusing on how entrepreneurship can support democratic val ues like equity and inclusion. Speakers and Facilitators: Sonia CantelMa ria HämäläinenPhoebe SacaresRaporteur: Roland Thaler \n How to make your research or teaching methodologies more transdisciplinar? Moving from theory to practice\, this session explores how researchers and teachers can adapt their projects/work on a more transdisciplinar way o f doing things.Speakers and Facilitators: Dr. Jake Rowan Byrne\,  Co-Dir ector of CHARM-EU and Assistant Professor in Contemporary Teaching and  Learning at the School of Education\, Trinity College DublinOriol Uviedo Palomas\, Laboratory and project technician\, specialized in micro plastics and citizen science\, University of BarcelonaRoger Strand\, full professor at the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities and researcher in the Theory of Science research group at the University o f BergenRapporteur: Dr. Mireia Via\, Research Support Technician at CHARM -EU \n From Inclusion to Resilience: European University Al liances in times of crises In recent years\, universities and allianc es have had to respond to different types of crises: social inequ alities\, mental health issues\, migration\, political tensions\, cli mate-related challenges and increasing mistrust towards institutions.   At the same time\, European University Alliances are becoming l ong-term cooperation structures with the capacity to connect unive rsities\, local stakeholders and communities across borders.  This workshop would like to explore a simple question: beyond academic  cooperation\, how can alliances connect and support people and communit ies in times of crisis?  The workshop would also be an opportunit y to exchange experiences between alliances and reflect collectively  on what could realistically be developed together in the future.    \n CHARM-EU Values in the Classroom: Practical Method s   How do we teach democracy? More importantly\, how do we create lear ning environments that allow students to experience democratic values in p ractice? This interactive session invites educators and students to explor e how CHARM-EU values can be meaningfully embedded into teaching through C hallenge-Based Learning (CBL).Together\, we will examine different dimensi ons of democracy in education: teaching about democracy\, teaching democra tic values\, and democratising the classroom itself. Through discussion an d a hands-on CBL mini-workshop\, participants will explore practical appro aches for facilitating respectful dialogue\, navigating controversial topi cs\, engaging diverse stakeholders\, and fostering participation in classr ooms shaped by political\, cultural\, and societal tensions.Speakers &\ ; Facilitators: Nelli Piehl\, CHARM-EU alumna and Teaching and Project As sistant at Åbo AkademiMartin Meggele Sjøen\, Professor of Educational St udies at the Institute of Education\, University of BergenChristoph Mohama d-Klotzbach\, Political Scientist at the Institute of Political Science an d Sociology at the JMU WürzburgRapporteurs:Nina ShielÁdám Tóth \n Open Science Made Simple: Sharing Knowledge for a Stronger Soci ety Open Science is often seen as a technical hurdle\, but it is a democr atic tool. This workshop provides a “\;starter kit”\; for resear chers to make their work open and transparent. We will discuss the benefit s of sharing data and how it builds public trust in science and democratic institutions. Speakers &\; Facilitators: Balázs Aczél\, Vice Dean for Science at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of Eötvös Loránd UniversityMalin FredrikssonRapporteurs:Anikó Gál BéltekiFerenc Takó \n  In the democratic lab: live deliberative experimentThe results of this experiment (including an analysis based on the questionn aires) will be presented with the closing remarks in 10-15 minutes.Facili tators:Isak VentoVilppu Kuusipalo \n Social Entrepreneurship: Buil ding Solutions for Resilient Communities How can we turn academic ideas i nto tools for societal welfare? This workshop explores the link between in novation and social impact. Participants will work in small groups to "pit ch" a solution to a local community challenge\, focusing on how entreprene urship can support democratic values like equity and inclusion. Speakers and Facilitators: Sonia CantelMaria HämäläinenPhoebe SacaresRaporteur: Roland ThalerHow to make your research or teaching methodologies more tra nsdisciplinar?Moving from theory to practice\, this session explores how r esearchers and teachers can adapt their projects/work on a more transdisc iplinar way of doing things.Speakers and Facilitators: Dr. Jake Rowan By rne\,  Co-Director of CHARM-EU and Assistant Professor in Contemporary  Teaching and Learning at the School of Education\, Trinity College  DublinOriol Uviedo Palomas\, Laboratory and project technician\, special ized in microplastics and citizen science\, University of BarcelonaRoger S trand\, full professor at the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and th e Humanities and researcher in the Theory of Science research group at the University of BergenRapporteur: Dr. Mireia Via\, Research Support Techni cian at CHARM-EUFrom Inclusion to Resilience: European University Alliance s in times of crises In recent years\, universities and alliances hav e had to respond to different types of crises: social inequalitie s\, mental health issues\, migration\, political tensions\, climate-r elated challenges and increasing mistrust towards institutions.  At the same time\, European University Alliances are becoming long-te rm cooperation structures with the capacity to connect universitie s\, local stakeholders and communities across borders.  This worksh op would like to explore a simple question: beyond academic cooper ation\, how can alliances connect and support people and communities i n times of crisis?  The workshop would also be an opportunity to exchange experiences between alliances and reflect collectively on  what could realistically be developed together in the future.  CHA RM-EU Values in the Classroom: Practical Methods   How do we teach dem ocracy? More importantly\, how do we create learning environments that all ow students to experience democratic values in practice? This interactive session invites educators and students to explore how CHARM-EU values can be meaningfully embedded into teaching through Challenge-Based Learning (C BL).Together\, we will examine different dimensions of democracy in educat ion: teaching about democracy\, teaching democratic values\, and democrati sing the classroom itself. Through discussion and a hands-on CBL mini-work shop\, participants will explore practical approaches for facilitating res pectful dialogue\, navigating controversial topics\, engaging diverse stak eholders\, and fostering participation in classrooms shaped by political\, cultural\, and societal tensions.Speakers &\; Facilitators: Nelli Pie hl\, CHARM-EU alumna and Teaching and Project Assistant at Åbo AkademiMar tin Meggele Sjøen\, Professor of Educational Studies at the Institute of Education\, University of BergenChristoph Mohamad-Klotzbach\, Political Sc ientist at the Institute of Political Science and Sociology at the JMU Wü rzburgRapporteurs:Nina ShielÁdám TóthOpen Science Made Simple: Sharing Knowledge for a Stronger Society Open Science is often seen as a technica l hurdle\, but it is a democratic tool. This workshop provides a "starter kit" for researchers to make their work open and transparent. We will disc uss the benefits of sharing data and how it builds public trust in science and democratic institutions. Speakers &\; Facilitators: Balázs Acz él\, Vice Dean for Science at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of Eötvös Loránd UniversityMalin FredrikssonRapporteurs:Anikó Gál Bélte kiFerenc Takó In the democratic lab: live deliberative experimentThe res ults of this experiment (including an analysis based on the questionnair es) will be presented with the closing remarks in 10-15 minutes.Facilitat ors:Isak VentoVilppu Kuusipalo15:00 - 15:20 Poster Session - One-minute Pi tches\nThe poster session will be a space where members of European Univer sity Alliances\, university staff\, students and external stakeholders can exchange ideas and discuss \;the \;posters. Poster presenters wil l give a minute pitch and then engage in discussions. \;\n15:20 - 16:0 0 Poster Session &\; Coffee Break \;\n16:00 - 16:15 Interactive Qui z\nCultural interactive \;quiz with questions from CHARM-EU universiti es\, cities\, countries\, traditions\, music\, food\, culture in general\, football\, etc.