UNITA - Universitas Montium

🌍An International Experience in Lăpuș Land (Țara Lăpușului), Romania through UNITA – Universitas Montium
Sophia Dibbs (United Kingdom), a PhD student at Universidad Pública de Navarra (Spain), and Soham Lohana (India), a master's student at Université Savoie Mont Blanc (France), are nearing the end of their first week in Țara Lăpușului, Romania. They are participating in the Rural Mobility program, organized through the UNITA – Universitas Montium alliance, and will spend four weeks in the commune of Băiuț, Maramureș County.
Their first week has already been filled with memorable experiences. They visited several villages across Țara Lăpușului, including Groșii Țibleșului, Rogoz, Suciu de Jos, Suciu de Sus, Ungureni, and Poiana Botizii. On St. Elijah's Day, Soham also joined the traditional pilgrimage to Mount Țibleș, adding a unique cultural dimension to his stay.
Beyond exploring the region's rich cultural and historical heritage, they have experienced the rhythm of rural life in Maramureș. Living within the local community has given them a deeper appreciation of its traditions, hospitality, and strong sense of belonging, while allowing them to build meaningful connections.
Their academic interests reflect the region's heritage. Sophia is researching traditional textiles, while Soham, with a background in video production and visual communication, is documenting their four-week stay through photography and videography. Together, their work showcases the traditions, landscapes, and everyday life of Țara Lăpușului, sharing its unique identity with an international audience.
Through initiatives such as Rural Mobility, the UNITA – Universitas Montium alliance continues to promote international mobility, interdisciplinary research, and meaningful engagement with rural communities across Europe.
📲 Follow Sophia and Soham's journey in Băiuț and Țara Lăpușului on ! 🌟

🌎 OUR GEMINAE PARTNERS – MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT 🌎

The Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar is one of Africa's leading universities and a key contributor to international academic cooperation.

With more than 90,000 students, a strong profile, and recent recognition in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, UCAD shares UNITA's commitment to excellence, innovation, and sustainable development.

🔹 What is Geminae?
The Geminae Programme brings together partner universities form Africa, Americas and Asia within the UNITA Alliance to strengthen international cooperation through the exchange of best practices in teaching, research, mobility, and governance, fostering inclusive, sustainable, and globally connected higher education systems.

Through the Geminae Network, UNITA is building bridges beyond Europe, connecting universities across continents to exchange knowledge, strengthen research and education, and address global challenges together.

Discover more about UCAD and its collaboration with UNITA in our latest article👇
https://univ-unita.eu/our-geminae-partners-universite-cheick-anta-diop-de-dakar-senegal/

🎉 We’re excited to announce that UNITA will be present at in Glasgow from 8 to 12 September!

Follow us over the next few weeks as we reveal more about our presence in Glasgow:
🔥 3 Campfire Sessions
🎤 1 Ignite Session
🍫 Daily chocolate tastings from all UNITA universities, a delicious way to discover our alliance and its members!

🤝 With the participation of our GEMINAE partners

Stay tuned and discover more about our sessions and activities soon!

HigherEducation EAIE2026

Are European values still relevant for the younger generation? 🇪🇺

📢 CALL FOR PAPERS | UNITA Annual Conference: European Identity, Politics of Memory, and Engaging Europe's Totalitarian Past

Join students, researchers, and educators from across the UNITA alliance for a day of inspiring discussions on:
✨ European identity
✨ Memory and history
✨ Democracy and active citizenship
✨ Digital media and collective memory
✨ Europe’s challenges in a changing world

🎓 Open to all curious minds.
📅 5 November 2026 | Transilvania University of Brașov
⏰ Abstract Deadline: 1 September 2026
🔗 Submit your proposal: https://acortar.link/QsqyWK (Select Panel 17)
💡 Fee exemption for accepted participants from UNITA Alliance universities!

Because the past is not just something we remember. Don’t make totalitarian times great again!
Submit your abstract and join the conversation! 🚀

🌍 Learning Italian, embracing multilingualism, strengthening European cooperation.

