About

The Ca’ Foscari Research Hub for Global Challenges is a transdisciplinary centre where thematic groups develop advanced research to face current and future global challenges. The centre supports through six Research Institutes the design of innovative and collaborative research projects for international funding application and related initiatives that promote the cross-fertilization among researchers from different backgrounds. 

The Hub has been established in May 2020 following the successful experience of the Research for Global Challenges initiative, which since 2015 has been bringing together transversal research groups and a number of international research partner and networking opportunities.

It also supports and encourages professors and researchers to take part in European Associations and international Research Networks.

The Hub thus consolidates and pushes forward this experience with a unitary scientific coordination and management of collaborative and individual research projects, funded by internal resources and by European or international fundings.

Cross-fertilization and synergies are the strategic keys to global challenges

Issues affecting humans and nature are long-term complex targets that cannot be dealt with single solutions melted together. A wider innovative approach is to be pursued on both competency and organizational levels.

Ca’ Foscari University further promotes its scientific excellence giving its researchers the opportunity to virtually join the Hub and gather in one - or more - Research Institute, where they will contribute with their own expertise and know-how, working together beyond their restricted areas of interest to solve large-scale challenging issues and to nurture their research approach.

The Hub and its Research Institutes will boost research ideas and project proposals to regional, national, European, and international competitive calls. The Hub acts as key 'entry point' for the external partners and stakeholders and will strengthen networking with other research institutions, enterprises, institutional partners, governing authorities, and funding bodies.

Joining a Research Institute will help to get more research funds

Nowadays, being awarded European research funds is getting harder than ever. The European Research and Innovation Programme, as well as other international funding programmes, is not organized into classical distinct research topics. It overtly focuses on global challenges to be untangled adopting a highly innovative and transdisciplinary approach.

Having an original or a creative idea is not enough. Strengthening collaboration with extraordinary colleagues, establishing  international connections, and having the support of dedicated project advisors are some of the key factors to a competitive - and hopefully successful! - proposal application that the Hub provides to its members.

Get involved: join a Research institute

If you are a researcher at Ca' Foscari or at a Research Centre linked: fill in the online form.

If you are not a researcher at Ca' Foscari: you can express your interest by writing to:  global.challenges@unive.it.

Scientific Committee

The Ca' Foscari Research Hub for Global Challenges is coordinated by a Scientific Committee composed of 11 members, including the 4 Delegates of the Rector for Area Research, the 6 Coordinators (1 per Research Institute, RI), and the Vice-Chancellor for Research, who chairs it.

The mission of the Scientific Committee and of the Hub is to:

  • Encourage and coordinate innovative and interdisciplinary lines of research in line with the areas identified mainly by the Recovery and Resilience Fund and Horizon Europe.
  • Optimise synergies with the University’s Centres and Departments.Stimulate and support the development of collaborative research project proposals to be submitted under European or international competitive calls.
  • Foster interdisciplinary groups of researchers.Organise thematic and/or information events relating to calls for proposals.Strengthen synergies and cooperation with local/national authorities to submit joint proposals and achieve greater impact.
  • Encourage participation in international networks to increase scientific collaboration and opportunities for joint proposals.
Foto di Maria Del Valle Ojeda Calvo

Maria Del Valle Ojeda Calvo

Chair, Vice-Rector for Research

Michela Signoretto

Rector's Delegate for Scientific Research area

Giovanni Favero

Rector's delegate for Economic-Managerial Research area

Emiliano Bronislaw Fiori

Rector's delegate for Linguistics Research Area

Roberta Dreon

Rector's delegate for Humanities Research Area

Chiara Zanardi

Coordinator RI for Complexity

Foto di Lorenzo Calvelli

Lorenzo Calvelli

Coordinator RI for Digital and Cultural Heritage

Francesco Moscone

Coordinator RI for Social Innovation

Joseph Emanuel Sanzo

Coordinator RI for International Studies

Foto di Cristina Cavinato

Cristina Cavinato

Coordinator RI for Green and Blue Growth

Andrea Stocchetti

Coordinator RI for Innovation Management