\n16:15 - 17:00 Closing session17:15 - 19:00 Cocktail with musical elements \n SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS \n \n Balázs A czél \n \n \n Anders Adlercreutz \n \n \n Doris Alexand er \n \n \n Jake Byrne \n \n \n Meritxell Chaves \n \ n \n Anikó Gál Bélteki \n \n \n Kimmo Grönlund \n \n \n Maria Hämäläinen \n \n \n Barbara Hegyi \n \n \n Maria Kelo \n \n \n Vilppu Kuusipalo \n \n \n Marv in Mendy \n \n \n Christoph Mohamad-Klotzbach \n \n \n N elli Piehl \n \n \n Phoebe Sacares \n \n \n Martin Sjøe n \n \n \n Roger Strand \n \n \n Ferenc Tackó \n \n \n Ádám Tóth \n \n \n Annisa Triyanti \n \n \n Oriol Uviedo \n \n \n Mireia Via \n \n \n Lena Wasserma nn \n \n \n Gunilla Widén \n \n Balázs Aczél\nVice Dean for Science at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of Eötvös Lorán d University \n Balázs Aczél is Vice Dean for Science at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of Eötvös Loránd University\, Budap est\, where he is also Professor of Psychology. He has been actively invol ved in the CHARM-EU alliance through the TORCH project\, leading its Open Science activities\, and continues to contribute to the alliance’\;s research and innovation initiatives within the CHARM-EIGHT project. His re search focuses on metascience\, with particular emphasis on research metho dology\, open science\, and improving the robustness and credibility of sc ientific research. Through his research\, teaching\, and international col laborations\, he promotes the adoption of transparent and reproducible res earch practices and supports the development of research capacity across t he CHARM-EU partner institutions. \n \ n Anders Adlercreutz\, Finland's Minister of Education \n A nders Adlercreutz (b. 1970) is Chair of the Swedish People’s Party of F inland since June 2024 and the current Minister of Education. He graduated as an architect from Helsinki University of Technology in 1999. Adlercreu tz’\;s political career began when he was elected to Kirkkonummi Muni cipal Council in 2013\, he served as Chair of the Council from 2017 to 202 3. He has been a Member of Parliament since 2015 and served as Chair of SF P’s Parliamentary Group from 2019 to 2023. During the years in Parliamen t\, Adlercreutz was a member of several Committees\, eg. the Finance Commi ttee\, the Defence Committee\, the Administration Committee\, and the Envi ronmental Committee. Before becoming Minister of Education he served as Mi nister of European Affairs and Ownership Steering for the first year of th e Orpo Government\, from June 2023 to June 2024. Minister Adlercreutz is m arried\, has 5 children\, is fluent in 7 languages and is an avid cello pl ayer in his free time. \n \n Doris Alexander\, Associate Director of European Engagement\, Trinity College D ublin \n Doris Alexander has worked in Research Management Adm inistration since 1994\, taking up her current post as Associate Director of European Engagement in 2019 and is responsible for the development of s trategies of engagement\, working to get early insight on new EU policy/in itiatives so as to maximise the opportunity space for Trinity. She is curr ently engaged in the implementation of aspects of the ERA policy agenda.  She has been involved in several EC stakeholder groups including the co-cr eation of the European Universities initiative\, is the co-director of CHA RM-EU alliance in Trinity College and a member of the Executive Board. She was Chair of the R&\;I subgroup of the FOREU1 network (the network of the 17 European Universities alliances funded through the first Erasmus+ p ilot call) and is currently chair of the R&\;I Topical Group (part of F OREU4ALL) for all alliances.Doris holds a BA in Mathematical Science and a n MSc in Computer Science (Health Informatics) from Trinity College Dublin . \n \n Jake Rowan ByrneCo-Directo r of CHARM-EU and Assistant Professor in Contemporary Teaching and Learnin g at the School of Education\, Trinity College Dublin \n Dr. Ja ke Rowan Byrne is Co-Director of CHARM-EU and Assistant Professor in Conte mporary Teaching and Learning at the School of Education\, Trinity College Dublin. His research and practice focus on transdisciplinary education\, challenge-based learning\, innovative curriculum design\, and the developm ent of learner agency through collaborative educational approaches. As a m ember of CHARM-EU’\;s Knowledge Creating Teams (KCTs)\, he has helped design and deliver transnational educational experiences\, including lead ing the development and initial delivery of the Transdisciplinary Research Module within the CHARM-EU Master’\;s in Global Challenges for Susta inability. He also serves as a lead facilitator within the KCT delivering the CHARM Doctoral Summer School\, supporting doctoral researchers as they work in transdisciplinary teams to address complex societal challenges.  Jake’\;s work is grounded in the belief that education has long been a naturally transdisciplinary endeavour. Designing meaningful learning req uires collaboration not only across academic disciplines but also with pol icymakers\, school leaders\, teachers\, learners\, families\, communities\ , industry and civil society. His experience contributing to the developme nt of Ireland’\;s national Leaving Certificate Computer Science curri culum exemplifies this approach\, bringing together diverse stakeholders t o co-create educational innovation. Through his research and leadership\, Jake explores how distributed leadership\, participatory design and collab orative knowledge creation can strengthen educational ecosystems and build the capacity needed to address the complex challenges facing society. \n \n Meritxell ChavesSecretary Gener al of European University of CHARM-EU \n Meritxell Chaves has more than thirty years of experience in the higher education sector\, in f our universities of the Catalan university system\, in different functiona l areas of the University such as academic management\, strategic planning \, quality and accreditation\, and international relations in different or ganisational cultures. As Secretary General of European University of CHA RM-EU since the start of the initiative in 2019 she has been leading CHARM -EU team. \n \n Anikó Gál Bélte kiCHARM-EU Manager at ELTE \n Anikó Gál Bélteki is acting as CHARM-EU project manager at the Eötvös Loránd University\, Budapest. S he has already been involved in the alliance’s R&\;I dimension projec t TORCH and now focuses her efforts on the smooth running of the CHARM-EIG HT project. Holding a degree in agricultural and environmental sciences an d being a qualified translator\, she has gained work experience in an inte rnational environment from multinational companies through projects of uni versities and conservation NGOs affiliated to global networks. Due to her diverse administrative and coordinator roles she regularly participates in the meetings of various governing boards and offices of CHARM European Un iversity and provides assistance for some work packages\, which means bein g in daily work contact with the representatives of partner institutions. \n \n Kimmo GrönlundProfessor of Political Science and Director of the Social Science Research Institute at Åbo Akademi University \n Kimmo Grönlund is Professor of Pol itical Science and Director of the Social Science Research Institute at Å bo Akademi University. Currently\, he is also member of the Board of Åbo Akademi University. His research interests include democratic innovations\ , public opinion\, and electoral behavior. He has published widely\, espec ially on controlled experiments with deliberative mini-publics in journals such as Political Behavior\, International Political Science Review and S candinavian Political Studies. He is the Director of the Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion FIRIPO and the research consortium STRON G – Implementing democratic innovations\, funded by the Strategic Resear ch Council at the Research Council of Finland (2024–2030). Moreover\, he is a widely used expert commentator on politics in Finland\, and he has b een the electoral commentator of the largest Finnish commercial TV channel MTV3 since 2006. \n \n Maria Häm äläinenCHARM-EU MSc in Global Challenges for Sustainability alumna \n Maria Hämäläinen is a recent graduate of the CHARM-EU MSc in G lobal Challenges for Sustainability. Over two years\, her studies took her from Utrecht to Barcelona and Montpellier\, where she specialised in the Food track. Her work focused on agrifood transitions\, Mediterranean food systems\, and the social dimensions of sustainability\, culminating in a C apstone thesis on the social acceptance of seaweed cultivation in the Thau Lagoon. Prior to joining CHARM-EU\, Maria completed a BSc in Sustainable Urban Planning at Tampere University\, Finland\, where her research explo red gender mainstreaming through participatory urban planning processes. T his experience sparked her long-standing interest in the governance and co mmunity dimensions of sustainability. Beyond academia\, she has been activ ely involved in climate justice initiatives and is currently volunteering with a Ghana-based non-profit organisation working at the intersection of gender equity and climate action. She is also contributing to a research p roject on inclusive energy governance through the YES-Europe Africa-Europe collaboration programme. \n \n Ba rbara Hegyi economist with a PhD in Regional Sciences \n Barbar a Hegyi is an economist\, with a PhD in Regional Sciences. She coordinates the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education at ELTE Faculty of Informat ics. Designer and implementer of several courses that embrace sustainabili ty and social responsibility. Coordinates the REDINEST Impact Labs program me at an international level. \n \n Maria KeloDirector of Institutional Development at European University A ssociation (EUA) \n Maria Kelo is Director of Institutional Dev elopment at European University Association (EUA). The unit’s work focus es on recognition\, quality assurance\, rankings\, and learning and teachi ng\, including the European Degree. She is a member of the Swiss Accredita tion Council\, vice-president of the European Quality Assurance Register\, and co-represents EUA in the Bologna Process.Before joining EUA in 2022\, Maria was the Director of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education\, and previously worked in different European organisa tions in higher