From 6 to 10 July 2026, the Università degli Studi di Torino welcomed 25 academic and professional staff from across the UNITA Alliance for the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) "Italian Language for Staff and Teachers".

More than a language course, the programme offered participants an immersive experience built around multilingualism and intercomprehension, helping them discover Italian by building on their knowledge of the Romance languages spoken across the Alliance. Through innovative teaching methods, cultural activities and peer interaction, the BIP contributed to strengthening both linguistic competences and the sense of belonging to the UNITA community.

A special thanks goes to the Dipartimento di Lingue e Letterature straniere e Culture moderne - UniTo and CLA - Unito Centro Linguistico di Ateneo of the University of Turin, whose expertise made the programme possible, and to ESN Torino - Erasmus Student Network, which guided participants through the historic centre of Turin, creating valuable opportunities for cultural exchange and networking.

📖 Read more about the initiative in the UNITA website:
https://univ-unita.eu/learning-italian-through-intercomprehension-unita-staff-and-teachers-meet-in-turin/

📍 UNITA WP4 Meeting | Research&Innovation | 2-3 July

🌍 Over two days, colleagues from across the UNITA Alliance came together at Università degli Studi di Brescia to review the progress achieved in recent months, identify priorities for the next phase, exchange good practices, and plan upcoming activities within Work Package 4 – Research & Innovation.

🇪🇺One of the highlights was an inspiring keynote speech about the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, a meaningful framework for the opening of the UNITA WP4 Meeting.

🔬 The meeting also brought together the Vice-Rectors for Research and International Affairs to evaluate the applications for the UNITA Advanced Grants. The committee approved funding for innovative scientific projects that will foster excellence in research and strengthen collaboration across the Alliance.

By supporting joint scientific initiatives, these projects will further enhance the network of inter-university cooperation across Europe, increasing its competitiveness in attracting international research funding and contributing to addressing shared societal challenges.

A valuable opportunity to reinforce the commitment to collaboration, innovation, and research excellence across the UNITA community.

🌍 Can different languages bring people closer together?

Through the Blended Intensive Programme "Intercomprehension for Specific Purposes: Tourism in Rural Areas", students from across the UNITA Alliance discovered how —understanding one another while each speaks their own Romance language—can become a powerful tool for cooperation, inclusion, and sustainable development.

📚 Combining online learning, collaborative workshops, and fieldwork in the Italian Alps, participants explored how can support rural tourism, strengthen intercultural dialogue, and create new opportunities for mountain communities.

More than a language course, the programme showed that linguistic diversity is not a barrier—it is a resource for building stronger European communities.

🏔️ Read the full article:
https://univ-unita.eu/it/studying-mountain-biodiversity-across-borders-unitas-blended-intensive-programme-at-the-university-of-turin-2/

🤳Experience the BIP through the students' reels: https://youtu.be/EZX3KQE6FOY?si=xoAi19frY2bAJSN_

📢Calling all recent graduates from UNITA Universitas Montium

The UNITA Alliance is excited to announce the UNITA Dissertation Prize 2026 for Bachelor's and Master's theses that contribute to the understanding of European identity, values, and citizenship. 🏛

If you have defended your thesis during the last three academic years (2023-2024, 2024-2025, or 2025-2026) and your research covers fields such as Law ⚖️, History 📜, Sociology 🌐, Economics 💶, Management 📊, or Political Sciences 🏛, we want to hear from you!

🏆 Prizes:
• Bachelor's: €200 + Certificate
• Master's: €400 + Certificate

What are you waiting for? 🚀 Check the UNITA section on your university's website for specific submission deadlines and full application guidelines! 📅



Università degli Studi di Torino Università degli Studi di Brescia Universidad de Zaragoza UPNA Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour (UPPA) Université Savoie Mont Blanc Universitatea de Vest din Timișoara Universitatea "Transilvania" Brasov Universidade da Beira Interior - UBI Politécnico da Guarda HES-SO Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University - International Office