education. \n \n V ilppu Kuusipalo\, project coordinator at the Finnish Research Infrastructu re for Public Opinion (FIRIPO) \n Vilppu Kuusipalo works as a p roject coordinator at the Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opini on (FIRIPO)\, which operates the two deliberation laboratories at Åbo Aka demi University. Vilppu is responsible for the day-to-day activities at FI RIPO\, such as making sure that the laboratories function efficiently\, co ordinating research-related activities\, supporting visiting researchers\, and maintaining the infrastructure needed for high-quality public opinion and deliberation studies.In his role\, Vilppu works closely with research ers and other project partners to facilitate the planning and implementati on of experiments\, surveys\, and events. He also contributes to the devel opment and promotion of FIRIPO’s services\, helping researchers make use of innovative methods and facilities for studying public opinion\, citize n participation\, and democratic processes.Vilppu’s background is in hum anities\, and he is interested in various aspects of societies\, cultures and human interaction. \n \n Marvi n MendyStrategic Partnerships Officer at the University of Montpellier \n Marvin Mendy is Strategic Partnerships Officer at the Universit y of Montpellier and leads Work Package 14 (Worldwide Academic Partnership Network). Over the past eight years\, he has worked at the intersection o f international relations\, diplomacy and project management across the hi gher education\, public and private sectors. His expertise includes the de sign and implementation of international cooperation strategies\, institut ional partnerships and multi-stakeholder initiatives.Within CHARM-EU\, Mar vin is responsible for developing long-term partnerships beyond Europe and advancing the Alliance’\;s global engagement strategy\, particularly with Africa and other strategic regions. His work focuses on building sus tainable international cooperation frameworks that connect higher educatio n\, research and societal stakeholders. \n \n Christoph Mohamad-KlotzbachPolitical Scientist at the Institut e of Political Science and Sociology at the JMU Würzburg\n \n Dr. Christoph Mohamad-Klotzbach is a Political Scientist at the Institute of Political Science and Sociology at the JMU Würzburg. His research focu ses on democracy and democratization\, scientific concepts\, political cul ture\, statehood\, political parties\, environmental health and sustainabi lity. He is currently part of the EU-funded interdisciplinary research pro ject MARKOPOLO\, which is attached to the Professorship of Social Science Sustainability Studies\, and studies knowledge transfer in environmental h ealth. \n \n Nelli PiehlCHARM-EU a lumna and Teaching &\; Project Assistant at Åbo Akademi \n Nelli Piehl is a CHARM-EU alumna and Teaching and Project Assistant at Å bo Akademi\, where she also supports CHARM-EU’\;s Diversity\, Equity and Inclusion work. She is an early-career socio-ecological researcher wit h a particular interest in participatory approaches and equity and inclusi on across international contexts.  \n \n Phoebe SacaresCHARM-EU MSc in Global Challenges for Sustainability alumna \n Phoebe Sacares is a graduate of the CHARM-EU MSc in Global Challenges for Sustainability\,  having studied in Barcelona and M ontpellier over two years of transdisciplinary learning and research. Spec ialising in the Water track\, her work focused on a range of water-related sustainability challenges\, including supporting livelihoods amid aquatic ecosystem disruption in East Africa\, developing water-efficient infrastr ucture in Dublin\, and addressing drought resilience in Catalonia. These e xperiences sparked a strong interest in tackling water-related sustainabil ity issues.Prior to joining CHARM-EU\, she completed a BSc in Physics and Astrophysics at the University of York (UK). With a keen interest in apply ing science\, data analysis\, and mapping to environmental challenges\, sh e is pursuing a career at the intersection of sustainability and evidence- based decision-making. She is currently volunteering with the London Wildl ife Trust\, contributing to practical conservation projects and gaining fi rst-hand insight into the importance of community engagement in translatin g global climate goals into local action. \n \n Martin Meggele SjøenProfessor of Educational Studies at the Institute of Education at the University of Bergen \n Dr. Mart in Meggele Sjøen is a Professor of Educational Studies at the Institute o f Education at the University of Bergen. He holds a Ph.D. in Security Stud ies from the University of Stavanger. Dr. Sjøen’s research explores dem ocracy\, education\, political violence and peacebuilding\, with a specifi c focus on the intersection of education and security. \n \n Roger StrandProfessor at the University of Berg en\, Norway \n Roger Strand is Professor at the University of B ergen\, Norway. His research focuses on the governance of science\, techno logy\, and innovation\, with particular attention to complexity\, uncertai nty\, and sustainability. He works at the intersection of philosophy\, sci ence and technology studies\, and policy-oriented research\, contributing to the development of frameworks for responsible research and innovation ( RRI). A record of his scholarly publications is found at https://orcid.org /0000-0001-6159-1586.Strand has been involved in a range of European and i nternational projects addressing the role of expertise\, interdisciplinary collaboration\, and societal engagement in research and innovation. His w ork includes contributions to environmental governance\, sustainability tr ansitions\, and science-policy interfaces. He is the Co-Director of the no n-profit NGO called the European Centre for Governance in Complexity (www. ecgc.eu). \n \n Ferenc TakóMember of the CHARM-EU Executive Board\, CHARM-EU Director and Head of the Recto r’s Cabinet CHARM-EU Office\, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) \n Ferenc Takó studied Philosophy and Japanese Studies at Eötvös L oránd University (ELTE)\, Budapest\, Hungary\, where he currently lecture s at the Department of Japanese Studies. He used to be head of the Rector ’s Cabinet International Strategy Office at ELTE between 2018 and 2021. Since 2021\, he is head of the Rector’s Cabinet CHARM-EU Office and ELTE Executive Director of CHARM-EU. \n \n Ádám TóthResearcher at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable De velopment at Utrecht University. \n Ádám Tóth is a researche r in (ground)water\, sustainability and education innovation at the Copern icus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University. Ádám is the co-lead of the educational practice work package of the CHARM-EIGHT p roject. He is involved in updating the existing master’\;s programme in Global Challenges for Sustainability\, exploring educational opportunit ies for a broader audience to develop knowledge\, including a strategy for micro-credentials\, badges\, and continuing education\, as well as a team -based\, transdisciplinary joint CHARM-EU Doctoral programme. \n \n Dr. Annisa TriyantiAssistant Professor\, Disaster and Climate Risk Governance for Sustainability\, at Utrecht Univ ersity \n Dr. Annisa Triyanti is an Assistant Professor of Disa ster and Climate Risk Governance for Sustainability at Utrecht University. Born in Indonesia\, she earned her PhD from the University of Amsterdam. Her research connects grassroots practices with global policy\, focusing o n community self-governance and mangrove ecosystem-based disaster risk red uction in Asia. In her teaching\, she emphasizes public engagement and pro motes the role of European University Alliances in addressing societal cha llenges. Serving as Academic Director of CHARM-EU for Utrecht University\, she supports collaborative\, cross-boundary education. For three consecut ive years\, she has also coordinated the Capstone module for the CHARM-EU Master’s in Global Challenges for Sustainability\, a transdisciplinary p rogram where students conduct research alongside external stakeholders to tackle real-world issues. Beyond her academic roles\, Dr. Triyanti has eng aged in intergovernmental policy dialogues on climate change and sustainab le development since 2014. As part of this work\, she represented young sc ientists in the Global Science and Technology Advisory Group for the UN Of fice for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) from 2017 to 2019. \n \n Oriol UviedoLaboratory and project technic ian\, specialized in microplastics and citizen science \n Ever since my childhood\, I have known that I wanted to pursue a career related to the ocean\, and that has indeed been the case. In 2020\, I graduated w ith a degree in Marine Sciences from the University of Barcelona (UB)\, an d I currently serve as a laboratory and project technician\, specialized i n microplastics and citizen science. One of the principal initiatives I le ad is the ‘\;Surfing For Science’\; project\, which has a well-d efined objective: to quantify and characterize microplastics in the coasta l areas of the western Mediterranean through citizen science. In this mann er\, we generate scientific knowledge while simultaneously raising awarene ss about the critical issue of plastic pollution in our seas and oceans.Ut ilizing the methodology developed in ‘\;Surfing For Science’\;\, we initiated the TRAP project. While sharing the same core objectives\, t his initiative expands the scope of research to rivers\, combined sewer ov erflows (CSOs)\, and the open sea in order to analyse the transport and ex change of particles across these diverse systems. Furthermore\, I have par ticipated in the OSES project (Ocean Sustainability Through Education and Sport)\, where we developed best-practice manuals and fieldwork kits desig ned to enable marine recreational users\, as sailors\, divers or surfers\, to collect reliable scientific data. Through these efforts\, our ultimate goal is to foster public awareness regarding the anthropogenic threats an d impacts currently facing our marine ecosystems. \n \n Mireia Via\nResearch Support Technician at CHARM-EU \n Mireia Via obtained her PhD in Theoretical Chemistry and Com putational Modelling from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). After that\, she left academia aside but not the world of research entirel y. Since then\, she has dedicated her career to supporting research\, work ing as a support technician in a chemistry research group at the Universit y of Barcelona (UB)\, and at the UB’\;s International Research Projec ts Office. She has also been an adjunct lecturer at the UB\, teaching prac tical classes on the Biology and Chemistry bachelor’\;s degree progra mmes. She currently supports the research and innovation dimension of the CHARM-EU alliance. \n \n Lena Wass ermannAdvisor to the Vice President for Internationalisation at the Univer sity of Würzburg and supports the university’s strategic engagement wit hin the CHARM-EU Alliance \n Dr. Lena Wassermann is Advisor to the Vice President for Internationalisation at the University of Würzburg and supports the university’s strategic engagement within the CHARM-EU Alliance. Her work focuses on European university cooperation\, internatio nalisation strategies\, and cross-institutional collaboration. Drawing on experience in academia\, policy\, and international partnerships\, she is particularly interested in how universities can work together to address s hared societal challenges and foster innovation in higher education. \n \n Gunilla Widén\nProfessor of Info rmation Studies at Åbo Akademi University (ÅAU) since 2008 \n Gunilla Widén is Professor of Information Studies at Åbo Akademi Univer sity (ÅAU) since 2008. Her research focuses on information behaviour\, kn owledge management\, and trust in information. She has led several large r esearch projects\, e.g. on organizational key skills in information societ y\, the role of social media in libraries\, the importance of information literacy in various contexts such as workplaces and in migration.Widén ha s been involved in European projects on youth information\, and in Nordic library research\, e.g. on cultural policy decision-making\, the case of H elsinki Central Libary Oodi. She has been involved in several collaborativ e networks both nationally and internationally\, appointed as external exp ert in different evaluation committees\, and published widely in her areas of expertise.She has long organizational experience at ÅAU\, recently sh e has been Vice-Rector for Education 2022-25\, and served as Acting Rector from April 2025 until she was appointed as Rector in January 2026. \n \n Balázs Aczél\nVice Dean for Scie nce at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of Eötvös Loránd Univers ity \n Balázs Aczél is Vice Dean for Science at the Faculty of Educa tion and Psychology of Eötvös Loránd University\, Budapest\, where he i s also Professor of Psychology. He has been actively involved in the CHARM -EU alliance through the TORCH project\, leading its Open Science activiti es\, and continues to contribute to the alliance's research and innovation initiatives within the CHARM-EIGHT project. His research focuses on metas cience\, with particular emphasis on research methodology\, open science\, and improving the robustness and credibility of scientific research. Thro ugh his research\, teaching\, and international collaborations\, he promot es the adoption of transparent and reproducible research practices and sup ports the development of research capacity across the CHARM-EU partner ins titutions. \n \n Anders Adlercreutz\, Fi nland's Minister of Education \n Anders Adlercreutz (b. 1970) is Chai r of the Swedish People’s Party of Finland since June 2024 and the curre nt Minister of Education. He graduated as an architect from Helsinki Unive rsity of Technology in 1999. Adlercreutz's political career began when he was elected to Kirkkonummi Municipal Council in 2013\, he served as Chair of the Council from 2017 to 2023. He has been a Member of Parliament since 2015 and served as Chair of SFP’s Parliamentary Group from 2019 to 2023 . During the years in Parliament\, Adlercreutz was a member of several Com mittees\, eg. the Finance Committee\, the Defence Committee\, the Administ ration Committee\, and the Environmental Committee. Before becoming Minist er of Education he served as Minister of European Affairs and Ownership St eering for the first year of the Orpo Government\, from June 2023 to June 2024. Minister Adlercreutz is married\, has 5 children\, is fluent in 7 la nguages and is an avid cello player in his free time. \n \n Doris Alexander\, Associate Director of European Engag ement\, Trinity College Dublin \n Doris Alexander has worked in Resea rch Management Administration since 1994\, taking up her current post as A ssociate Director of European Engagement in 2019 and is responsible for th e development of strategies of engagement\, working to get early insight o n new EU policy/initiatives so as to maximise the opportunity space for Tr inity. She is currently engaged in the implementation of aspects of the ER A policy agenda. She has been involved in several EC stakeholder groups i ncluding the co-creation of the European Universities initiative\, is the co-director of CHARM-EU alliance in Trinity College and a member of the Ex ecutive Board. She was Chair of the R&\;I subgroup of the FOREU1 networ k (the network of the 17 European Universities alliances funded through th e first Erasmus+ pilot call) and is currently chair of the R&\;I Topica l Group (part of FOREU4ALL) for all alliances.Doris holds a BA in Mathemat ical Science and an MSc in Computer Science (Health Informatics) from Trin ity College Dublin. \n \n Jake Rowan Byr neCo-Director of CHARM-EU and Assistant Professor in Contemporary Teaching and Learning at the School of Education\, Trinity College Dublin \n D r. Jake Rowan Byrne is Co-Director of CHARM-EU and Assistant Professor in Contemporary Teaching and Learning at the School of Education\, Trinity Co llege Dublin. His research and practice focus on transdisciplinary educati on\, challenge-based learning\, innovative curriculum design\, and the dev elopment of learner agency through collaborative educational approaches. A s a member of CHARM-EU's Knowledge Creating Teams (KCTs)\, he has helped d esign and deliver transnational educational experiences\, including leadin g the development and initial delivery of the Transdisciplinary Research M odule within the CHARM-EU Master's in Global Challenges for Sustainability . He also serves as a lead facilitator within the KCT delivering the CHARM Doctoral Summer School\, supporting doctoral researchers as they work in transdisciplinary teams to address complex societal challenges. Jake's wo rk is grounded in the belief that education has long been a naturally tran sdisciplinary endeavour. Designing meaningful learning requires collaborat ion not only across academic disciplines but also with policymakers\, scho ol leaders\, teachers\, learners\, families\, communities\, industry and c ivil society. His experience contributing to the development of Ireland's national Leaving Certificate Computer Science curriculum exemplifies this approach\, bringing together diverse stakeholders to co-create educational innovation. Through his research and leadership\, Jake explores how distr ibuted leadership\, participatory design and collaborative knowledge creat ion can strengthen educational ecosystems and build the capacity needed to address the complex challenges facing society. \n \n Meritxell ChavesSecretary General of European University of CHARM-EU \n Meritxell Chaves has more than thirty years of experience in the higher education sector\, in four universities of the Catalan univ ersity system\, in different functional areas of the University such as ac ademic management\, strategic planning\, quality and accreditation\, and i nternational relations in different organisational cultures. As Secretary General of European University of CHARM-EU since the start of the initiat ive in 2019 she has been leading CHARM-EU team. \n \n Anikó Gál BéltekiCHARM-EU Manager at ELTE \n Anikó G ál Bélteki is acting as CHARM-EU project manager at the Eötvös Loránd University\, Budapest. She has already been involved in the alliance’s R&\;I dimension project TORCH and now focuses her efforts on the smooth running of the CHARM-EIGHT project. Holding a degree in agricultural and environmental sciences and being a qualified translator\, she has gained w ork experience in an international environment from multinational companie s through projects of universities and conservation NGOs affiliated to glo bal networks. Due to her diverse administrative and coordinator roles she regularly participates in the meetings of various governing boards and off ices of CHARM European University and provides assistance for some work pa ckages\, which means being in daily work contact with the representatives of partner institutions. \n \n Kimmo Gr önlundProfessor of Political Science and Director of the Social Science R esearch Institute at Åbo Akademi University \n Kimmo Grönlund is Pro fessor of Political Science and Director of the Social Science Research In stitute at Åbo Akademi University. Currently\, he is also member of the B oard of Åbo Akademi University. His research interests include democratic innovations\, public opinion\, and electoral behavior. He has published w idely\, especially on controlled experiments with deliberative mini-public s in journals such as Political Behavior\, International Political Science Review and Scandinavian Political Studies. He is the Director of the Finn ish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion FIRIPO and the research con sortium STRONG – Implementing democratic innovations\, funded by the Str ategic Research Council at the Research Council of Finland (2024–2030). Moreover\, he is a widely used expert commentator on politics in Finland\, and he has been the electoral commentator of the largest Finnish commerci al TV channel MTV3 since 2006. \n \n Mar ia HämäläinenCHARM-EU MSc in Global Challenges for Sustainability alumn a \n Maria Hämäläinen is a recent graduate of the CHARM-EU MSc in G lobal Challenges for Sustainability. Over two years\, her studies took her from Utrecht to Barcelona and Montpellier\, where she specialised in the Food track. Her work focused on agrifood transitions\, Mediterranean food systems\, and the social dimensions of sustainability\, culminating in a C apstone thesis on the social acceptance of seaweed cultivation in the Thau Lagoon. Prior to joining CHARM-EU\, Maria completed a BSc in Sustainable Urban Planning at Tampere University\, Finland\, where her research explo red gender mainstreaming through participatory urban planning processes. T his experience sparked her long-standing interest in the governance and co mmunity dimensions of sustainability. Beyond academia\, she has been activ ely involved in climate justice initiatives and is currently volunteering with a Ghana-based non-profit organisation working at the intersection of gender equity and climate action. She is also contributing to a research p roject on inclusive energy governance through the YES-Europe Africa-Europe collaboration programme. \n \n Barbara Hegyi economist with a PhD in Regional Sciences \n Barbara Hegyi is an economist\, with a PhD in Regional Sciences. She coordinates the Innovati on and Entrepreneurship Education at ELTE Faculty of Informatics. Designer and implementer of several courses that embrace sustainability and social responsibility. Coordinates the REDINEST Impact Labs programme at an inte rnational level. \n \n Maria KeloDirecto r of Institutional Development at European University Association (EUA) \n Maria Kelo is Director of Institutional Development at European Unive rsity Association (EUA). The unit’s work focuses on recognition\, qualit y assurance\, rankings\, and learning and teaching\, including the Europea n Degree. She is a member of the Swiss Accreditation Council\, vice-presid ent of the European Quality Assurance Register\, and co-represents EUA in the Bologna Process.Before joining EUA in 2022\, Maria was the Director of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education\, and previously worked in different European organisations in higher education. \n \n Vilppu Kuusipalo\, project coordi nator at the Finnish Research Infrastructure for Public Opinion (FIRIPO) \n Vilppu Kuusipalo works as a project coordinator at the Finnish Resea rch Infrastructure for Public Opinion (FIRIPO)\, which operates the two de liberation laboratories at Åbo Akademi University. Vilppu is responsible for the day-to-day activities at FIRIPO\, such as making sure that the lab oratories function efficiently\, coordinating research-related activities\ , supporting visiting researchers\, and maintaining the infrastructure nee ded for high-quality public opinion and deliberation studies.In his role\, Vilppu works closely with researchers and other project partners to facil itate the planning and implementation of experiments\, surveys\, and event s. He also contributes to the development and promotion of FIRIPO’s serv ices\, helping researchers make use of innovative methods and facilities f or studying public opinion\, citizen participation\, and democratic proces ses.Vilppu’s background is in humanities\, and he is interested in vario us aspects of societies\, cultures and human interaction. \n \n Marvin MendyStrategic Partnerships Officer at the University of Montpellier \n Marvin Mendy is Strategic Partnerships Of ficer at the University of Montpellier and leads Work Package 14 (Worldwid e Academic Partnership Network). Over the past eight years\, he has worked at the intersection of international relations\, diplomacy and project ma nagement across the higher education\, public and private sectors. His exp ertise includes the design and implementation of international cooperation strategies\, institutional partnerships and multi-stakeholder initiatives .Within CHARM-EU\, Marvin is responsible for developing long-term partners hips beyond Europe and advancing the Alliance's global engagement strategy \, particularly with Africa and other strategic regions. His work focuses on building sustainable international cooperation frameworks that connect higher education\, research and societal stakeholders. \n \n Christoph Mohamad-KlotzbachPolitical Scientist at the Institute of Political Science and Sociology at the JMU Würzburg\n \n Dr. Christoph Mohamad-Klotzbach is a Political Scientist at the Institut e of Political Science and Sociology at the JMU Würzburg. His research fo cuses on democracy and democratization\, scientific concepts\, political c ulture\, statehood\, political parties\, environmental health and sustaina bility. He is currently part of the EU-funded interdisciplinary research p roject MARKOPOLO\, which is attached to the Professorship of Social Scienc e Sustainability Studies\, and studies knowledge transfer in environmental health. \n \n Nelli PiehlCHARM-EU alumn a and Teaching &\; Project Assistant at Åbo Akademi \n Nelli Pieh l is a CHARM-EU alumna and Teaching and Project Assistant at Åbo Akademi\ , where she also supports CHARM-EU's Diversity\, Equity and Inclusion work . She is an early-career socio-ecological researcher with a particular int erest in participatory approaches and equity and inclusion across internat ional contexts.  \n \n Phoebe SacaresCH ARM-EU MSc in Global Challenges for Sustainability alumna \n Phoebe Sa cares is a graduate of the CHARM-EU MSc in Global Challenges for Sustainab ility\,  having studied in Barcelona and Montpellier over two years of tr ansdisciplinary learning and research. Specialising in the Water track\, h er work focused on a range of water-related sustainability challenges\, in cluding supporting livelihoods amid aquatic ecosystem disruption in East A frica\, developing water-efficient infrastructure in Dublin\, and addressi ng drought resilience in Catalonia. These experiences sparked a strong int erest in tackling water-related sustainability issues.Prior to joining CHA RM-EU\, she completed a BSc in Physics and Astrophysics at the University of York (UK). With a keen interest in applying science\, data analysis\, a nd mapping to environmental challenges\, she is pursuing a career at the i ntersection of sustainability and evidence-based decision-making. She is c urrently volunteering with the London Wildlife Trust\, contributing to pra ctical conservation projects and gaining first-hand insight into the impor tance of community engagement in translating global climate goals into loc al action. \n \n Martin Meggele SjøenPr ofessor of Educational Studies at the Institute of Education at the Univer sity of Bergen \n Dr. Martin Meggele Sjøen is a Professor of Educatio nal Studies at the Institute of Education at the University of Bergen. He holds a Ph.D. in Security Studies from the University of Stavanger. Dr. Sj øen’s research explores democracy\, education\, political violence and peacebuilding\, with a specific focus on the intersection of education and security. \n \n Roger StrandProfessor a t the University of Bergen\, Norway \n Roger Strand is Professor at th e University of Bergen\, Norway. His research focuses on the governance of science\, technology\, and innovation\, with particular attention to comp lexity\, uncertainty\, and sustainability. He works at the intersection of philosophy\, science and technology studies\, and policy-oriented researc h\, contributing to the development of frameworks for responsible research and innovation (RRI). A record of his scholarly publications is found at https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6159-1586.Strand has been involved in a range of European and international projects addressing the role of expertise\, interdisciplinary collaboration\, and societal engagement in research and innovation. His work includes contributions to environmental governance\, sustainability transitions\, and science-policy interfaces. He is the Co-D irector of the non-profit NGO called the European Centre for Governance in Complexity (www.ecgc.eu). \n \n Ferenc TakóMember of the CHARM-EU Executive Board\, CHARM-EU Director and Head o f the Rector’s Cabinet CHARM-EU Office\, Eötvös Loránd University (EL TE) \n Ferenc Takó studied Philosophy and Japanese Studies at Eötv ös Loránd University (ELTE)\, Budapest\, Hungary\, where he currently le ctures at the Department of Japanese Studies. He used to be head of the Re ctor’s Cabinet International Strategy Office at ELTE between 2018 and 20 21. Since 2021\, he is head of the Rector’s Cabinet CHARM-EU Office and ELTE Executive Director of CHARM-EU. \n \n Ádám TóthResearcher at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Deve lopment at Utrecht University. \n Ádám Tóth is a researcher in (gro und)water\, sustainability and education innovation at the Copernicus Inst itute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University. Ádám is the co-l ead of the educational practice work package of the CHARM-EIGHT project. H e is involved in updating the existing master's programme in Global Challe nges for Sustainability\, exploring educational opportunities for a broade r audience to develop knowledge\, including a strategy for micro-credentia ls\, badges\, and continuing education\, as well as a team-based\, transdi sciplinary joint CHARM-EU Doctoral programme. \n \n Dr. Annisa TriyantiAssistant Professor\, Disaster and Climate Risk Governance for Sustainability\, at Utrecht University \n Dr. Anni sa Triyanti is an Assistant Professor of Disaster and Climate Risk Governa nce for Sustainability at Utrecht University. Born in Indonesia\, she earn ed her PhD from the University of Amsterdam. Her research connects grassro ots practices with global policy\, focusing on community self-governance a nd mangrove ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction in Asia. In her teachi ng\, she emphasizes public engagement and promotes the role of European Un iversity Alliances in addressing societal challenges. Serving as Academic Director of CHARM-EU for Utrecht University\, she supports collaborative\, cross-boundary education. For three consecutive years\, she has also coor dinated the Capstone module for the CHARM-EU Master’s in Global Challeng es for Sustainability\, a transdisciplinary program where students conduct research alongside external stakeholders to tackle real-world issues. Bey ond her academic roles\, Dr. Triyanti has engaged in intergovernmental pol icy dialogues on climate change and sustainable development since 2014. As part of this work\, she represented young scientists in the Global Scienc e and Technology Advisory Group for the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduct ion (UNDRR) from 2017 to 2019. \n \n Ori ol UviedoLaboratory and project technician\, specialized in microplastics and citizen science \n Ever since my childhood\, I have known that I w anted to pursue a career related to the ocean\, and that has indeed been t he case. In 2020\, I graduated with a degree in Marine Sciences from the U niversity of Barcelona (UB)\, and I currently serve as a laboratory and pr oject technician\, specialized in microplastics and citizen science. One o f the principal initiatives I lead is the 'Surfing For Science' project\, which has a well-defined objective: to quantify and characterize microplas tics in the coastal areas of the western Mediterranean through citizen sci ence. In this manner\, we generate scientific knowledge while simultaneous ly raising awareness about the critical issue of plastic pollution in our seas and oceans.Utilizing the methodology developed in 'Surfing For Scienc e'\, we initiated the TRAP project. While sharing the same core objectives \, this initiative expands the scope of research to rivers\, combined sewe r overflows (CSOs)\, and the open sea in order to analyse the transport an d exchange of particles across these diverse systems. Furthermore\, I have participated in the OSES project (Ocean Sustainability Through Education and Sport)\, where we developed best-practice manuals and fieldwork kits d esigned to enable marine recreational users\, as sailors\, divers or surfe rs\, to collect reliable scientific data. Through these efforts\, our ulti mate goal is to foster public awareness regarding the anthropogenic threat s and impacts currently facing our marine ecosystems. \n \n Mireia Via\nResearch Support Technician at CHARM-EU \n Mireia Via obtained her PhD in Theoretical Chemistry and Computationa l Modelling from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). After tha t\, she left academia aside but not the world of research entirely. Since then\, she has dedicated her career to supporting research\, working as a support technician in a chemistry research group at the University of Barc elona (UB)\, and at the UB's International Research Projects Office. She h as also been an adjunct lecturer at the UB\, teaching practical classes on the Biology and Chemistry bachelor's degree programmes. She currently sup ports the research and innovation dimension of the CHARM-EU alliance. \n \n Lena WassermannAdvisor to the Vice Pre sident for Internationalisation at the University of Würzburg and support s the university’s strategic engagement within the CHARM-EU Alliance \n Dr. Lena Wassermann is Advisor to the Vice President for International isation at the University of Würzburg and supports the university’s str ategic engagement within the CHARM-EU Alliance. Her work focuses on Europe an university cooperation\, internationalisation strategies\, and cross-in stitutional collaboration. Drawing on experience in academia\, policy\, an d international partnerships\, she is particularly interested in how unive rsities can work together to address shared societal challenges and foster innovation in higher education. \n \n G unilla Widén\nProfessor of Information Studies at Åbo Akademi University (ÅAU) since 2008 \n Gunilla Widén is Professor of Information Studi es at Åbo Akademi University (ÅAU) since 2008. Her research focuses on i nformation behaviour\, knowledge management\, and trust in information. Sh e has led several large research projects\, e.g. on organizational key ski lls in information society\, the role of social media in libraries\, the i mportance of information literacy in various contexts such as workplaces a nd in migration.Widén has been involved in European projects on youth inf ormation\, and in Nordic library research\, e.g. on cultural policy decisi on-making\, the case of Helsinki Central Libary Oodi. She has been involve d in several collaborative networks both nationally and internationally\, appointed as external expert in different evaluation committees\, and publ ished widely in her areas of expertise.She has long organizational experie nce at ÅAU\, recently she has been Vice-Rector for Education 2022-25\, an d served as Acting Rector from April 2025 until she was appointed as Recto r in January 2026. \n \n information abo ut Turku \n \n \n Venue Information \n \n \n \n CHARM-EU ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2026 at Åbo Akademi UniversityÅbo (Tur ku in Finnish) 14 October 2026VENUE FOR THE MEETINGAstra\, Porthansgatan 3 \, 20500 ÅboRoom: Bonfire \n \n \n \n General Inf ormation about Turku \n \n \n \n Turku (in Finnish)/Åbo (in Swedish) is vibrant city of 200\,000 inhabitants and the sixth largest city in Finland after Helsinki\, Espoo\, Tampere\, Vantaa and Oulu. Finla nd having two main official languages\, Turku/Åbo is officially bilingual and 5\,2 percent of its population identify Swedish as their mother-tongu e.Åbo Akademi University is the only Swedish-language multidisciplinary a cademic university in Finland. The campus is located in the old city centr e\, at a walking distance from the hotels listed in this document.When spe aking about the city in English\, the Finnish name Turku is usually used\, as the majority of the inhabitants are Finnish-speaking. You will however see most names of streets in both languages\, so remember this when you a re wondering about two very different street names/addresses indicating th e same location!Turku is the oldest city in Finland and the former capital of the country and will celebrate its 800th anniversary in 2029. Located on the seaside of Southwest Finland\, Turku is a regional hub for educatio n\, culture and business and the third biggest urban area in Finland. Stud ents make up a fifth of the city’s population. \n \n \n \n Travel to Turku \n \n \n \n BY AIR ALL THE WAY TO TURKUTurku Airport is eight kilometres/30-minutes by local bus (line 1 )/15 minutes by taxi from the city centre. If you can find a reasonable fl ight to Turku Airport (TKU)\, it is the most convenient option. (If your a rrival time to Turku Airport is after the last bus and there is no taxi to be found\, you can order one by using the service phone which is located near the exit on the arrivals level of the terminal).The air companies ope rating in Turku are:o Finnair (through Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and Stockho lm Arlanda)o SAS (through Copenhagen Kastrup and Stockholm Arlanda)o Air B altic (through Riga)o WizzAir (through Vilnius\, Gdańsk and Bucharest) B Y AIR THROUGH HELSINKI OR STOCKHOLMMany airlines operate flights to Helsin ki Airport\, e.g. Finnair. From Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) you can take a bus or train to Turku. Turku–Helsinki is 166 km\; the bus or train wi ll take you about 2\,5 hrs.–\; Bus connection from Helsinki–Vantaa Airport (Matkahuolto)Your end station would be “Turku Tuomiokirkko” or “Turku linja-autoasema = Turku bus station”.–\; Train connection from Helsinki–Vantaa Airport (VR)\, with a transfer in Pasila.Your end train station when arriving from Helsinki is “Kupittaa (Turku)” or the main station “Turku (City Centre\, Logomo)”. BY FERRY THROUGH STOCKH OLMFrom Stockholm there is a night ferry to Turku. You sleep on the ferry and arrive in the Port of Turku the next morning. The ferries are operated by Viking Line and Silja Line. \n \n \n \n Moving Around in Turku \n \n \n \n Central Turku is quite small and easiest to get around on foot. Turku is easy to navigate also on bike or electric scooter. Föli offers city bikes and e.g. Voi\, Dott and Ryde  operate electric scooters. There is an extensive local bus network (goi ng all the way to our nearest National Park). Bus tickets cost ca. 3-4€ and can be purchased beforehand in an app or by card (contactless payment) on the bus. For timetables and bus stops\, please see here. The bus stop nearest the ÅAU campus\, by the Cathedral is called “Tuomiokirkkotori ” and the bus stops closest to the city centre are all called “Kauppat ori” (there are several around the Market square). Buses do not automati cally stop at every stop. Passengers wanting to get on board must wave the ir hand. \n \n \n \n Q&\;A on Travelling \n \ n \n \n Do you recommend the train or the bus from HEL?This will depend on where your hotel is located. If in the city centre\, the b us is better. But if staying next to the train station (Sokos Hotel Kupitt aa)\, the train may be more convenient.There are buses and taxis outside t he station\, so you will easily get into town\, but taking the bus at the airport will take you closer to the city centre directly.The bus stop for the bus taking you from Helsinki to Turku that is closest to your hotel wi ll probably be at the Cathedral (Tuomiokirkko)\, but you can also go until the bus station\, which is not far either.How much time is needed between my arrival at the airport and taking the train or bus?If the flight is on time and you are travelling light\, with hand-luggage only\, 30-40 minute s will be enough for you to catch both options. Check the information and follow the signs.The bus/train schedule says there is a transfer/connectio n\, will I manage?Yes!For the train\, there will be a transfer from the co mmuter train to the intercity train in Pasila\, which is 25 minutes from t he airport. The platforms are side by side\, so it takes only a few minute s to change trains.For the bus\, if there is a transfer (rare occurrence)\ , the first bus will take you to the second bus and not leave before the s econd bus is there. The transfer is 20-25 minutes after the departure from the airport.Should I buy my ticket in advance for the day when I arrive i n Finland?It is a good idea to buy it in advance\; the tickets are usually cheaper when bought in advance. On the other hand\, if your flight is del ayed\, you will lose the ticket. You could also wait until you land and bu y the ticket online\, on your mobile phone (see the links provided above)\ , when exiting the aircraft or while waiting for the train. And if you not ice the bus/train is full when buying the ticket\, maybe you can take anot her option instead.For the bus\, you can also buy the ticket from the bus driver. For the train\, there is a ticket machine on the platform.How abou t the day when I leave Finland\, should I buy my bus/train ticket already now?You can buy it already before arrival. \n \n \n \n Hotels in Turku \n \n \n \n Participants are respons ible for finding and booking their own accommodation. For some hotels ther e is a special rate\, which is mentioned for every hotel separately.Closes t to ÅAU (ca 10 min walk)Scandic Julia https://www.scandichotels.fi/hotel lit/suomi/turku/scandic-julia (500 m to the campus)We are happy to offer y our guests a discount on room reservations at Scandic Julia\, Scandic Hamb urger Börs\, Scandic Plaza Turku and Scandic Go\, Eerikinkatu 30. Reserva tions can be easily made through the following link: BOOK WITH SCANDIC\, b ooking code CGRO. Through the link\, guests can directly book rooms at a d iscounted rate.Guests can choose their preferred room type and receive an additional discount when paying for the reservation upon booking. The canc ellation policy for individual bookings depends on the booking type chosen by the guest. To confirm the reservation\, guests must provide valid cred it card information. Rooms are subject to availability and should be booke d 10 days before arrival at the latest. Scandic Friends members should al so check for available loyalty offers.Centro Hotel https://centrohotel.com / (600 m to the campus)Use booking code: CHARM-EU for reduced rate on the rooms. Single room 112EUR/night\, Double room 132EUR/night – including b reakfast. Book directly with the Centro Hotel. Limited availability.Scandi c Hamburger Börs https://www.scandichotels.com/en/hotels/scandic-hamburge r-bors (700 m to the campus)Use the booking code CGRO for discounted rates : https://www.scandichotels.com/en?bookingcode=CGROSokos Hotel Wiklund htt ps://www.sokoshotels.fi/hotellit/turku/original-sokos-hotel-wiklund (700 m to the campus)Bob W Turku City Centre https://bobw.co/locations/turkuOmen a Hotelli Kauppiaskatu https://www.omenahotels.com/fi/hotellit/turku-kaupp iaskatu/Ineon Hotel https://ineon.fi/enCity Center (10+ min walk)Scandic H otel Plaza https://www.scandichotels.fi/hotellit/suomi/turku/scandic-plaza -turkuUse the booking code CGRO for discounted rates: https://www.scandich otels.com/en?bookingcode=CGROHelmi Hotelli https://www.hotellihelmi.fi/en- gb/homeUse booking code: CHARM-EU for reduced rate on the rooms. Single ro om 89EUR/night\, Double room 119EUR/night – including breakfast. Book di rectly with the Helmi Hotelli. Limited availability.Sokos Hotel Turun Seur ahuone https://www.sokoshotels.fi/hotellit/turku/solo-sokos-hotel-turun-se urahuoneScandic Go\, Eerikinkatu 30 https://www.scandichotels.com/fi/hotel lit/scandic-go-eerikinkatu-30Use the booking code CGRO for discounted rate s: https://www.scandichotels.com/en?bookingcode=CGROOmena Hotelli Humalist onkatu https://www.omenahotels.com/fi/hotellit/turku-humalistonkatu/Forenu m Aparthotels https://www.forenom.com/aparthotels/turku/Sokos Hotel Kupitt aa https://www.sokoshotels.fi/en/hotels/turku/original-sokos-hotel-kupitta a (next to the Kupittaa train station\, not in the centre\, 1.2 kms to cam pus)Use booking code: BCHARMEU for reduced rate on the rooms. Single room 105EUR/night\, Double room 125EUR/night – including breakfast and sauna. Book directly with Sokos Hotel Kupittaa. Limited availability\, discounte d rates until September 11. \n \n \n \n Other Prac tical Information \n \n \n \n The eduroam WiFi is availab le throughout the whole campus\; you can access it using your home univers ity login.Finland uses the euro. Cards are widely used and notes larger th an 50 € may not be accepted everywhere. Contactless payment with cards i s common. Some places are cash-free.In October\, it might still be relativ ely warm during the daytime but the weather can be unpredictable (prepare for rain) and evenings are colder. Daytime temperatures are 10 degrees and nighttime temperatures 5 degrees on average in southern Finland and the s un rises at 8 am and sets after 6 pm in October.Please note that some rest aurants and most museums are closed on Mondays. Often kitchens close in re staurants around 9 or 10 pm. Some restaurants may have longer service hour s during the weekends. \n \n \n \n To Do in Turku \n \n \n \n Campus walk (ÅAU Main building\, Sibelius Mu seum\, Juridicum\, Arken\, Aurum\, Astra)The history of ÅAU’s buildings : Åbo Akademi University FoundationWalk by the river (3\,5 kms between th e ÅAU campus and Turku Castle)Turku Cathedral (closed for renovations) an d AboaVetus (medieval Turku)Art museumTurku Market Hall (Kauppahalli / Sal uhallen)Kakola area: shop\, brewery\, spa and restaurants in former prison and prison areaHansa shopping centre for Marimekko\, Iittala and Finnish souvenirsKui at Kristiinankatu for more local souvenirsSauna and swimmingS aaronniemiJärveläIspoisFor more information\, please see Visit Turku \n \n \n \n Questions? \n \n \n \n P ia le Grand\, CHARM-EU Manager\, pia.legrand@abo.fi\, +358 50 321 1400Harr iet Klåvus\, CHARM-EU Manager\, harriet.klavus@abo.fi\, +358 46 921 6130M atias Dahlbäck\, WP17\, matias.dahlback@abo.fi\, +358 50 475 1515Sara Joa s\, WP6\, sara.joas@abo.fi\, +358 50 465 3965 \n \n CHARM-EU A NNUAL CONFERENCE 2026 at Åbo Akademi UniversityÅbo (Turku in Finnish) 14 October 2026VENUE FOR THE MEETINGAstra\, Porthansgatan 3\, 20500 ÅboRoom : BonfireTurku (in Finnish)/Åbo (in Swedish) is vibrant city of 200\,000 inhabitants and the sixth largest city in Finland after Helsinki\, Espoo\, Tampere\, Vantaa and Oulu. Finland having two main official languages\, T urku/Åbo is officially bilingual and 5\,2 percent of its population ident ify Swedish as their mother-tongue.Åbo Akademi University is the only Swe dish-language multidisciplinary academic university in Finland. The campus is located in the old city centre\, at a walking distance from the hotels listed in this document.When speaking about the city in English\, the Fin nish name Turku is usually used\, as the majority of the inhabitants are F innish-speaking. You will however see most names of streets in both langua ges\, so remember this when you are wondering about two very different str eet names/addresses indicating the same location!Turku is the oldest city in Finland and the former capital of the country and will celebrate its 80 0th anniversary in 2029. Located on the seaside of Southwest Finland\, Tur ku is a regional hub for education\, culture and business and the third bi ggest urban area in Finland. Students make up a fifth of the city’s popu lation.BY AIR ALL THE WAY TO TURKUTurku Airport is eight kilometres/30-min utes by local bus (line 1)/15 minutes by taxi from the city centre. If you can find a reasonable flight to Turku Airport (TKU)\, it is the most conv enient option. (If your arrival time to Turku Airport is after the last bu s and there is no taxi to be found\, you can order one by using the servic e phone which is located near the exit on the arrivals level of the termin al).The air companies operating in Turku are:o Finnair (through Helsinki-V antaa Airport and Stockholm Arlanda)o SAS (through Copenhagen Kastrup and Stockholm Arlanda)o Air Baltic (through Riga)o WizzAir (through Vilnius\, Gdańsk and Bucharest) BY AIR THROUGH HELSINKI OR STOCKHOLMMany airlines operate flights to Helsinki Airport\, e.g. Finnair. From Helsinki-Vantaa A irport (HEL) you can take a bus or train to Turku. Turku–Helsinki is 166 km\; the bus or train will take you about 2\,5 hrs.- Bus connection from Helsinki–Vantaa Airport (Matkahuolto)Your end station would be “Turku Tuomiokirkko” or “Turku linja-autoasema = Turku bus station”.- Train connection from Helsinki–Vantaa Airport (VR)\, with a transfer in Pasil a.Your end train station when arriving from Helsinki is “Kupittaa (Turku )” or the main station “Turku (City Centre\, Logomo)”. BY FERRY THR OUGH STOCKHOLMFrom Stockholm there is a night ferry to Turku. You sleep on the ferry and arrive in the Port of Turku the next morning. The ferries a re operated by Viking Line and Silja Line.Central Turku is quite small and easiest to get around on foot. Turku is easy to navigate also on bike or electric scooter. Föli offers city bikes and e.g. Voi\, Dott and Ryde op erate electric scooters. There is an extensive local bus network (going a ll the way to our nearest National Park). Bus tickets cost ca. 3-4€ and can be purchased beforehand in an app or by card (contactless payment) on the bus. For timetables and bus stops\, please see here. The bus stop near est the ÅAU campus\, by the Cathedral is called “Tuomiokirkkotori” an d the bus stops closest to the city centre are all called “Kauppatori” (there are several around the Market square). Buses do not automatically stop at every stop. Passengers wanting to get on board must wave their han d.Do you recommend the train or the bus from HEL?This will depend on where your hotel is located. If in the city centre\, the bus is better. But if staying next to the train station (Sokos Hotel Kupittaa)\, the train may b e more convenient.There are buses and taxis outside the station\, so you w ill easily get into town\, but taking the bus at the airport will take you closer to the city centre directly.The bus stop for the bus taking you fr om Helsinki to Turku that is closest to your hotel will probably be at the Cathedral (Tuomiokirkko)\, but you can also go until the bus station\, wh ich is not far either.How much time is needed between my arrival at the ai rport and taking the train or bus?If the flight is on time and you are tra velling light\, with hand-luggage only\, 30-40 minutes will be enough for you to catch both options. Check the information and follow the signs.The bus/train schedule says there is a transfer/connection\, will I manage?Yes !For the train\, there will be a transfer from the commuter train to the i ntercity train in Pasila\, which is 25 minutes from the airport. The platf orms are side by side\, so it takes only a few minutes to change trains.Fo r the bus\, if there is a transfer (rare occurrence)\, the first bus will take you to the second bus and not leave before the second bus is there. T he transfer is 20-25 minutes after the departure from the airport.Should I buy my ticket in advance for the day when I arrive in Finland?It is a goo d idea to buy it in advance\; the tickets are usually cheaper when bought in advance. On the other hand\, if your flight is delayed\, you will lose the ticket. You could also wait until you land and buy the ticket online\, on your mobile phone (see the links provided above)\, when exiting the ai rcraft or while waiting for the train. And if you notice the bus/train is full when buying the ticket\, maybe you can take another option instead.Fo r the bus\, you can also buy the ticket from the bus driver. For the train \, there is a ticket machine on the platform.How about the day when I leav e Finland\, should I buy my bus/train ticket already now?You can buy it al ready before arrival.Participants are responsible for finding and booking their own accommodation. For some hotels there is a special rate\, which i s mentioned for every hotel separately.Closest to ÅAU (ca 10 min walk)Sca ndic Julia https://www.scandichotels.fi/hotellit/suomi/turku/scandic-julia (500 m to the campus)We are happy to offer your guests a discount on room reservations at Scandic Julia\, Scandic Hamburger Börs\, Scandic Plaza T urku and Scandic Go\, Eerikinkatu 30. Reservations can be easily made thro ugh the following link: BOOK WITH SCANDIC\, booking code CGRO. Through the link\, guests can directly book rooms at a discounted rate.Guests can cho ose their preferred room type and receive an additional discount when payi ng for the reservation upon booking. The cancellation policy for individua l bookings depends on the booking type chosen by the guest. To confirm the reservation\, guests must provide valid credit card information. Rooms ar e subject to availability and should be booked 10 days before arrival at t he latest. Scandic Friends members should also check for available loyalt y offers.Centro Hotel https://centrohotel.com/ (600 m to the campus)Use bo oking code: CHARM-EU for reduced rate on the rooms. Single room 112EUR/nig ht\, Double room 132EUR/night – including breakfast. Book directly with the Centro Hotel. Limited availability.Scandic Hamburger Börs https://www .scandichotels.com/en/hotels/scandic-hamburger-bors (700 m to the campus)U se the booking code CGRO for discounted rates: https://www.scandichotels.c om/en?bookingcode=CGROSokos Hotel Wiklund https://www.sokoshotels.fi/hotel lit/turku/original-sokos-hotel-wiklund (700 m to the campus)Bob W Turku Ci ty Centre https://bobw.co/locations/turkuOmena Hotelli Kauppiaskatu https: //www.omenahotels.com/fi/hotellit/turku-kauppiaskatu/Ineon Hotel https://i neon.fi/enCity Center (10+ min walk)Scandic Hotel Plaza https://www.scandi chotels.fi/hotellit/suomi/turku/scandic-plaza-turkuUse the booking code CG RO for discounted rates: https://www.scandichotels.com/en?bookingcode=CGRO Helmi Hotelli https://www.hotellihelmi.fi/en-gb/homeUse booking code: CHAR M-EU for reduced rate on the rooms. Single room 89EUR/night\, Double room 119EUR/night – including breakfast. Book directly with the Helmi Hotelli . Limited availability.Sokos Hotel Turun Seurahuone https://www.sokoshotel s.fi/hotellit/turku/solo-sokos-hotel-turun-seurahuoneScandic Go\, Eerikink atu 30 https://www.scandichotels.com/fi/hotellit/scandic-go-eerikinkatu-30 Use the booking code CGRO for discounted rates: https://www.scandichotels. com/en?bookingcode=CGROOmena Hotelli Humalistonkatu https://www.omenahotel s.com/fi/hotellit/turku-humalistonkatu/Forenum Aparthotels https://www.for enom.com/aparthotels/turku/Sokos Hotel Kupittaa https://www.sokoshotels.fi /en/hotels/turku/original-sokos-hotel-kupittaa (next to the Kupittaa train station\, not in the centre\, 1.2 kms to campus)Use booking code: BCHARME U for reduced rate on the rooms. Single room 105EUR/night\, Double room 12 5EUR/night – including breakfast and sauna. Book directly with Sokos Hot el Kupittaa. Limited availability\, discounted rates until September 11.Th e eduroam WiFi is available throughout the whole campus\; you can access i t using your home university login.Finland uses the euro. Cards are widely used and notes larger than 50 € may not be accepted everywhere. Contact less payment with cards is common. Some places are cash-free.In October\, it might still be relatively warm during the daytime but the weather can b e unpredictable (prepare for rain) and evenings are colder. Daytime temper atures are 10 degrees and nighttime temperatures 5 degrees on average in s outhern Finland and the sun rises at 8 am and sets after 6 pm in October.P lease note that some restaurants and most museums are closed on Mondays. O ften kitchens close in restaurants around 9 or 10 pm. Some restaurants may have longer service hours during the weekends.Campus walk (ÅAU Main buil ding\, Sibelius Museum\, Juridicum\, Arken\, Aurum\, Astra)The history of ÅAU’s buildings: Åbo Akademi University FoundationWalk by the river (3 \,5 kms between the ÅAU campus and Turku Castle)Turku Cathedral (closed f or renovations) and AboaVetus (medieval Turku)Art museumTurku Market Hall (Kauppahalli / Saluhallen)Kakola area: shop\, brewery\, spa and restaurant s in former prison and prison areaHansa shopping centre for Marimekko\, Ii ttala and Finnish souvenirsKui at Kristiinankatu for more local souvenirsS auna and swimmingSaaronniemiJärveläIspoisFor more information\, please s ee Visit TurkuPia le Grand\, CHARM-EU Manager\, pia.legrand@abo.fi\, +358 50 321 1400Harriet Klåvus\, CHARM-EU Manager\, harriet.klavus@abo.fi\, +3 58 46 921 6130Matias Dahlbäck\, WP17\, matias.dahlback@abo.fi\, +358 50 4 75 1515Sara Joas\, WP6\, sara.joas@abo.fi\, +358 50 465 3965 CATEGORIES:CHARM-EU event,Governance,Research,Teaching LOCATION:Åbo Akademi University\, Tuomiokirkontori 3\, Turku\, 20500\, Fin land X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Tuomiokirkontori 3\, Turku\ , 20500\, Finland;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Åbo Akademi University:geo:0 ,0 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR